From Stale to Stellar: 7 Essential Steps To Rebrand Your Website
As a business owner, you may choose to upgrade your design, refresh your brand photos, and spruce up your copy at some point.
It is a milestone to be celebrated! Yay for growth, change, and evolution! Right?
After 4 years in business, I did a massive overhaul of my copywriting website. I made strategic decisions about the timing, website platform, copy, and visuals. I interviewed 5 brand photographers and 4 website designers! I was committed to the process.
Curious about the steps I took to get there? Let me share with you this mini-guide to rebrand your website.
7 Essential Steps to Rebrand Your Website
1. Choose the right time for you
Call it practical, call it woo, but I think knowing the right time to rebrand your website matters most. It can make the entire rest of the process go so much easier.
There are strategic moments when it makes sense to elevate your business. Energetically, there are dark-night-of-the-soul moments when we admit we have a website that no longer reflects us. Whatever your process, trust your timing.
I no longer have any hard and fast rules about when a business needs a rebrand. It depends on your business model, profit goals, and personal preference.
Small yearly updates may be necessary depending on your services, business model, and audience. For others, you can do a massive overhaul every 3-5 years.
Let's consider your finances, too. And your wise intuition. Does it *feel* like it's time for a refresh? Why? Are you doing it for the right reasons? (And what are the right reasons, anyway?)
What I did: I knew I needed a rebrand about a year before making it happen. It was a combination of intuitive wisdom, strategic planning, and real-life logistics.
I am a “long thinker, fast doer”. That is, on the outside it might look like things come together quickly, but I’ve been processing the steps behind the scenes for months or years. Are you the same?
Reflection Question: What’s the right timing for you and your rebrand?
2. Clarify your direction + map out the path
Equally important to timing is WHY you’re choosing to rebrand.
Rebranding can be time-intensive, costly, and permanent (ish). It’s like going to a tattoo artist without a plan. You probably won’t be happy unless you have some clarity on the what and the why.
Time to get real about the following questions:
What are your goals for this rebrand?
What do you hope this rebrand will accomplish?
What is your budget for the rebrand?
How will this rebrand support the long-term vision of your business?
Do you have the creative and energetic capacity for this rebrand?
Why now?
If you’re running a group practice, or expanding into an intensives-only model, your rebrand may have a completely different goal for your business than a personal brand.
What I did: My old website (built by me in 2019) did its job but was outdated by the time 2023 rolled around.
When it was time to rebrand, my top priority was to have a brand that revealed how I authentically showed up as a copywriter, content strategist, and real-life human. I also wanted my new website to reflect the level of expertise, experience, and passion I brought to my work.
I wanted it to be better aligned with my mission to help therapists, healers, and holistic practitioners write copy that sounds like them and dazzles their ideal clients. I wanted it to walk the walk — if you will.
With this vision in mind, I was able to choose what I could DIY, where to invest, who to hire, and what could be saved for later.
3. Choose the right team
Once you have an ideal timeline and clear goals behind your rebrand, you can choose which professionals to help make your vision happen.
Even if you choose to DIY it all with templates and self-paced courses, you still want to choose products that move you toward your vision.
On the other side of the spectrum, you may choose to hand it all off to a branding business that takes care of every single element — Copy, photos, colors, and more!
Most land somewhere in the middle of pure DIY and hiring out every single step.
What I did: I knew that my rebrand was focused on authenticity and personality, which was going to come across best in my photos and top-notch website design (neither in my skill set).
I knew that finding — and investing — in those team members would be worth it for this project.
As a professional copywriter, I chose to write my copy, especially since my copy was to express MY personality! However, I did enlist the support of friends who could review my copy for the lens of my ideal client to catch any blind spots.
Your possible team members could include, but are not limited to:
A brand strategist - to help you map out, identify, and execute a successful rebrand
A business coach - to coach you through the practical and mindset steps for your rebrand
A seasoned copywriter - to conduct voice of customer research, create a compelling brand message, and write/edit your copy
A brand photographer - to capture personality-aligned visuals + tell the story of your business in photos
A website designer - to design the visual layout, ensure a seamless user experience, and create a mobile-responsive design
A social media expert - to ensure your rebrand aligns with best social media practices
An SEO specialist - to optimize your website for SEO so that it’s easily discoverable by Google
Reflection Question: Who should take care of the most important elements of my rebrand?
