Is it time to redesign your business website? Do you even need to?
Well, it depends.
But we’ll tell you one thing: never leave your site untouched for too long.
Your website is your client’s first digital impression of you. It’s your image, your brand, and it needs to reflect that.
Ideally, you should review your site once a year to see if it needs a facelift. If not that often, at least give it a refresh every 2-3 years.
Why should you consider a website redesign—or at least a home page refresh?
Love. February is all about love, and we bet you love your website. But do you want your prospects to love it too? We think the answer is yes!
Let’s start small with a home page refresh. A well-designed home page can make a killer first impression.
Why the home page? Come on—it’s the most important page on your site!
Things to think about when redesigning your home page
Remember Steve Krug’s book “Don’t Make Me Think?” Apply that principle when doing a home page refresh.
If many visitors have to guess what you do (and you can usually see this with heatmap tools), your home page isn’t hitting the mark.
When someone lands on your home page, they should immediately know who you are and what you can do for them.
Take our Brown Bag home page, for example. The moment someone lands on it, they can tell exactly what we offer in three seconds or less. It’s that simple.
Bonus point: Add a primary call to action (CTA) in the hero section or above the fold.
If someone has already decided to contact you, they don’t have to go hunting for the next step. Make it easy for them to reach out right away.
A great home page is a good-looking home page. A greater home page looks good and converts. But the greatest? Well, that one not only looks amazing and converts, but it also builds trust, tells your brand story, and practically sells itself.
The Michael Jordan (or the Taylor Swift?) of home pages should be efficient, reliable, and impactful.
So, what would this greatest home page redesign have?
- Clear Messaging: Visitors know exactly what you do within the first few seconds. No guessing.
- Strong Branding: It clearly represents your brand’s identity, brand voice, and business values.
- Trust-Building Elements: Social proof, testimonials, and easy-to-find contact info that makes visitors feel confident.
- A Killer Call to Action: One (or two) CTAs above the fold that are impossible to miss and irresistible to click. Don’t forget one more at the end too.
- User-Friendly Design: Smooth navigation that guides visitors effortlessly to what they need.
- Mobile Optimization: Because if it doesn’t work on mobile, it’s not even a contender.
The best home page redesign hits all the right notes and gets your visitors to say, “Yes, I’m ready to work with them.”
Prioritize user experience (UX) in your redesign
When redesigning your home page, focus on engagement.
A great website doesn’t just look pretty—it works for your users.
User Experience (UX) is key to making sure visitors stick around and take action.
We generally recommend a clean, modern design that focuses on providing a seamless, engaging experience. Of course, it should also be conversion-focused.
Aesthetics matter, but less is often more.
Don’t go overboard with unnecessary visuals or clutter. Storytelling is powerful, but keep it concise. If your goal is to get people to contact you, nail that message right from the start.
Your content and visuals should build trust and confidence in your brand.
Everything in moderation.
Animated content is fun, but it should never steal the spotlight from your main message.
Take our home page hero section, for example. We use a dynamic text animation to switch between key phrases like “Content Marketing,” “Digital Marketing,” and more.
The goal is to impress our visitors and keep the section engaging without distracting from the core message.
This dynamic text highlights who we are while ensuring that visitors immediately understand our digital marketing services as soon as they land on the page.
Remember: Design for your users. Plain and simple. The goal is to make their experience easy, intuitive, and pleasant.
“Design should not dominate things, should not dominate people. It should help people. That’s its role.” — Dieter Rams, German Industrial Designer
Finding your brand voice
Brown Bag Marketing’s guide to understanding your audience, developing your brand personality, and creating a consistent voice across all channels. Learn more
A real-life example of poor UX: the travel site that drove me away
I visited a travel site about 10 years ago, and while UX has always been key in design, it wasn’t often talked about back then.
One thing I’ll always remember from that experience is what not to do in design or any kind of website makeover.
When I landed on the page, the music immediately started playing. There was no way to stop it, so the only option was to mute my speakers.
Then, whenever I moved my mouse, an animated row of butterflies followed my movements across the screen.
Fun for about two seconds. But after that, please—no more.
The creativity overload was, well, overwhelming, not to mention distracting.
Ultimately, it became very frustrating. I traveled away from the site.
Poor UX can do that. You can impress with creativity, but if it’s not done right, you’ll annoy and frustrate your visitors.
In the worst case, your brand gets etched in their minds as “Don’t go there. They’re horrible.”
If you’ve got the budget for a website redesign, make sure to save some for user testing. It’s well worth it.
Testing ensures that your creative ideas don’t overwhelm your visitors but instead enhance their experience and keep them coming back.
Shoring up the foundation with SEO
When redesigning your home page, don’t forget SEO.
Having visibility on search engines like Google is key, especially for businesses that operate online. You could have the most stunning home page in the world, but if no one can find it, you lose. Your home page content needs to be more than just engaging; it needs strong branding and should be optimized for SEO.
Google’s algorithm loves content that’s relevant, answers searchers’ intent, and is well-structured. Think of your home page as the front door to your online presence—it needs to not only look good but also be (highly) rankable.
For informational content, you want to show Google (and your potential customers) that you’re an authority on the topic, so use your copy wisely.
Good SEO helps Google find your website more easily and rank it higher (higher than competitors that are less optimized). It’s all about balance—making sure your site is both user-friendly and optimized to rank well so you can attract more visitors and convert them into loyal customers.
Do I really need a website or a website redesign?
We know what you’re thinking: “I have a website. It’s been a while. Do I really need a redesign?”
Believe it or not, we’re not going to immediately say, “Yes, everyone needs a website and a redesign every year!”
Sometimes, it’s just not necessary.
Case in point: A local discount shoe warehouse I visited in Asheville, NC. It’s packed with people on weekends, and the place is huge.
I’ve always wondered why they don’t do e-commerce. But guess what? They don’t need to. Their website is old, outdated, and borderline awful (in my opinion), but no one cares.
They don’t even sell online. The website is there, I guess, just to keep up with the idea that “everyone should have a website—no matter what.
So how do people find them?
Word-of-mouth marketing.
Pure, simple, old-fashioned word of mouth.
Their customers come from talking to friends, family, and neighbors. Their price is usually unbeatable—$40-50 cheaper than buying most shoes online—so no one minds that the website is, you know, a bit on the downhill.
They could easily get by without a website at all.
Word-of-mouth marketing is alive and well. Sometimes you don’t need a fancy website. But, this is the exception, not the rule.
Let Brown Bag Marketing create your next home page refresh or complete website overhaul
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At Brown Bag Marketing, we’re all about crafting daring marketing strategies that connect with your audience.
Our creative marketing team specializes in everything your brand needs to succeed online.
From branding development to social media management, design, app development, product design, and advertising, we’re your one-stop shop.
Everything we do works together to promote your brand identity and messaging.
As a trusted digital marketing agency for SAP Partners, we understand the complexities of B2B marketing and focus on helping businesses grow through targeted paid media advertising campaigns, lead-generation strategies, and optimized online assets like company websites.
Whether you’re a tech startup in Atlanta, a retail company in Marietta, a medical business in Duluth, a small business in Sandy Springs, or anywhere in Georgia, we have the expertise to help you grow.
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How can we help you? Let us know.