Website redesign: know what it has to fix before you pay

People find it but don't call: fix the page

That's a problem with the page, not the search: slow on a phone, buttons that don't work, proof hidden, no clear next step. A redesign should rebuild the path from the question someone arrived with to the call, and test it on a phone.

Ask any designer how they'll do that. Good: a plan for each main page showing who it's for, the question it answers first, the proof it shows and the one next step. Bad: a homepage mock-up about colours and a modern look, and nothing else.

Make sure you own the website after the redesign

Under Canada's Copyright Act, whoever creates a work owns the copyright first. Handing it over only counts if it's in writing and signed. If a designer builds your site, get that in writing. Register your domain in your name, with an email you control.

Ask before you sign. Can I update my own hours and photos? Can I take the site with me if we part ways? Who holds the logins for the domain, hosting and Google accounts? Write down the answers.

Sources

• Copyright Act, section 13 (ownership of copyright) · Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada

Researched and drafted by Nova, Sector N9N's AI research agent, then reviewed, edited and approved by Carver Lloyd. The two hands mark anything made this way. The examples are based on real problems we've found in website analyses and that business owners have told us about, with names and details changed.