Was it worth it? How to evaluate the success of your website redesign

According to Forrester Research, a well-executed website redesign can increase conversion rates by up to 200% – yet many businesses struggle to achieve these results.
Redesigning or launching a new website is an exciting milestone for any business. Once it’s live, it’s natural to want to celebrate the fresh look and improved functionality. But here’s the truth: a successful website isn’t defined by its aesthetics alone—it’s about how well it performs.

A successful website delivers measurable results aligned with your business goals. It meets audience needs, reflects your brand identity, and drives tangible outcomes like conversions, increased traffic, or enhanced engagement.

This guide will help you evaluate your website’s success through actionable strategies and key metrics. Whether you’re measuring performance through data-driven insights or assessing less quantifiable aspects like branding, this roadmap will help you identify what’s working, fix what’s not, and maximize your website’s potential.

By the end of this guide, you’ll learn how to:

• Analyze performance metrics like traffic, conversions, and SEO results.
• Assess your website’s alignment with your brand and audience needs.
• Use advanced tools and strategies to refine and improve over time.

Are you ready to turn your website into a powerful tool for growth? Let’s get started.

What does website design success even mean?

Website design success isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept. What works for one business might not work for another because success depends on how well your website aligns with your unique goals and audience needs.

A truly successful website isn’t just visually appealing—it’s functional, impactful, and authentic. Here’s what that looks like:

• Alignment with business goals: Your website should directly support objectives like generating leads, increasing sales, or building brand awareness.
• A seamless user experience: Visitors should easily find what they’re looking for while engaging with your content. The navigation, structure, and design should make their journey intuitive.
• A reflection of your brand identity: Your site should capture the essence of your business, from tone to visuals, ensuring it feels uniquely yours. This includes using consistent brand colors, fonts, and imagery, as well as ensuring the tone of voice in your website copy aligns with your brand personality.

When your website design checks these boxes, it doesn’t just look great; it becomes a powerful asset that delivers meaningful results.

Intangible measures of website success

While data is crucial for measuring website performance, some aspects of success are less quantifiable. These intangible elements are key to how your website connects with your audience and represents your brand.

Does the website authentically represent your business?

Your website should reflect your company’s mission, vision, and values. Consider:

• Does the tone of the website align with your brand voice?
• Are your company’s values evident in the design and messaging?
• Does the user experience feel genuine and true to your brand?

Your website is often your business’s first impression. An authentic design builds trust and resonates with visitors.

Is your team aligned with the design?

A well-designed website is a tool for both your audience and your team. When your team connects with the design, they’re more likely to use it effectively for sales, marketing, and customer service. Involve your team in the design process, gather their feedback, and provide training on how to use the website effectively to support their roles.

Does the design support visual consistency?

Visual consistency creates a cohesive website and reinforces your brand. This includes:

• Photography and imagery: Using a consistent style that reflects your brand.
• Typography: Ensuring fonts and text styles are unified across pages.
• Icons and interactive elements: Maintaining a harmonious look and feel for buttons, icons, and other design components.

A visually cohesive website fosters trust and recognition, helping visitors connect with your brand.

While these elements may not show up on an analytics dashboard, they are just as vital to creating a lasting impact and ensuring your website supports your business goals.

Tangible metrics to track your website’s success

Once your website is live, it’s essential to measure its effectiveness through tangible metrics. These numbers provide clear, actionable insights into how your site performs and where improvements may be needed.

Traffic analysis

Traffic metrics offer a snapshot of how well your website attracts and retains visitors.

Key traffic metrics to monitor

• Engagement rate: Track how long users stay on your site and whether they interact with multiple pages. A high engagement rate indicates that your content and design are resonating.
• Time on site and time on page: Longer times often suggest users find value in your content or overall experience.
• Returning visitors: A healthy percentage of returning visitors signals ongoing interest in your offerings and sustained value from your site.

How to track traffic metrics

Use tools like Google Analytics to analyze traffic trends. Pinpoint high-performing pages, identify areas for improvement, and uncover opportunities to refine your strategy.

