You've taken stock of your online presence, and you realize that you need a total website overhaul. In this blog post, we're going to go over a complete website redesign checklist -- and some of the many questions we'll be attempting to answer about your website redesign project plan include, but are certainly not limited to, the following: when is it time to hire a professional to redesign your website? Do you need to optimize your website for SEO? And what are some of the best practices, tips, and tricks for website redesign...and what do you need to avoid?

Every web page needs a label. Telling both human visitors and search engines what the main topic of each page on your business website is done through the use of a 50- to 60-character title tag.

Title tags are part of what are known as meta tags, and originally these tags were used to tell search engines about the website. The most popular meta tags were the title tag, the meta description and keywords. The problem? People tried to use these tags to "game" the system by stuffing them full of keywords and terms.

The best website platforms give you a great user experience, top-rated security, room for customization, SEO management, responsive web options, and easy scalability, all at a great price. That’s not much to ask, right? Many of these factors are easily comparable, but “a great user experience” is thoroughly subjective. Consider the web design experience that’s going to make you comfortable, not the platform that’s simply the most cost-effective.

Developing a website is a lot of work for both the web development company and the client. Making a website takes hours of planning, creating, editing, revising, and developing. As with any project of such a large scope, challenges will arise along the way. Pre-planning with your web development company can help you avoid running into some of these issues. Other problems are unanticipated; you might be trying to solve them a few days before launch. The keys to solving the biggest problems with web development can be found in your communication strategies and in the hands of your web development team. A two-way street of communication should be taking place at all times to ensure goals are shared and objectives are understood.

Looking to solve the biggest problems with web development? Here’s a good start:

Define the requirements. Communicate with your web development company what you are looking to achieve with your website. Be as specific as possible: Do you need a search option? Administrator login? Integrations? A mobile version? Share every possible detail with the company developing your website so that when it’s time to launch, they know exactly how the website should look and function.

Sizing up your competition can play an important role in developing or redesigning your own website.

Your website is often the first interaction a potential customer has with your business, so a deep dive into how your competition is greeting and nurturing their own site visitors will tell you a good deal about their company and strategy, as well as the customers they’re pursuing.

Identify the top-tier competitors in your industry and plan a thorough exploration of each of their websites.

As you conduct your research, note similarities and differences between your site and theirs.

Now, ask yourself these KEY questions:

Building an effective website strategy is a critical step to redesigning or building a business website and must precede all else. Too much focus on the aesthetics of your website can make it easy to overlook the functionality. Before you start building a strategy for your website, understand it is an ongoing process. Content needs to be updated periodically so that it stays fresh and remains relevant. These constantly moving parts might be overwhelming but keep in mind your web development shop is there for support.

A website strategy is a long-term strategic plan that details a company’s online presence with reference to business goals. Because your website is your best marketing tool, a well-thought out marketing strategy serves as a great basis. Understanding your marketing goals will help you identify steps that need to be taken in the web development process. Planning an effective strategy will answer a variety of questions. Below are seven ideas you should include in your website strategy: