Website Redesign in Melbourne
A fresh website that works better for your customers, without throwing away the Google traffic you have already built up.
Website redesign in Melbourne
A website redesign gives your business a website that looks current, works properly on phones and makes it easy for customers to get in touch. IDM2 is a website design and development team in Port Melbourne. We redesign websites for businesses in Melbourne and further afield, and we take care to protect the Google rankings you have already earned.
Signs your website needs a redesign
- It looks out of date. Next to your competitors, your website looks older or less trustworthy.
- It is hard to use on a phone. The text is tiny, the buttons are hard to tap, or people have to zoom in and out to read it.
- It is slow. Pages take a long time to load, and visitors leave before they see anything.
- You can't change it yourself. Small changes need a developer, or you are afraid to touch it in case something breaks.
- It doesn't bring in work. People visit, but few of them call, send an enquiry or buy.
- Your business has changed. You offer new services, have a new name, or now serve different customers.
- It runs on old software. Software that no longer gets updates can leave your website open to hackers.
Refresh or rebuild?
A redesign doesn't always mean starting from scratch. Sometimes a website refresh is enough: new colours, photos and wording on the same website. Other times a full website rebuild is the better choice, where we build a new website and move your content across to it. We usually rebuild on WordPress, which lets you make your own changes afterwards. You can read more on our WordPress websites page. We will look at your current website and tell you honestly which option makes more sense.
How to keep your Google rankings during a website redesign
This is the part many business owners worry about, and they are right to. Google keeps a list of the pages on your current website and the web address of each one, for example yourbusiness.com.au/plumbing-repairs. When people find you on Google today, Google is sending them to those addresses. If a redesign changes the addresses or deletes pages, Google keeps sending people to pages that no longer exist. They see an error message instead of your business, and over time Google may stop showing your website for those searches.
What we do to protect your rankings
- We list every page first. Before we change anything, we write down every page on your current website and note which ones people actually visit.
- We keep the same addresses where we can. If a page still makes sense on the new website, it keeps exactly the same address. To Google, it is the same page with a new look.
- We set up redirects for anything that moves. A redirect is an instruction that automatically sends anyone who visits an old address to the right new page. It works for people and for Google, so Google learns where each page has moved to.
- We keep the words that work. If a page already does well on Google, we are careful with its headings and text instead of rewriting it just for the sake of it.
- We check after launch. We test the old addresses to make sure each one leads somewhere useful, and we give Google an up-to-date list of all your new pages.
Rankings can still move around for a short while after any big change, because Google needs time to look at the new pages. Nobody can promise rankings, but these steps avoid the common mistakes that make a website drop out of Google after a redesign. If you want to grow your Google traffic once the new website is live, our SEO service can help.
Our website redesign process, step by step
Your current website stays online the whole time. Customers won't see anything change until the moment the new website goes live.
- Review your current website. We look at what works, what doesn't, which pages bring in visitors and what you want to change.
- Plan the new website. We agree on the pages, and which old addresses stay the same and which ones redirect to a new page.
- Design. We design the main pages so you can see the new look and layout before we build anything.
- Build on a private test website. We build the new website on a temporary server that the public can't see.
- Move and improve your content. We bring across your words, photos and blog posts, and tidy them up where needed.
- Testing. We check the design, the phone view, every link, every form and every redirect.
- Your review. You look over the test website, then ask for changes or approve it.
- Going live and training. We switch over to the new website, turn on the redirects, hand over your logins and send a short training video.
- Looking after it. Our hosting and maintenance care plans keep the new website secure, backed up and up to date.
If your current website sells products, see our page on ecommerce website design as well.
Common questions about website redesigns
How do I know whether to redesign my website or just refresh it?
If your website is fairly new, runs on software that still gets updates and you can change it yourself, a refresh with new colours, photos and wording may be enough. If it is slow, hard to use on a phone, runs on old software or can't be changed without a developer, a full rebuild is usually the better choice. We will look at your website and tell you which one makes sense.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I redesign my website?
Not if the redesign is planned properly. We keep the same web addresses wherever we can, and we set up redirects, which automatically send visitors and Google from an old address to the right new page. Rankings can move around for a short while after any big change, but these steps avoid the mistakes that cause a lasting drop.
Will my website go offline during the redesign?
No. We build the new website on a private test website while your current one stays live. Your customers only see the change when we switch over to the new website.
Can you redesign a website that another company built?
Yes. It doesn't matter who built your current website. We will need your logins for the website, the hosting and the domain name, which is your web address. If you are not sure where those are, we can help you track them down.
Can I keep my current content?
Yes. We can move your existing words, photos and blog posts to the new website, and improve them where needed. Pages that already do well on Google are handled carefully so they keep working for you.
How much does a website redesign cost?
It depends on how big your current website is, how much needs to change and whether you need any new features, such as an online store or bookings. Once we have looked at your current website, we will give you a quote.
Thinking about redesigning your website?
