6 Strategic Questions to Ask Before a Website Redesign
If you’re reading this, you’re likely considering redesigning your site. You’re probably feeling some mix of:
- My website looks outdated.
- I need to modernize this.
- It’s not driving conversions like it used to.
And some of your team said, “Let’s start fresh.”
Honestly, most redesigns make websites look better but do not improve their functionality.
Businesses have tried new layouts. They often face slower load times, fewer leads, and frustrated users.
Why? Because they skipped the real work: the strategy.
Before you change your layout, choose a new CMS, stop, and ask the questions that actually lead to results.
1. What problem are you actually solving?
A successful website starts with clarity, not aesthetics. Knowing what you actually want to solve is the core of your website. That is where you center the voice of your message on your website. If your current “why” sounds like this:
- “We want a more modern look.”
- The design feels old.
- It’s no longer us.
What you are saying right now is not a measurable goal. That’s a straightforward design opinion. The perfect question to ask is: What is broken right now, and how will I measure success after I redesign it?
Define your exact problem with data. For example:
- Homepage bounce rate is 68% (the industry average is 45%).
- Mobile form completion is under 1%.
- Page load time is 4.2 seconds (it should be under 3).
If you can’t define the problem, you can’t know if your redesign worked.
Pro tip: Tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, and PageSpeed Insights are your best friends.
2. Who are you designing for (and what do they need to do)?
You may think this is basic. But the team builds most redesigns around what they want, not what the users need. Remember your website isn’t for your marketing team. It’s for:
- Leads who landed on your ad ten seconds ago.
- Clients who want to book without confusion.
- First-time visitors are trying to figure out if you are legitimate.
Ask yourself this before touching anything:
- Who are our primary users?
- What are they trying to do on this site?
- What friction are they running into now?
Your design choices: CTA placement, layout, navigation, and trust signals. The approach should be based on users’ behavior, not on branding.
If your users scan in an F-pattern and never scroll past the hero, your redesign should meet them there.
3. Is your content driving action or sitting there?
In building your website, you don’t need prettier content. You also need a smarter structure. It’s best to ask yourself:
- Do we have clear entry points for cold traffic?
- Are we leading users toward a booking, download, or next step?
- Are we supporting our lead magnets, blog strategy, or email structure?
You can add these key content elements: case studies, testimonials, lead magnets, and clear next steps on each page.
Your blog, landing pages, and offers must work together, not compete for attention.
4. Is your site prepared for growth from a technical standpoint?
When you are redesigning or designing your website, you sometimes focus on visuals. But your site’s setup matters just as much. Ask yourself:
- Are my images optimized and compressed?
- Is the site mobile-first or mobile-friendly?
- Are SEO basics in place? (meta tags, schema, redirects)
- Is your CMS flexible and easy for the team to manage post-launch?
Free tools to use:
- Google PageSpeed Insights (speed analysis)
- Mobile-Friendly Test (mobile optimization)
- GTMetrix (performance breakdown)
Your beautiful, slow website is still a killer to your $$$.
5. Who Owns This Website After It’s Built?
Your work doesn’t end on your launch day. What happens after is much more important.
Make sure that:
- You have access to domain hosting and a CMS.
- Your team knows how to make updates.
- You’re not locked into a platform you can’t manage.
- Backups, security, and analytics are set up from the start.
Redesigning your website without this is like building a house and losing the keys.
6. How will you measure success afterwards?
As we’ve mentioned, redesigning doesn’t stop at launch. That is when the real work actually starts. Make sure to ask yourself:
- What are we tracking post-launch?
- What is the goal?
- Do we have heat maps or session recording tools installed?
- Are we planning to test new headlines or CTA buttons?
Doing this without data is opinion in layout form. And that’s not how growth happens.
(Want to dive deeper into performance issues? We break down the five most common reasons websites fail to convert.)
Bonus: 5 Redesign Traps That Kill Results
1. Mobile Afterthought
62% of web traffic is mobile. Design mobile-first, not mobile-last.
2. Trust Signal Removal
Don’t remove testimonials, client logos, or security badges for a “cleaner” design. Removing social proof can significantly reduce conversions.
3. Feature Overload
Every new feature adds friction. Focus on your primary conversion goal.
4. Speed Sacrifice
Beautiful animations mean nothing if they slow load times to below three seconds.
5. Navigation Confusion
Users shouldn’t need to think about where to click next.
Final thoughts
If your website isn’t working the way it should—not bringing leads, not driving action. Then yes, a redesign can help.
But not any redesign.
You need one based on data, not opinions.
One that’s built for how real users click, scroll, and decide.
And one that is set up to grow your business, not to look good.
If you want expert eyes on your site before making changes.
And we’ll walk through what’s working, what’s not, and what to do next.