4. Get stunning brand photos + other brand elements
You’ve mapped out your vision and have the team to make it happen. Let’s start the process!
Your brand elements may include:
Logos + Graphics - to convey professionalism and express your brand visually
Color Palette + Typography - to choose the colors and fonts that best express your brand
Brand Story - to help your ideal clients connect with your story and see themselves in it
Brand Voice/Tone - to capture the vibe of what it’s like to work with you
Brand Photos - to go beyond headshots! Think: photos that capture your personality + process
Brand Messaging - the right words, syntax, and flow to connect with your dream clients
The best branding blends copy + design for a cohesive client experience.
Yes, as a copywriter, the words of your business are important.
But, so are the visuals.
Side Quest:
3 examples of the dance between copy + design from my new website
Example 1: Poppin’ Copy 🍿
I ended up having some delightful popcorn-themed photos. Who knew!?
While it wasn’t part of my original plan, once I saw this photo, my strategic brain KNEW the copy needed to match.
This is the ‘Services’ section of my website.
Example 2: Whoops! Where’s my client? 🕵🏻
I wanted my ideal client to feel seen in their process. So, I wanted a photo that showed the “will this copy stick?” feeling. I also wanted to capture the feeling of repeated, futile attempts.
The result: My brand photographer and I decided to have colorful, crumpled post-it notes littered around me to visually represent the creative process. I went barefoot to match the casual tone of the copy.
See the interplay between the headline and photo below:
Example 3: Words that razzle-dazzle ✨
Confetti ended up being a bigger brand element than I realized! I updated my header with the words ‘dazzle’ to tie into the confetti/sparkly theme.
See below:
Can you see why I’m obsessed with how copy + visuals can play together?
Call me biased, but your words and visuals must play well together for the best outcome. A solid copywriter, branding expert, and photographer can help make that happen.
5. Upgrade your website, copy, and platforms accordingly.
With a solid brand strategy, stunning photos, and rockin’ copy — it’s time to bring it all together.
It’s time to…
Update your website design layout, if needed
Ensure your copy is personable, polished, and proofed
Streamline your website navigation with an updated menu
Spruce up your CTAs with your tone and brand colors
Upload those fabulous new brand photos
Make sure all your links work and go to the right place.
Optimize your new copy + visuals for mobile version
Improve your client experience with an inquiry form or link to your calendar
Showcase a new lead magnet to gain new subscribers
Take all the time you need to ensure that your rebrand is truly an upgraded experience for your clients
6. Spread the word!
The whole point of a rebrand is for it to be seen! It’s time to let your friends, family, and colleagues know.
Update your social media bios, your directory listings, and any other places that you are discoverable.
Share with your email list, your social media followers, and even your current/past customers with a personalized note.
My launching tips:
➡️ Build anticipation: Let your audience know your rebrand is coming ahead of time so that you can build excitement and curiosity. Consider some ‘behind the scenes’ content to make them feel part of the process. BTS: What I wrote 2 months before my launch to my email list
➡️ Start with a soft launch: I did a soft launch of my new website to friends and colleagues before I announced it to my email list. In case there were any issues, I could resolve them before sharing with 1000+ email subscribers. 😬
➡️ Make it relevant to your audience: Your rebrand is about you, but it’s also about YOUR clients! I centered my clients in my rebrand announcement with how-to information while sharing the news. See how I did it here.
7. Prepare for the post-publish slump
After you put your heart and soul into this new project, it’s normal to feel some disappointment, exhaustion, or apathy. You may overthink the choices you made. Or spend hours making tiny tweaks to your copy. You may feel a visibility hangover, too. Especially if your rebrand was showing more of a side of you that you’ve kept private.
That’s a-okay! It’s completely normal to feel that existential slump after you complete a huge goal. You’ll recover soon and be back in the jubilation zone. You did it!
