Redesigns often start with "it looks old". Sometimes that's the whole problem. More often the real issues sit underneath: unclear messages, broken forms, pages nobody visits. A fresh design on top of those carries them straight into the new site.
1. Check the basics on your phone
- Open your site on your own phone over mobile data. Does it load quickly?
- Can you read the text without zooming, and tap buttons without hitting the wrong one?
- Does the menu open, close and reach every important page?
2. Test every way to contact you
- Submit each form yourself. Does the message arrive, and in the right inbox?
- Click every email link and phone number. Are they current?
- Count the form fields. Remove any you don't use to reply.
3. Read your homepage as a stranger
- Is it clear in one line what you do and who it's for?
- Is there one obvious next step near the top?
- Are any claims, services, prices or team details out of date?
4. Look at what people actually use
- If you have analytics, list the ten most visited pages. Those matter most in a redesign.
- Note pages with almost no visits. They may be candidates to merge or remove.
- Check which pages people arrive on from search. Their addresses need redirects if they change.
5. Know what you own
- Who controls the domain, the hosting and the website login?
- Do you have your logo and brand files in usable formats?
- Is there content, such as photos or text, that you're licensed to use only on the current site?
What to do with the results. Split your notes into three lists: fix now (broken things), fix in the redesign (structure and messaging) and keep (what works). That third list is the one most redesigns forget.
If most of your notes land in the first list, you may need repairs rather than a redesign. If they land in the second, a rebuild is probably worth it, and you now have the brief.