Important note: It is not possible to choose another template when you create a website with WebSelf; however, you can modify your actual site to update it.
Identify the Reason Why You Need to Redesign Your Website
Before editing anything, take a moment to identify why your website needs an update. Is it because you do not like it anymore? Is it because it does not represent you or that it is not focussed on your target audience? Do not work on your website as long as you do not have the answer to this question. It will allow you to avoid making the same mistakes and keep the next version of your website longer. It is also recommended that you create new buyer personas to understand the needs of your customers better.
Review the Strengths and Weaknesses of Your Website
You do not have to start again from zero when you redesign your website. You can surely keep some sections, modify some others, and delete those that do not work anymore. Go around your site to note the elements that are its strengths and weaknesses. Which pictures or contents should stay? What should be updated? At this point, you can create a plan where you can list all your needs. Grab a pen and plan all the necessary pages and sections for the making of this redesign.
Get to Know What Other People Do
There must be websites that you find beautiful or well-structured. Note them and use them as inspirations during the redesign of your website. It can be for the color palette, how the content is structured, or the quality of the pictures. If needed, take a look at websites done with WebSelf or even templates created by our team. Why not take this opportunity to see what your competitors do? You could make a list of all your competitors and look at their websites. Of course, it is not recommended to copy what you will see; however, it can help you improve your offer.
Choose the Right Color Palette and Fonts
What makes a website beautiful and well-balanced? It may be because the site has an ideal structure or that the colors and fonts are used adequately. Let’s start with the colors. As we mentioned in many blog articles, it is suggested that you do not use more than three main colors for your website. If needed, create a palette of five colors with darker and paler nuances to create contrasts. Many online tools can be used to create a harmonious color palette. Also, use the same colors in the same places. For example, if you use a dark blue for the titles of your home page, use the same nuance for the other titles. Do the same thing for the texts or the call-to-action buttons. It is one of the bases of information architecture. It is also possible to modify the colors of your website by clicking on the Style tab and filling the fields with the wanted colors to be applied everywhere.
Regarding the fonts, as for the colors, it is not recommended to use more than three. Choose a font for your titles, and then another one for the general content. You must select fonts that are easy to read. Keep these elements in mind when making the redesign of your website.
Work One Page, One Section at a Time
Now that you know your needs, as well as the colors and fonts you would like to use, it is time to start the redesigning process. To facilitate this, work one page or one section at a time. We suggest you add new elements or sections progressively to test them, without deleting the original version. Then, apply the same style to the other pages of your site. You can copy the content easily if needed. Do not hesitate to try the section templates created by our team. They were made to simplify the creation or the redesign process of your website. When you are satisfied with the results, delete the older sections, and keep the new ones.
Do Not Forget Your SEO
The last element we need to cover is the SEO. When you change things on your website, it can have consequences on your site indexing on search engines. It is then vital to check all elements that are validated by Google. First, do all the pages have a main title? You can choose a title to be a main title by clicking on it and check the ‘’Main page title’’ option. Second, are the important keywords on all the pages, as well as on the content, and meta descriptions? Make sure the SEO setting parameters are filled and updated with the redesign of your website.
In conclusion, it is not very complicated to redesign your website. You can modify it as much as you want; however, the best way is to prepare these changes to end up with a final result that will answer your needs.