An up-to-date company website is essential for brand awareness and relevance. Whether the website refresh includes implementing new features or redesigning the user interface, these projects require careful planning and execution.

Depending on the changes, the company’s communications and public relations teams can help ensure consistency of brand positioning and voice. Involving these groups is especially critical if the website updates include changes to messaging or website copy.

Below are a few best practices for a smooth website update. The specific action items will vary based on the company’s website, budget, and goals.  

Set Clear Objectives

Before diving into the update, defining objectives is crucial. What are the update’s goals? Is it a design refresh, an SEO revamp, or the addition of new security or performance tools? Setting clear goals and parameters will help guide the project and ensure shared expectations.

Notify Stakeholders and Create a Timeline

Communication is key. All stakeholders, including team members and clients, should be aware of future updates. It’s important to share the rationale for the project and notify them of expected downtime or actions they might need to take.

During the early stages of a website update, it’s helpful to create a project timeline and note important company milestones (e.g., product launches or webinars) that might occur during the update. This helps ensure updates get to the right audiences and are not obscured by the website refresh.

Conduct a Website Audit

Once the company has squared away the initial planning elements, it’s time to dive in. A thorough site audit helps provide a comprehensive view of the state of the website, including its strengths and opportunities for improvement. The audit includes checking for broken links, outdated content, and other elements that need to change or hurt the user experience. After the audit, it’s best to back up the website to ensure the company or design firm can quickly revert to past versions if anything goes wrong during the update.

Confirm Budget and Determine Responsibilities

Confirming the project’s budget is one of the most important early steps. Funding will determine the kind of changes a company can make and who manages the process. For example, a budget can determine if a web design firm is feasible and the role it can play in the process. Along with clear objectives and expectations, a concrete budget helps communicate the project’s roles and responsibilities.

Share and Track Updates

Different web design firms will have different processes and requirements for how they want companies to provide desired changes. Regardless of the process, creating and maintaining a tracker with all website pages and desired changes is helpful. This creates a smoother process when teams review and track the changes they want to make to various pages.

At this stage, it can be helpful to have the marketing and communications teams provide input on messaging, copy changes, and content for SEO. These teams can ensure the right keywords and phrases are incorporated into the new copy.

Test New Pages and Share Timely Feedback

Although updates vary based on the company objectives, having a consistent review, test, and feedback process should not be overlooked. Once new pages are available from the web design firm, review and provide timely feedback to ensure the project stays on track. Testing new graphics, navigation, links, and functionality early in the update will yield the best results for improvements. Don’t rush through this process—allocating proper time to test new features, functionalities, and design elements will help resolve issues before they impact customers or other users.

Implement Changes Gradually

If the website update involves significant changes, consider implementing them gradually. This minimizes disruptions and allows the company and web design firm to address problems as they arise. Incremental updates also make it easier to pinpoint the causes of issues.

Successful website updates require careful planning, communication, and attention to detail. After any project, it’s wise to conduct a postmortem. Website updates are no different. Take time to review the process and discuss issues that arose. Tracking these elements can help guide future updates.

By following these best practices, companies can ensure a smooth website update that improves the site’s performance and the experience for customers and stakeholders. Remember that website management is an ongoing process, and conducting ongoing reviews is key to maintaining a strong brand identity.

For more guidance on website updates, check out our post, Navigating the Digital Landscape: How PR Firms Can Help with Website Reviews and Updates.