On average websites are redesigned after 3 to 4 years, which is really often considering websites really started to boom in 1996 and now are more prominent than ever before!

But there is more than just a site-redesign. There are important variables to think about, most importantly would redesign increase traffic as well as sales? Before beginning a redesign read the following list below to help you make a decision or help along the way:

Benefits of a Re-Design:

Do you need more power? Converting from a Static HTML site to a Dynamic site with administration controls can give you more versatility.

Freshen the design and layout. Maybe the site is not as user-friendly as it could be.

A major goal in a re-design is to change brand identity. This helps the site to be more high end and can actually increase word-of-mouth traffic.

Before a re-design consider your strategies for search engines. Pages already indexed by search engines will need to be forwarded and 404 error pages should be in place.

Before you redesign:

Gather data of your current site so you can take records for improvements to make for your new design. Places to gather data are web analytics tools, market segment analyses, and personas.

Do a keyword search, research your best keywords, your worst and everything in-between. It's best to create keyword goals for your new site.

Identify the user paths towards conversion… Check your server stats or 3rd party stats to see where your surfers are going. You should be able to see what pages they are coming from besides your front page, how long they are on certain pages and other sites sending traffic to you.

Launching the redesigned site

Again, be sure 404 pages are in place. Use 301 error pages for permanent page changes, and 302 for temporary changes.

When beginning a new site or a site re-design it's extremely important to invest in PPC advertising. This helps you target certain pages for certain keywords. Start by using your highest target keywords first.

Contact other sites of changes you have made and be sure they change their links to your site if need-be.

Your Google Rankings may drop initially, but eventually if all is well and keyword placements in your pages are correct your Page Ranks will go up.