Effective traffic analysis goes beyond basic visitor counts. Here’s how to extract meaningful insights from your traffic data.

Key traffic metrics explained

Engagement metrics and benchmarks

• Average session duration: Aim for 2-3 minutes for content sites, 3-4 minutes for e-commerce
• Pages per session: Target 2.5+ pages for content sites, 4.5+ for e-commerce
• Bounce rate: Keep under 60% for content, under 40% for e-commerce
• Return visitor rate: Aim for 30%+ return visitors for optimal engagement

Traffic quality indicators

• New vs. returning visitors: Maintain a healthy 70:30 ratio
• Direct traffic percentage: Aim for 20%+ direct traffic
• Mobile vs. desktop split: Expect 60%+ mobile traffic in 2024
• Geographic distribution: Compare against your target market demographics

Conversion metrics

Conversions are a critical measure of whether your website achieves its primary business goals, such as driving sales, capturing leads, or encouraging sign-ups. Monitoring and improving these metrics ensures your website delivers meaningful results.

Key conversion metrics to track

• Conversion rate: The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, like making a purchase, submitting a form, or subscribing to your newsletter. This is one of the clearest indicators of how effectively your website drives user engagement.
• Quality of conversions: Not all conversions are equal. Assess whether the leads or sales you’re generating align with your target audience. Are they turning into paying customers, repeat buyers, or long-term clients?

Improving conversions

If your conversion rates are falling short, use these strategies to enhance your results:

• Refine your CTAs: Make calls to action clear, concise, and visually prominent. Use action-oriented language to inspire users to act.
• Simplify forms: Reduce friction by minimizing the number of fields or steps required to complete a desired action. Shorter, simpler forms often lead to higher completion rates.
• Align landing pages with expectations: Ensure that your landing pages match the messaging and promises made in ads, emails, or search engine results. Consistency builds trust and encourages users to follow through.

Industry benchmarks for conversion rates

Understanding how your conversion rates compare to industry norms can help you gauge your website’s performance:

• E-commerce websites: Average rates range between 1.8% and 2.9%, with top performers exceeding 5%.
• Finance and insurance: Conversion rates can be significantly higher, often exceeding 10%.
• Lead generation sites: Average rates hover between 2% and 5%, depending on the complexity of the form or funnel.

Tools to monitor conversions

Platforms like Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Mixpanel provide powerful insights into your conversion metrics. Use these tools to:

• Track user behavior leading up to conversions.
• Identify bottlenecks in your funnel.
• A/B test landing pages and CTAs to see what drives better results.

By focusing on conversion metrics and taking targeted actions to improve them, you’ll ensure your website drives measurable, impactful outcomes that support your business objectives.

SEO performance

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential for ensuring your website is discoverable by your target audience. A successful redesign should improve your site’s ability to rank in search engine results and attract organic traffic.

Key SEO metrics to monitor

• Keyword rankings: Track how your target keywords are performing compared to the previous version of your site. Higher rankings indicate improved relevance and authority.
• Organic search traffic: Measure the volume of traffic coming to your website from search engines. An increase suggests that your redesign has enhanced your site’s SEO performance.
• Click-through rate (CTR): Evaluate how often users click on your site in search engine results pages. A higher CTR means your titles, meta descriptions, and content are engaging and relevant.

Improving SEO performance

• Optimize on-page elements: Update meta titles, descriptions, headers, and image alt text with relevant keywords.
• Enhance content quality: Create valuable, in-depth content that addresses user needs and queries.
• Streamline site structure: Use clean URLs and logical navigation to make it easier for search engines and users to explore your site.

Tools to measure SEO

Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Search Console to monitor and improve your SEO metrics. These platforms provide insights into keyword performance, backlinks, and crawlability.

