The NEW Way to Plan Your Site Redesign: A Website Blueprint

Table of Contents

Crafting a winning website blueprint is essential for small businesses looking to establish a strong online presence. Without a clear plan in place, it’s like trying to build a house with the materials but no direction or plans.

This blueprint encompasses crucial elements like SEO & analytics audit, sitemap structure, user flows, copy/content audit, and proposed design direction.

After reading this guide, businesses can look at their website with fresh eyes and ensure it effectively communicates their brand message and engages their target audience. Because if it’s not doing that, your website is failing you.

Life without a website blueprint

Imagine walking into a clinic and telling the doctor exactly which medications you need without undergoing a diagnosis. Without the right information, the chances of misdiagnosis are high. And don’t even get us going on prescriptions causing complications with each other.

Graphic illustrating the risks of starting a website redesign without a clear plan or website blueprint, highlighting misaligned strategies, wasted time, and resources for businesses.

Similarly, diving into any website project without a plan or blueprint can lead to misaligned strategies, wasted time, and resources.

What is a Website Blueprint?

The website blueprint maps out the structure and features needed on your website to meet your business goals and provide a great user experience. It includes sections such as:

  • Project overview
  • Web overview
  • Goals
  • Sitemap
  • Website photography direction (with examples)
  • Rough layout
  • Site integrations
  • Asset Gathering and Management
    • Existing visuals
    • Shot list for needed visuals
    • Copy for the website
    • Outline for copywriter

Without the website blueprint, you risk having a website that doesn’t serve your customers’ needs, align with your brand, or contribute to your business’s growth. Skipping the blueprint phase is like ignoring the doctor’s advice or skipping the oil change; it results in bigger issues down the road.

Introduction: A winning website blueprint

How to use and create your website blueprint

Using a website blueprint is like following a framework before starting a construction project. It serves as a guide that aligns your team on the website’s structure, design, and content strategy before anything is designed or developed.

  • Pre-steps: F&G outlines and develops the blueprint. Or you can use the following information to build your own!
  • Step 1: Review the blueprint in the context of your business objectives. Identify how each element of the site supports these goals.
  • Step 2: Use the blueprint as a reference to ensure everyone is on the same page. As we build, we’ll refer back to the blueprint to track progress and make sure all aspects of your website are cohesive and purpose-driven.
  • Step 3: The blueprint serves as a benchmark to review the final product, ensuring that it meets the initial specifications and is poised to achieve your business goals.

A graphic showing essential steps to creating a website blueprint, designed by Finn & Gray, a Twin Cities creative studio specializing in web design, branding, and brand photography.

 

Elements of a Website Blueprint

A close look at: Website analytics and your sitemap

Analytics: Metrics matter

Website analytics can seem overwhelming with so many different metrics to track. However, it’s an essential tool that gives us insights into how well your site is performing and how we can improve it.

  • Visitor Behavior: This tells us how your visitors are interacting with your site. Are there specific pages they spend more time on? How many pages do they visit per session? These insights help us create a more engaging user experience.
  • Traffic Sources: Knowing where your traffic is coming from, be it search engines, social media, or direct traffic, helps us understand which channels are most effective and where we need to focus our efforts.
  • Bounce Rate: If a high number of visitors leave your site without interacting with it, it may indicate a problem. Maybe the content isn’t compelling, or perhaps the user experience needs improvement.
  • Conversion Rates: This metric showcases the percentage of users who take the desired action on your site, like making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
  • Page Load Time: If your site takes too long to load, visitors will likely leave, negatively impacting your bounce rate and overall user experience. We’re committed to ensuring that your site loads fast and functions seamlessly.

 

Sitemap: How your pages are structured

A sitemap gives us an overview of your website’s pages and how they’re linked together. This is vital for both user navigation and search engine optimization.

  • User-friendly Navigation: We want your visitors to find what they’re looking for in the least amount of clicks possible.
  • Search Engine Optimization: Search engines use sitemaps to understand and index your website’s content. A well-structured sitemap can improve your site’s visibility in search engine results.
  • Content Grouping: By grouping related pages together in your sitemap, we’re able to create a more organized and intuitive user experience.

While we love getting absorbed in the details of website blueprints, we never lose sight of the bigger picture – creating a sleek, user-friendly website where every pet lover will feel right at home.

User navigation flowchart emphasizing simplicity in website redesign planning, and creating a more user-friendly navigation system, created by Finn & Gray, a Twin Cities creative studio with expertise in user experience and web design.

SEO + Analytics = Audit Gold

To elevate your website’s performance, a comprehensive audit of your website and SEO analytics is necessary as a first step. This provides a snapshot of your current standings, facilitates strategy-backed improvements, and ensures optimal performance.

