Yes, you need a website relaunch agency. To save nerves and to be 110%ig happy with the result. When a website is so outdated that renovations are no longer worthwhile, it's time for a reboot. That is normal. Normal is also tackling this project by yourself and then realizing how big and complex it is. As a website relaunch agency, we have experts in all the important areas: Website conception, content strategy, user experience and more. We make your website reflect your brand and reach your target audience. And after over 100 website launches & relaunches, we know:
The earlier the planning starts, the better the result will be. We are looking forward to it!

Website relaunch - two words that even make experienced online marketing managers shudder. Too many projects take longer than planned, get entangled in coordination processes, cost more than budgeted - including nerves of everyone involved. 

With the right planning and support from specialized agencies for your website launch or relaunch, you can make your next website relaunch project a great success and save yourself unnecessary stress. That's why we've summarized the most important steps for you:

1. content & SEO audit of your current website

It all starts with a thorough review of the status quo. What works well and what does not?

Create a site map and analyze user behavior on your website. Which pages are important? Are there click paths that already work well? What can go, because it is not looked at anyway?

Check all content. Check whether the content is focused on the needs of the users.

List all SEO problems. You should know what definitely needs to be improved on the page for SEO.

2. personas & user journey

Only if you understand your users, you can create the appropriate content for them. Personas are a suitable method to make your users descriptive. It's about understanding what characteristics each user group has and with which needs to get them to your website.

In doing so, you should create a list of keywords and questions that your users use.

3. Goals for the website relaunch

There is a reason for the project. Only if you describe your goals as precisely as possible can you track success. Based on the audit and your target groups, you can plan realistic goals. This can be an increase in dwell time on the website or more leads.

Don't forget to consult all stakeholders. Corporate communications or the HR department will certainly have goals you should consider as well.

4. define your content strategy & website concept

Define your new sitemap with the pages you want to keep and some new ones that are important for your users. A well understandable structure is very important for the success of your project.

Think about what the perfect user experience should be. That means the paths your users take to click through your website - to completion or contact. Because that's where you want them to go.

Conduct keyword research to decide what you want to optimize for.

5. plan the time schedule

After you know what needs to be done, you can estimate the project duration. Realistic planning is important to avoid unnecessary pressure. Since content creation including translations consumes the most time in many website relaunches, you can't start early enough. 

The total duration is very dependent on the size of your website. You probably can't go wrong with an average of 3-6 months. If your project needs to be ready by a certain date, you can plan back from that date.

Then set milestones for the individual phases. This way you can always see whether the target date is still realistically achievable.

6. review (or create) your corporate design & tonality

Your brand essence describes the characteristics of your business, the rational and emotional reasons for your business, the unique selling points, and finally the core message that every customer should think about.

On this basis, you create a visual and content document that describes how the brand core is presented.

The look is defined in the corporate design. This is about your colors, imagery and typography. 

You describe your tonality in a content style guide. Are you on first-name terms with your customers? Do you use gender in your texts? Do you have certain preferences for texts? Do you communicate more as an authority or at eye level? Are there certain important terms or others that should not be used?

7. be inspired

Before you start with the actual implementation, it is worth taking a look at your competitors, comparable companies abroad and current benchmarks.

It helps your designers and copywriters to know what you like and don't like. Pay attention to what emotions are evoked in you when you visit websites. Which sites do you find trustworthy? Are there tools and functionalities you'd like to consider as well?

8. create your content

The most important thing is: first the content, then the design. Many website relaunch agencies practice it the other way around. But it's like in any good design process: form follows function. Even though it is certainly fun to see what the new website will look like. First, the content and content flows should be determined. Then the layout and design can be implemented accordingly.

So answer the questions your users are asking in their customer journey. Think about what you can place where. And which processes are important. Videos, testimonials and lead magnets will convince your customers and help you turn users into leads and customers.

9. design the website

Only now and finally the design follows. The first step is the implementation of wireframes. Here things still don't look nice, but they show vividly how the website will work. As soon as this is fixed, the design of the homepage and the further subpages can be realized.

10. program the page

Whether you're using a CMS you already have in place or you've decided to go with a new one, implementation is no longer the complex part of the website relaunch project. Your programmers, internal or external, will implement content and design so that the site will work in all browsers on desktop and mobile. Of course, the SEO specifications must be taken into account.

11. go live!

The job is done. One last test to make sure everything works. 301 redirects for the old URLs. Finally, the website goes live.

Now you can open a prosecco or toast with a beer as a team. Don't forget to thank the external participants for their commitment.

And now you can check the results and track how your beautiful project is impacting your set goals.

Good luck with it!