Website Redesign Guide: Working with the Right Partners

The Village That Built My Website

It's never a fair question to ask “who did your website?” because it's typically a collaboration involving many people's time, talents, and resources. My new site is no exception, and I want to ensure everyone involved gets credit for transforming nancysheed.com into what it is today.

If you think of it like building a house; there are often involved and complicated stories about the process, good and bad. Luckily, this story has a hugely happy ending! The journey took about six months from initial concept to launch, involving multiple rounds of feedback and refinement at each stage.

Website Redesign Process Steps

I’m thrilled to share the awesome people and our process for bringing it all together!

Phase 1: Foundation and Branding

Kim Barron and her New Leaf Graphic Design team spent several weeks developing a new brand identity. They conducted deep-dive sessions to understand my values, audience, and goals. The result was a comprehensive brand roadmap that included color palettes, typography, and visual guidelines that would inform every aspect of the site and future marketing.

Phase 2: Content Development

I tackled the website copy personally, using the brand roadmap as my north star. While I experimented with AI tools for inspiration and fine-tuning, the core messaging was mine - focusing on the needs, pain points, and successful outcomes for my ideal clients. I also added new content about collaboratively work with clients on events, speaking, and podcasting. 

Professional photographer Alice Patterson of Loving My Company had captured fresh images at a couple of photo shoots that I think aligned well with the new brand direction, creating a more cohesive and visual story throughout the site. I’m still getting used to so many pictures of me #notmycomfortzone.

Phase 3: Initial Website Build

My virtual assistant, Kristine Daruca, proved invaluable during this phase, transforming the copy into website pages. She:

- Built the initial Squarespace framework

- Migrated over 20+ blog posts from WordPress

- Formatted content to match the new design system

- Created the first working prototype

Phase 4: Design Enhancement

Website designer Keshia White of White House Branding Design took our solid foundation and elevated it significantly. She:

- Refined the visual hierarchy and expanded on the brand design elements

- Created custom page templates

- Enhanced the user experience

- Maintained an editor-friendly backend

- Implemented responsive design elements

Phase 5: Technical Implementation

The technical team was crucial for a smooth transition:

- Anne Allen of NuStart Solutions managed the domain transfer from WordPress (where my old site was barely functioning after nine years)

- Patrick Powers of Powers Digital helped implement technical SEO best practices, including:

  - Proper redirects for old URLs

  - Site and page optimization

  - XML sitemap configuration

Quality Control & Feedback

Throughout the process, taskmaster Alexa Bishop and coach Robin Ordan served as my accountability partners and review team. They provided:

- Content clarity checks

- Regular feedback on user experience

And the following rockstars allowed me to keep sharing iterations and providing feedback: Holland, Ashley, Jacque, Janna, Vicky, Phyllis, Danielle, and Lisa - and I’m sure there are others I am forgetting.

Next Steps

Launching a new brand and website should never be a “set it and forget it” project. There is always more work to be done. Here are several things still on my “to-do” list to optimize the site and the visitors’ experience: 

 - Implementing the new branding consistently everywhere else (email, social media, etc)

- Continuing to post relevant, key word rich and consistent content

- Add a free offer or opportunity for visitor engagement and lead gen

- Monitor website traffic analytics

Lessons Learned

Again, it takes a village - so very grateful to the team that helped bring this to life! 

In typical Nancy fashion, I likely over-complicated and over-engineered this process. While I chose to act as my own general contractor and coordinate multiple specialists, this isn't the only path. Many agencies offer comprehensive services under one roof. The key is knowing what works best for your situation, timeline and budget. Here are some paths to consider:

• Full-Service Agency: Streamlined process but typically higher investment

• Hybrid Approach: Working with a primary partner who coordinates some specialists

• DIY Approach (like mine): Offers more control and flexibility but requires direct project management

Is a new website refresh or redesign in your future?

Feel free to explore my Resources page to connect with many of the talented professionals mentioned here who helped bring this vision to life. Or let's chat so we can put together the best plan and team for you!