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eCommerce Website Redesign Checklist - The Basics

So, it's time to redesign your eCommerce website. Now you have the task of choosing a development company and you'll also want to inform yourself on the process. No matter the company you chose, you should still understand the process. If you chose the wrong company, you're going to have to run the process (that's not fun). Below we've outlined some basics in what needs to be thought about when going through an eCommerce redesign.

1) Not a tough one to figure out but it's sometimes overlooked - research your competitors. Ideas cannot just be thrown together. No how great it looks, if you haven't researched your competitors chances are you may have not included all of the features you'll need to compete against them. Do your research!

2) It's all about your current content. Hopefully there is something good about your current website and hopefully you've built some content, done some SEO (search engine optimization). Think about what content should be moved to your new website and what content is currently ranking well. If you have pages that rank well, make sure they are o your new site! Of course pages can be removed and added, but if you have content that is working, don't redo it without a really good reason.

3) A basic for SEO, but consider your domain name. Unless there is a MAJOR problem with your domain name, I'd suggest keeping the same one for your new website.

4) Again from the SEO side, make sure well written title tags and meta information is moved over to your new site. If there are certain aspects of your current site helping it to rank, all of that goof stuff should be moved over.

5) Product Data. Almost a dirty word in eCommerce redesigns. The thought often sends chills down project managers spines. Consider how you're getting all of your products from your old site to the new site. If all of the product information is currently in a database, as most eCommerce websites are, then you should be able to provide that database to your new developer. When building your new website your development company can import all information form your old database into your new one. This will Dave you tons of time. And remember your product images, too!

6) Redirect from your old page URLs to your new URLs are extremely important. Without proper redirects your search engine rankings will drop significantly and can take months to rebound. If you're doing s database import, as talked about above, your development company should be able to write a script to automatically create redirects from your old page to your new pages.

7) Think about your overall branding and image. If you're doing new site, it's a perfect time to rebrand your company. There is nothing worse than building a new website with outdated branding.