  • Search ranking status, crucial for understanding your site’s visibility.
  • Traffic analysis, revealing the volume and nature of your web visitors.
  • User interaction insights, gauged by metrics like page views, user maps, and bounce rates.
  • Conversion rate tracking, identifying how effectively your site turns visitors into customers.
  • Keyword performance, pinpointing which terms are successfully drawing traffic.
  • Optimization opportunities, for continual alignment with digital best practices.

 

 

Now: Use your analytics to better your site

Analytics offer a compelling story about your site’s effectiveness and how people use it. Here’s how to harness that narrative for site enhancement:

  1. Set definitive, quantifiable objectives for your digital space.
  2. Utilize analytics to monitor pivotal KPIs – tracking origins of traffic, the degree of user engagement, and the efficacy of conversion funnels.
  3. Scrutinize recurring patterns and trends to discern triumphs and spotlight areas that demand improvement.

Take a high-exit page on your site as your cue: it’s possibly in need of a content makeover or a smoother, more intuitive user experience. Spotting these red flags and fixing issues promptly can greatly improve your website’s performance.

Just ask our clients who’ve seen their platforms transform—more traffic, more engagement, and a brand story that sticks.

 

 

Then: Fix your sitemaps

Benchmark your sitemap

To create a user-friendly website, evaluating your current navigation and sitemap is a critical first step.

A sitemap provides a bird’s-eye view of your website’s structure, revealing how pages are linked and how the overall navigation is set up.

  • Reflect on user journey
  • Clicks to destination
  • Search engine accessibility

If the existing sitemap (assuming you have one) is not meeting the standards of user experience or search engine indexing, consider a redesign.

Improve your page structure

  1. Group similar content together into clear categories, which will help users and search engines understand your site structure.
  2. Ensure that each page is accessible within a few clicks from the homepage, as this can enhance the user experience and contribute to SEO performance.
  3. Your most important content should be prominent, with secondary pages branching out logically.
  4. Eliminate redundant or unnecessary pages that clutter the user’s journey.

A streamlined sitemap not only aids in better navigation but also sets a solid foundation for future website expansions and updates.

Step-by-step guide to fixing a website sitemap, focusing on user journey mapping, reducing clicks to destination, and improving search engine accessibility, crafted for small businesses by Finn & Gray, located in the Twin Cities.

 

Understanding how your user flows

User flows are essential in leading visitors to take action on your website. They consider what a user might want to do—like buy something, subscribe to emails, or reach out for details—and then make it easy for them to do just that.

To create good user flows, outline the steps someone would follow from the moment they arrive until they’ve completed their goal. Each step should be straightforward, making it easy for visitors to know what to do next.

Use clear calls-to-action (more on this later) in key spots to guide them along the way. With clear user flows, your website becomes a smooth ride that helps convert more visitors into customers.

 

 

Reinforcing your blueprint with solid content

A content audit evaluates your site’s content to show where you need to spend more time improving and eliminating content that is no longer serving you.

Write content that converts

Engaging copy is the lifeblood of your website. There are entire teams dedicated to the art of copy (it’s that important). Crafting copy that resonates with your audience starts with understanding their needs and speaking directly to their pain points.

  • Use language that mirrors your brand’s unique voice; opt for clarity and brevity to captivate your readers. Where you can consider visual elements: infographics, photos, and VIDEO!
  • Share (and share often) your product or service benefits, showcasing how they solve problems or improve lives, rather than merely listing specifications.
  • Ensure each webpage features a distinct call to action—be it a purchase, inquiry, or further exploration.
  • Aim to connect, convince, and convert your audience. Not sure how? Give us a call!

By prioritizing the craft of persuasive copy, you amplify your website’s impact.

Website content that actually converts is key in driving conversions for your business. Writing website copy and improving your messaging can help amplify your impact and your reach. Graphic designed by Finn & Gray, a Twin Cities branding and web design studio.

 

Content needs to resonate with your audience

  • Understand who you’re talking to: Conduct deep-dive research to really nail down who your customers are and what drives them. Do some digging to really get who your customers are and what makes them tick.
  • Walk in their shoes: Write content that reflects what your audience cares about and aims to answer their questions.
  • Keep it simple: Skip the technical speak or insider language, and talk in a way that’s easy for everyone to get.
  • Guide them along: Think about where your audience is in their journey—from just finding out about you to ready to buy—and make sure your content meets them at each step.
  • Other forms of content: Some people like to read, others prefer watching a video or seeing an image. Adapt your content to fit what your audience likes.

 

A strong call to action

Define your call to action

Your website’s Call to Action (CTA) is pivotal, nudging users from passive viewing to actively engaging, such as buying or subscribing.