User feedback

Your users are your most valuable resource for understanding how well your website meets their needs. Gathering direct input not only identifies what’s working but also uncovers areas for improvement that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Methods to collect user feedback

Quantitative methods

• Performance metrics: Track these key indicators:
  • Net Promoter Score (NPS): Aim for 30+ in B2B, 40+ in B2C
  • Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): Target 80%+ satisfaction
  • Customer Effort Score (CES): Keep under 3 on a 5-point scale
  • Exit survey completion rates: Aim for 5%+ completion

Post-redesign surveys

• Use tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to gather detailed feedback from users
• Keep surveys under 5 questions
• Include both rating scales and open-ended questions
• Key questions to ask:
  • How easy was it to navigate the website?
  • Could you find what you were looking for quickly?
  • How would you rate the overall design and usability?
  • What would you improve about the experience?

Usability testing

• Conduct live testing sessions with real users
• Review 20+ session recordings monthly
• Pay attention to:
  • Navigation challenges, such as unclear menus or complex paths
  • Confusing calls-to-action (CTAs) or barriers to completing tasks
  • Points where users hesitate or abandon tasks

Customer journey mapping

• Combine feedback with journey mapping to identify specific pain points
• Track the user path from discovery to conversion
• Analyze feedback at each touchpoint
• Document both positive and negative experiences

Use case examples

E-commerce website improvement

Problem identified:

• Users reported confusion about shipping costs
• 45% abandoned cart due to unclear delivery info
• Customer service getting repeated questions

Solution implemented:

• Added shipping calculator to product pages
• Created dynamic delivery date estimator
• Simplified checkout process

Results:

• Cart abandonment reduced by 23%
• Shipping-related support tickets down 40%
• Conversion rate increased 15%

B2B website optimization

Problem identified:

• Lead forms too complex
• Pricing information hard to find
• Case studies buried in navigation

Solution implemented:

• Streamlined forms from 12 to 6 fields
• Added interactive pricing calculator
• Featured case studies on industry pages

Results:

• 35% increase in form submissions
• 50% more pricing page engagement
• 28% increase in qualified leads

Why user feedback matters

Identify barriers

• User insights reveal obstacles to a seamless experience
• Uncover issues with layouts and page load times
• Spot confusion points in the user journey

Discover opportunities

• Feedback highlights features or content users value
• Identify gaps in current offerings
• Find new ways to enhance user experience

Build trust

• Soliciting feedback shows users that their opinions matter
• Strengthens connection to your brand
• Creates ongoing dialogue with your audience

Best practices for timing feedback requests

• Post-purchase: Within 24 hours
• After support interaction: Same day
• General website feedback: After 2+ page views
• Exit surveys: When showing exit intent

By making user feedback an ongoing part of your website strategy, you ensure your site evolves in step with user needs and preferences. This proactive approach keeps your website relevant, user-friendly, and effective.

A/B testing

A/B testing is a powerful method for optimizing your website by comparing two variations of a specific element or page to see which performs better. This data-driven approach allows you to refine your design and improve user engagement over time.

Key elements to test

• Call-to-action (CTA) buttons: Experiment with variations in text, color, placement, or size to determine which drives the highest conversions.
• Landing page layouts: Test different designs to identify the structure that best captures attention and encourages action.
• Headlines and copy: Compare variations in wording to see which resonates most with your audience.
• Visual elements: Evaluate the impact of different images, videos, or color schemes on user behavior.

How to conduct A/B testing

1. Define your goal: Identify a specific metric you want to improve, such as click-through rate, time on page, or conversion rate.
2. Create variations: Develop two or more versions of the element you’re testing, keeping the changes isolated to maintain accurate results.
3. Split your audience: Use tools like Google Optimize or Optimizely to divide your audience into segments that see different versions.
4. Analyze the results: Measure the performance of each variation against your goal to determine the winner.

Benefits of A/B testing

• Increased conversions: Fine-tune your site to maximize actions like sign-ups or purchases.
• Enhanced user experience: Understand what your audience prefers and adapt your design accordingly.
• Ongoing improvement: Continuously test and refine elements to ensure your site remains effective and engaging.

Real-world A/B testing success stories

CTA button optimization: A software company tested two variations of their trial signup button:

• Control: “Start your free trial”
• Variant: “Try it free for 30 days” Result: The variant achieved a 27% higher click-through rate by addressing the common concern about trial length.

