Mistakes to Avoid During a Website Redesign

A website redesign presents an opportunity to rethink your website’s structure, content, look, feel, and overall user experience. It is also an opportunity to reimagine your site and make it more aligned with your business goals and the evolving needs of your new user base.

And, it is an opportunity you should definitely take if your current site’s design feels like an outdated relic. It takes just 50 milliseconds for visitors to form an opinion about a website. If your site’s design is outdated, it instantly makes visitors think of your brand in a lesser light.

Most major brands and web design agencies are aware of these facts. In a recent survey by GoodFirms, around 38% of web designers claimed that outdated design is the main reason why visitors leave websites with negative opinions about brands. That is why, the average brand updates its site’s design every 18–30 months. The leading brands do it even more frequently — YouTube, Netflix, the Microsoft Store — all underwent redesigns in 2024.

So, if you are planning to redesign your site in 2025, be excited to embark on a journey of rejuvenation. However, you’ll face many pitfalls on this journey.

If you do not prepare for them in advance, they’ll prevent you from achieving your redesign goals.

But, if you identify them upfront, you can make your site’s transition to a new design flawless.

Here are the most common mistakes you’ll want to avoid during a redesign:

Mistake #1. Not Identifying Redesign Goals

Redesigning a website without clear goals is a common and deadly mistake. Your redesign goals should be SMART:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Timebound

“Wanting a new visual aesthetic” or “redesigning because it has been 3 years since the last redesign” — these are not realistic goals.

In the short term, failing to set goals can lead to a disorganized redesign process. Without direction, your redesign team may focus too much on aesthetics not functionality. In the long run, this lack of oversight can ultimately hinder your site’s ability to draw traffic and engagement.

Your redesign goals should sound SMART like this:

• Increase visits by 14% in the next quarter.
• Boost leads by 25% in the next month.

Now, these figures need to be realistic and based on your website’s current metrics. To set realistic redesign goals:

• Conduct a website audit to analyze current performance metrics and key weak areas.
• Engage team members from different departments on what the redesign should achieve.
• Write down your goals and refer back to them throughout the redesign process.
• Regularly assess progress towards your goals.
• Adjust strategies as needed during the redesign phases.

By establishing clear goals from the outset, you make the redesign more purposeful and effective in the long run. Create a comprehensive list of current performance metrics. This serves as your benchmark for comparison after the redesign. Key metrics to record include:

• Traffic sources
• SERP rankings for keywords
• Most trafficked pages
• Monthly pageviews and visitors
• Avg. page load time
• Total inbound links
• Landing page conversion rates
• Average Bounce rate
• Average time on site
• Pages viewed per session

This information serves as a foundation for your redesign strategy and help set clear goals. Based on your benchmarks, define specific objectives for the redesign.

For e.g., aim to reduce bounce rates by 18% or increase traffic sources by 30%. After launching the redesigned site, continue tracking the same metrics to assess the redesign’s impact.

Mistake #2. Not Performing an SEO Audit

An SEO audit identifies all the elements that contribute to your site’s current search engine visibility. Without this analysis, you may overlook SEO issues like:

• Missing or duplicate page titles
• Improperly formatted page titles
• Missing or multiple H1 tags
• Duplicate meta descriptions
• Broken links

Failing to recognize these issues can lead to many lost opportunities. You may unintentionally remove or alter high-performing pages. Or, you might lose the chance to make your site up-to-date with Google’s latest ranking standards.

To avoid this mistake:

• Conduct a comprehensive SEO Audit.
• Analyze your current site for strengths and weaknesses.
• Use tools like Google Analytics and Screaming Frog to gather data on traffic, keywords, and technical SEO issues.
• Compile a list of high-performing pages that are essential for driving traffic — ensure these are preserved or improved during the redesign.
• Create a checklist of common SEO problems found during the audit.

Address each SEO issue systematically throughout the redesign.

Mistake #3. Failing to “No Index” Your Temp Site

During the redesign, your site becomes inactive. All the changes apply to the inactive ‘temp’ site. Not applying a “no index” tag to your temp site is a mistake you should not make.

• The temp site may contain unfinished or low-quality content.
• If search engines mistakenly index this temporary site, it may lower your existing rankings and visibility.

To “no index” your test site, add this code to the site’s <head> section:

```html

<meta name=“robots” content=“noindex”>

```

If you want to no index it specifically from Google, use:

```html

<meta name=“googlebot” content= “noindex”>

```

Check if your temp site’s URL still appears in search results. If it does, repeat the no-index process until it does not.

