SaaS website redesign is a daunting endeavor.
It’s like taking an existing painting and then redoing it with a completely different brush and color palette. Sure, the result might look great, but will it still capture the original beauty and be as engaging to customers?
However, when done right, It helps improve the overall user experience, page speeds and search ranking.
Therefore, careful attention must be paid on every element of design, from navigation menus to content layout to visuals and images, as well as the technical aspects.
Here's a checklist that will keep you on track.
6-point Checklist for SaaS Website Redesign
#1. Setting Objectives.
To start with, why're you looking to go through a redesign project?
Are the users not interacting or engaging with your site properly?
Are the number of conversions not reaching your monthly targets?
Are you raising a new round of investment and therefore need a brand new look?
Or do you just want to overhaul your brand's user experience to make it look great?
Mapping your needs with existing data can help you set clear objectives for your website redesign project. You can use your google analytics, search console, and heat maps' data to understand user behavior.
Developing clear and strategic objectives is key to successful SaaS website redesign.
Here are some action items to keep in mind:
Identify Key Goals: Are you focusing on increasing sign-ups, improving user engagement, or rebranding? Clearly define what success looks like.
Stakeholder Alignment: Ensure that all stakeholders agree on these objectives. Hold a meeting to discuss goals and gather input.
Create a Project Brief: Summarize the objectives, target audience, and key performance indicators (KPIs) in a document. Share this with your team as a reference point throughout the project.
#2. Finding Inspiration & Ideating Design Approach
Once you've set the objectives, you need to start brainstorming about the approach to the new design.
Do you have any inspiration?
Or may be you've seen a different SaaS website and you wished your site was as pretty?
Some of the things you can do to find inspiration and formulate your design approach are:
Start with jotting down your ideas of how the site should look. Maybe you want a retro style or next-gen 3d style or maybe you want to create a mascot to represent your brand? - whatever it may be, put down all your ideas in a piece of paper clearly. Don't leave out any idea, no matter how crazy it may sound.
Discuss with your team and invite them to share their ideas; it's important to be open to ideas from your team. They may have different perspectives & ideas for the new design, which can help mold the final approach.
Saaspo is another great place to find design inspirations. It has sites specifically related to SaaS websites.
Do a thorough market research to find other direct or in-direct competitors and how they've approached their design. They may have done something that you've never thought about and that can guide you to a better design approach.
You may hire a SaaS marketing agency, such as Writing Simon, who can help you through this process. Most agencies have worked on multiple design projects and therefore can help you formulate your design approach.
Once you've gone through this grueling process, you're probably left with one or two design approaches.
Choose the one that best suits your audience & your product and go ahead.
#3. Finalizing the Color Palette
Most c-suite in SaaS companies are narrow minded when it comes to color palette. The standard color palettes that come to their minds have always been shades of Blue, Green or Orange.
Now there's nothing wrong with those colors inherently, but will these colors really bring your design ideas to life?
Will those colors emphasize your brand, set you apart and strike a chord with your audience?
Or will you be lost in a sea of websites that look similar?
Choosing the right color palette truly makes a difference in your entire SaaS website redesign project. It's very critical!
Working with an in-house designer or an external team who have experience with bringing the most radical ideas to life should be your go-to partners in this project.
Here are some action Items:
Understand Brand Personality: Revisit your brand guidelines to ensure the colors align with your brand’s identity and values.
Test Color Combinations: Use tools like Adobe Color or Coolors to experiment with different palettes. Create variations and test them with your team or select users.
Apply Consistency: Decide how and where each color will be used—primary colors for CTAs, secondary colors for backgrounds, etc. Document this in your style guide.
#4. Finalizing the Typography
It's not necessary that you should also choose San-serif fonts.
Generally, most SaaS brands go with San-serif fonts as they look minimal and easy.
But there are also SaaS and B2B brands that have set themselves apart using unique fonts, including serif fonts.
Choose the fonts that work best for your redesign project.
Some of the best places find fonts are
And here are the action items you can follow:
Select Primary & Secondary Fonts: Choose a primary font for headlines and a secondary font for body text. Ensure they complement each other in style and readability.
Test Readability: Create text samples using different sizes and weights. Test readability on various devices and screen sizes.
Set Hierarchy: Define the text hierarchy, including headings, subheadings, and body text. Document the font sizes, line spacing, and use cases for each.
#5. Developing Lo-fi Wireframes
Lo-fi (or low fidelity) wireframes define the general layout of the website and they are essential for developing a successful SaaS website design.
Web designers or UI/UX designers can design these wireframes in online tools like sketch, canva, figma, etc and offline tools like Adobe XD, etc.
Lo-fi Wireframes ensure all elements of user experience, from navigation to content layout, have been carefully considered.
Here are some things you should consider when creating lo-fi wireframes.
Map User Journeys: Start by mapping out key user journeys. What actions should users take, and where should they go next?
Create Basic Layouts: Use UI tools to create simple wireframes. Focus on the structure—placement of navigation, content blocks, CTAs, etc.
Review & Iterate: Share wireframes with your team and stakeholders. Gather feedback and make necessary adjustments before moving to high-fidelity designs.
#6. Create Copies and Design Assets
Your content needs to be as sharp as your design. Write compelling copy that speaks directly to your audience, addressing their pain points and offering solutions. At the same time, create all your design assets—icons, images, buttons—so you’re ready to roll when it’s time to build.