Landing page layout testing: An e-commerce retailer tested two product page layouts:

• Control: Traditional layout with product description below the image
• Variant: Side-by-side layout with product details next to the image Result: The side-by-side layout increased conversions by 18% due to reduced scrolling and improved information visibility.

Form optimization: A B2B company tested lead generation form lengths:

• Control: 8-field form requesting detailed company information
• Variant: 3-field form asking only for essential contact details Result: The shorter form increased submission rates by 35% while maintaining lead quality through better qualification in follow-up communications.

Social proof placement: A SaaS company tested customer testimonial placement:

• Control: Testimonials at the bottom of the landing page
• Variant: Testimonials integrated throughout the page near relevant features Result: The distributed testimonial approach improved conversion rates by 23% by reinforcing value propositions at key decision points.

With A/B testing, you can make informed decisions that drive measurable improvements to your website’s performance.

Advanced metrics to monitor your website’s success

For a deeper understanding of your website’s performance, advanced metrics provide valuable insights into user behavior and business impact. These data points go beyond the basics, offering a nuanced view of how your website drives growth and supports your business goals.

Top pages report

• Identify which pages attract the most visitors.
• Analyze the content and design elements of these pages to understand what resonates with your audience.
• Use these insights to replicate successful strategies across other areas of your website, ensuring consistent performance and engagement.

Bounce rates and exit pages

Monitor pages with high bounce rates or exit rates. High rates may indicate issues with usability, irrelevant content, or unmet expectations.

How to improve bounce rates and exit pages

• Enhance page load speed: Slow-loading pages often lead to higher bounce rates.
• Improve content relevance: Ensure headlines and copy match user intent.
• Add engaging visuals: Use high-quality images or videos to capture attention and encourage users to stay longer.

CRM integration metrics

If your website integrates with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, advanced metrics offer powerful insights into customer behavior and marketing performance:

• Average order value (AOV): Understand purchasing patterns and identify opportunities to increase order size through upselling or cross-selling.
• Customer lifetime value (CLV): Measure the total revenue generated per customer over time.
• Cost per conversion (CPC): Evaluate how efficiently your marketing drives conversions.
• Cost per acquisition (CPA): Assess how much you’re spending to acquire new customers.

These metrics connect your website’s performance to tangible business outcomes, providing a clearer picture of ROI.

Social shares

Tracking social shares helps gauge how well your content resonates with your audience and how effectively it expands your reach.

How to use social shares effectively

• Use insights to refine content strategies by focusing on topics or formats that perform well.
• Encourage sharing by embedding social sharing buttons and creating shareable visuals like infographics.

Behavior flow analysis

Behavior flow analysis visualizes how users navigate your website, showing the paths they take from page to page. This data highlights drop-off points and areas where users disengage.

How to use behavior flow effectively

• Identify problem areas: Use tools like Google Analytics to examine pages with high drop-offs or loops.
• Streamline critical paths: Simplify navigation for user journeys that lead to conversions, such as product pages or checkout forms.
• Monitor the impact: After making changes, track whether engagement improves or if further adjustments are needed.

Behavior flow analysis allows you to refine the user journey and keep visitors engaged.

Heatmaps

Heatmaps provide a visual snapshot of user interaction on your site, showing where visitors click, scroll, or linger. These insights are invaluable for optimizing your design and layout.

How to use heatmaps effectively

• Analyze click patterns: Determine if users are interacting with key CTAs, buttons, or links.
• Refine page layout: Use scrolling data to ensure critical content isn’t overlooked.
• Adjust visual hierarchy: Reposition important elements like headlines or offers to capture attention more effectively.

Recommended tools like Hotjar and Crazy Egg help you generate actionable reports. Pair heatmap data with user feedback for a comprehensive optimization strategy.

Page speed metrics

Website load time has a direct impact on user behavior, influencing bounce rates, engagement, and conversions. Faster-loading pages retain more visitors, ensuring a better user experience.