Mistake #4. Failing to Understand the Technical Requirements of the Site

Not fully understanding the scope and technical requirements of a redesign can lead to wasted resources and unmet client expectations. The redesign team may focus too much on aesthetics and neglect the site’s functionality and UX. To avoid these pitfalls:

• Ask comprehensive questions to clarify audience needs, goals, functionality, content requirements, and marketing strategies.
• Outline all technical requirements and project deliverables — from design elements to functionality + content needs to key UX design considerations.
• Document agreed-upon deliverables for both the agency and client (you); review the deliverables at each stage of the redesign process.
• Involve key stakeholders in discussions about goals and expectations.
• Keep a detailed record of agreed-upon deliverables and project scope.

As you progress through design stages, continuously test functionality to ensure it aligns with user expectations and project goals.

Mistake #5. Not Creating a Website Redesign Project Plan

A well-structured plan outlines tasks, requirements, and timelines. It fosters communication among stakeholders. This clarity minimizes wasted time and resources. A lack of planning can result in disorganization, financial losses, and missed deadlines.

To avoid this mistake:

• Outline all tasks, timelines, and responsibilities before starting the redesign.
• Include your SMART goals and KPI goals in this document.
• This document should serve as a roadmap for the entire project.
• Ensure all stakeholders have access to the project plan and understand their roles.
• Hold regular meetings to maintain alignment with this plan.
• Address concerns about the redesign not going as planned promptly in the routine meetings.

Mistake #6. Setting an Unrealistic Timeline

Redesigns involve multiple phases:

• Research + discovery
• Wireframing
• Content creation
• Design
• Development
• Testing + revision

Setting an unrealistic timeline that does not account for these stages can create unnecessary chaos/stress among team members.

To avoid this:

• Break down each phase of the project and allocate sufficient time for each step.
• Ask the redesign team to use data from past projects to illustrate realistic expectations.
• Include extra time in your schedule for unexpected delays or revisions.
• Use project management tools to track progress against the timeline.

Mistake #7. Not Collecting User Feedback

Relying solely on personal opinions (and not real users’ feedback) can lead to wasted resources and misguided efforts. User insights are crucial for making informed decisions that enhance the redesign’s effectiveness. Plus, modern tools make collecting feedback easier than ever:

• Use tools like SurveyMonkey to perform simple, mass-scale surveys.
• Use Qualaroo to perform in-depth, contextual surveys with selected users.
• Implement user surveys at various stages of the redesign process to capture ongoing feedback.
• Combine survey results with user behavior data to identify specific areas needing improvement.
• Use collected data to make informed adjustments to the redesign plans.

Mistake #8. Losing Your Brand Identity

A redesign should enhance, not dilute, your brand identity. Brand identity includes logos, colors, and typography. These elements create a consistent personality that resonates with users.

A redesign can harm this identity if it introduces inconsistencies or drastic changes.

To avoid this mistake:

• Assess your current brand elements and ensure they align with business goals
• Identify what must be preserved or updated
• Create clear design principles regarding how you want to maintain consistency in colors, typography, and imagery throughout the redesign
• Involve marketing, design, and content teams early to ensure everyone understands the new, slightly modified branding goals
• Work with content teams to ensure all new messaging aligns with your brand voice and resonates with your audience

If you make changes to your site’s URL structure, plan for this change by creating appropriate 301 redirects. Or else, you could confuse users by redirecting them to nonexistent pages.

Mistake #9. Not Mobile-Optimizing Your Site

In a world where 63% of global Internet traffic comes from mobile users, failing to optimize your redesigned site for mobile users is the most critical error you can make.

To avoid this:

• Implement mobile-first responsive design
• Use techniques like image compression and minimized code to enhance loading speed on mobile devices
• Design intuitive menus and buttons that are easy to use on smaller screens
• Regularly check your website’s performance on various smartphones and tablets to identify issues

Mistake #10. Rushing the Launch

It’s crucial to thoroughly test the site for functionality and usability before going live. Launching too soon may result in a site filled with bugs and usability issues.

Skipping A/B testing before the launch can lead to decisions based on assumptions rather than actual user behavior. To avoid this mistake:

• Allocate sufficient time for comprehensive testing of all site features and functionalities
• Compare different versions of pages to determine which performs better based on user interactions before the launch
• Gather user feedback to identify + rectify UX issues before the launch

Conclusion

Avoiding the common mistakes ensures your website redesign delivers impactful results. By setting clear goals, auditing SEO, planning meticulously, and prioritizing user feedback, your redesigned site will align with business objectives, enhance user experience, and elevate your brand.

Let your website redesign specialists know that you are cognizant of these mistakes before they start any work. Also, make sure they perform post-redesign and post-launch testing to verify if they successfully met the goals you set at the start.