Here are some things you should keep in mind:
Write Draft Copy: Draft content for key pages—home, product, about, and any others that are essential. Focus on clear, concise messaging that aligns with your brand’s voice.
Gather Design Assets: Collect or create all design assets, including icons, illustrations, and images. Ensure they are consistent in style and resolution.
Review and Revise: Share the draft copy and assets with your team. Revise based on feedback to ensure everything is polished and ready for integration.
#7. Create Hi-fi Wireframes and Making the New Site Live.
Now it’s time to bring everything together. Hi-fi wireframes are where your vision becomes reality. Add your finalized designs, copy, and assets to the wireframe. Test everything. Once you're confident, hit that launch button.
Here are some action items you should keep in mind.
Develop Hi-fi Wireframes: Transition from lo-fi to hi-fi wireframes. Incorporate finalized designs, copy, and assets. Use tools like Figma or Adobe XD.
Prototype & Test: Create interactive prototypes and test the user experience. Conduct usability testing with real users to catch any issues.
Prepare for Launch: Finalize the design, ensure all technical aspects are in place, and prepare for launch. Have a checklist ready for post-launch monitoring, including checking for bugs and tracking performance metrics.
Additional Steps to Keep in Mind During SaaS Website Redesign
Improving Mobile Responsiveness and Usability
Your site needs to work flawlessly on mobile. Test every feature on every device to ensure a seamless experience.
Mobile-First Design: Prioritize mobile usability from the start. Design with the smallest screens in mind, then scale up for desktops.
Simplify Navigation: Ensure mobile navigation is intuitive. Consider using a hamburger menu and make sure touch targets are large enough for easy tapping.
Responsive Testing: Use tools to test your design on various devices and screen sizes. Ensure elements like buttons, text, and images adjust smoothly.
Prioritizing Money (Product) Pages on Your Website
A website’s conversion rate is the ratio between visitors who take an action, such as submitting a form or making a purchase, compared to the total number of visitors.
By understanding which pages have a higher conversion rate, you can identify your site's most valuable pages and determine how best to optimize them throughout your redesign process.
SEO Considerations
Organic traffic is a key factor of website success, and yet often overlooked during the website redesign process. It is important to ensure that organic search engine optimization efforts are implemented in order to increase the website's visibility and ranking result pages (SERPs).
On-Page SEO: Ensure each page has unique meta titles, descriptions, and headings (H1, H2, etc.). Use keywords naturally in the content.
Image Optimization: Compress images to reduce load times without losing quality. Add alt text to images for accessibility and SEO.
Structured Data: Implement schema markup to help search engines understand your content better. This can improve your site's visibility in search results.
Adding or Optimizing Code for Site Performance & Speed.
No one likes a slow site. Optimize your code and reduce load times. Speed isn't just a nice-to-have—it's a must for both user experience and SEO.
Loading speeds, uptime and responsiveness are all key indicators of overall website's performance.
Poor performance can lead to decreased user engagement and even lost sales or leads.
Here are some things to consider:
Minimize HTTP Requests: Reduce the number of elements on your page to minimize HTTP requests. Combine files where possible and remove unnecessary scripts.
Optimize CSS and JavaScript: Minify CSS and JavaScript files to reduce their size. Use asynchronous loading for scripts to prevent them from blocking other elements on the page.
Enable Caching: Implement browser caching to store static files so that returning visitors can load your site faster. Use a content delivery network (CDN) to distribute content efficiently.
Conclusion
A website redesign can have a powerful and positive impact on your business. It can help you increase customer engagement, drive more traffic to your website, and create better user experiences. With careful planning, creative design, and a focus on usability and performance optimization, you can ensure that your website redesign project results in a successful outcome for both you and your customers.
A well-designed website will deliver measurable benefits for years to come. Investing the time and resources into a professional website redesign is an investment worth making for any business looking to gain an edge over its competitors in today’s digital world.
With a little bit of effort and some help from web design agencies like Writing Simon, you can transform your online presence and give yourself an edge over other businesses. With that in mind, it’s time to get started on your website redesign project and make sure that you have the best plan of action for success. Good Luck!
FAQs
How can I ensure a successful website redesign?
The success of any website redesign project ultimately depends on how much effort is put into the planning and execution phases. Working with experienced professionals who have a proven track record of success can make all the difference in achieving your desired outcome.
Additionally, taking care to properly plan out each step of the process and focus on usability and performance optimization will help you achieve the best possible results for your business.
What kinds of benefits can I expect from a website redesign?
A website redesign can have a powerful and positive impact on your business. It can help you increase customer engagement, drive traffic to your website, and create better user experiences.
It can also give you a competitive edge in the digital marketplace over other businesses by providing an improved online presence that is optimized for performance.
Do I need to hire professionals to complete my website redesign project?
While there are some web design tools and services available for those who want to DIY their project, hiring experienced professionals with a proven track record of success may be the best way to ensure that your website redesign yields successful results. An experienced team will be able to guide you through the entire process and make sure that your project meets all of your goals.
When should I start my website redesign project?
The earlier you can begin planning and executing on a website redesign, the better. Investing the time and resources necessary to create an effective website design up front will save you time in the long run and give you the best chance of achieving maximum benefits for your business.
It is important to stay informed about any changes in technology or industry trends as they happen so that you can adjust accordingly during a website redesign project.
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