Key metrics to monitor

• Page load time: Aim for under 3 seconds to reduce abandonment rates.
• First Contentful Paint (FCP): A shorter time ensures users perceive your site as fast and responsive.
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Faster LCP enhances user satisfaction by loading key elements quickly.

How to optimize page speed

• Compress images to reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality.
• Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML to eliminate unnecessary data.
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to improve load times for global users.

Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights offer detailed suggestions to improve load times and track progress over time.

AI and predictive analytics

Emerging technologies like AI-powered tools are transforming how businesses analyze website performance. By leveraging predictive analytics, you can anticipate user behavior and identify potential roadblocks before they affect engagement or conversions.

Benefits of AI and Predictive Analytics:

• Proactive bottleneck detection: Predict pages where users might drop off and address issues preemptively.
• Enhanced personalization: AI can tailor content, CTAs, or recommendations based on real-time user data.
• Advanced segmentation: Predictive models help group users by behavior patterns, enabling more targeted marketing efforts.

How to Get Started:

• Choose the right tools: Platforms like Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Adobe Sensei, or Pendo offer advanced predictive analytics capabilities.
• Integrate with CRM systems: Use AI insights to align your website’s performance with customer relationship management goals.
• Monitor predictive metrics: Focus on likely user paths, conversion likelihood scores, and churn risk indicators to optimize experiences.

Example: A clothing retailer used predictive analytics to identify that users frequently abandoned product pages with unclear sizing guides. By adding interactive size tools and AI-generated recommendations, the retailer reduced bounce rates by 15%.

Accessibility metrics

Ensuring your website is accessible isn’t just a best practice—it’s a necessity. Accessibility enhances user experience, expands your audience reach, and ensures compliance with legal standards.

Key accessibility metrics to monitor

• WCAG 2.1 compliance: Evaluate your site against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure it meets critical standards for usability.
• Keyboard navigation: Test if users can fully navigate your site using only a keyboard, a crucial feature for individuals with motor disabilities.
• Screen reader compatibility: Ensure that your site works seamlessly with screen readers like JAWS or NVDA, providing alternative text for images and clear navigation cues.
• Color contrast: Verify that text and background colors meet contrast ratio guidelines to ensure readability for visually impaired users.

Tools to evaluate and improve accessibility

• WAVE: A browser extension that highlights accessibility issues, such as missing alt text or structural inconsistencies.
• axe: A developer-friendly tool that integrates into browsers and testing frameworks to identify accessibility gaps.
• Lighthouse: Google’s auditing tool, which includes an accessibility score and actionable recommendations.

Why accessibility matters

An accessible website benefits all users, not just those with disabilities. It improves overall usability, reduces bounce rates, and can even boost SEO performance. Incorporating accessibility metrics into your evaluations ensures your site is inclusive and compliant with global standards, while also delivering a better experience for everyone.

By monitoring these advanced metrics, you gain a comprehensive view of how your website supports your broader business objectives and connects with your audience. These insights allow you to fine-tune your strategy, ensuring sustained success and growth.

Moving forward: Taking action on your website metrics

Now that you understand how to evaluate your website’s success, it’s time to put these insights into action. Here’s your roadmap for continuous improvement:

Create your measurement framework

• Choose your primary KPIs based on business goals
• Set up tracking tools and dashboards
• Establish regular reporting intervals
• Define benchmarks and targets

Build a testing calendar

Plan regular evaluations of:

• Core user journeys
• High-traffic pages
• Critical conversion points
• Mobile experience
• Site speed performance

Establish a feedback loop

• Share insights across teams
• Document successful improvements
• Learn from unsuccessful changes
• Update strategies based on data

Remember: Your website is a dynamic asset that should evolve with your business. Regular evaluation isn’t just about measuring success—it’s about identifying opportunities for growth and ensuring your digital presence continues to serve both your business and your audience effectively.

Ready to start measuring? Begin with one metric that directly ties to your most important business goal, and build from there. Success isn’t about tracking everything at once—it’s about measuring what matters most to your growth.