  • Clear and direct, it guides decisively.
  • Visually prominent, grabbing attention right where needed.
  • Concisely crafted with action verbs for urgency and appeal.
  • Tailored to each page’s goals, resonating with visitor interests.

 

Great examples of call to action, could be things like:

  • Subscribe now
  • Buy now
  • Learn about “x product”
  • Meet the team

Effective Calls to Action 
(CTAs) that can be implemented on your business's website, helping to drive engagement and conversions. How to weave in magnetic and persuasive messaging into your website buttons and other calls to action.

Graphic designed by Finn & Gray, a creative studio based in the Twin Cities, Minnesota.

 

Placing your call to action strategically

Strategic placement of your call to action (CTA) can dramatically impact its effectiveness. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for users to take the next step without searching for what to do next.

Typically, a CTA should be placed high on your homepage and landing pages, visible without scrolling down. In the land of responsive design (think different screens for mobile and tablet) it’s hard to know where everyone’s fold is, so a little bit of scrolling can be okay.

In the body of the page, include CTAs at natural decision points where a user might be looking for more information or ready to make a purchase. It’s also crucial to consider the layout and design elements around your CTAs; they should be surrounded by enough white space to stand out and in a color that contrasts with the rest of the page.

 

 

Website design direction

The role of a moodboard and stylescapes in website design

Moodboards and stylescapes play a solid role in our website design process. They serve as visual tools that capture your brand’s aesthetic and vibe, guiding the creative direction of your website. Stylescapes are used more often in web design because they encompass typography, icons, and photo style.

Moodboard vs. Stylescapes

What is a moodboard? What is a stylescape? Here's the difference between a moodboard and a stylescape in branding and website redesign projects, and why each are important when it comes to your website and brand redesign. 

Graphic designed by Finn & Gray, a Minnesota based creative studio offering brand design and web design services.

Moodboards are collages of images, text, and materials that convey a particular style or concept. They help ensure that everyone involved in the project shares a common visual understanding.

Stylescapes are similar to moodboards but take it a step further by presenting a cohesive vision of what the final design elements might look like when applied across your website, including colors, icons, typography, patterns, textures, and imagery. These visual aids get closer to the design of your website than a moodboard. It will also help communicate your brand to any designers, stakeholders, vendors, and clients, making it easier to really get and see the end result.

By using moodboards and/or stylescapes, you can align your website’s design with your brand identity, creating a consistent and compelling online experience for your users.

 

Your Brand Visuals

Photography and video: Makes or breaks your website

46.1% of people say a website’s design is the number one criterion for discerning the credibility of the company. Source

The photos and other visuals you choose can significantly impact the effectiveness of your website. Images are powerful tools that can capture attention, evoke emotions, and tell your brand’s story. Authentic photos and videos can make your site feel more professional and trustworthy.

  • Are the images reflective of your target audience and relatable to them?
  • Do they complement your brand’s color palette and aesthetic?

It’s also important to ensure that images are optimized for web use. If a photo is too large, it slows the page down, and Google ranks your website lower.

 

 

Cohesive Brands Sell More

Uniformity (repetition) in branding is a powerful tool for businesses aiming to establish a strong market presence. Think: Geico. I bet if you’ve ever watched TV in your life, you know that 15 minutes could save you… you get the picture. Talk about distinctive brand assets!

When every element of your brand, from your logo to photos to your website to your customer service and packaging, tells a consistent story, customers are more likely to remember and choose your brand over competitors.

Having a cohesive brand is incredibly important, especially when considering your website redesign plan. Ensuring your business has cohesive branding that 


This graphic demonstrates the importance of cohesive branding and how creating a uniform brand can be powerful for businesses aiming to stand out in a crowded market. A cohesive brand is memorable and an impactful tool that should be utilized in a website and branding redesign project.

Graphic created by a Minnesota based creative studio specializing in brand design, brand photography, and web design for small businesses.

 

F&G Difference: The Trifecta

At F&G, we stand apart by offering an all-in-house service, which we like to call the Trifecta. Our unique approach combines strategy, brand design, photography, and website design & development to create a seamless brand and website experience.

Our team works collaboratively under one roof to ensure that every aspect of your website is coherent and strategically aligned with your business goals.

From the initial kick-off meeting to the final lines of code, every step is handled by our skilled professionals who are committed to delivering excellence. This integrated process allows for a high level of attention to detail, ensuring that the final product truly embodies the unique spirit of your brand.

By choosing F&G, you’re not just getting a website; you’re getting a carefully crafted website experience designed to engage your audience and drive your business forward. But don’t take our word for it!

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