Data and Content Essentials for a BigCommerce Redesign: What Changes, Who’s Responsible, and Where to Start?
Welcome to the second installment of our content series, Innovate and Elevate: A Guide to Growing Your BigCommerce Store with a Site Redesign. In case you missed it, be sure to check out Installment 1: Thinking About Redesigning Your BigCommerce Store? Start Here.
Maintaining the status quo can be the fast track to falling behind when it comes to growing online sales. For BigCommerce merchants, this often means embracing a strategic website redesign that enhances user experience, modernizes functionality, and aligns your online presence with your evolving business goals.
In this four-part content series, our team of BigCommerce experts guides you through the essentials of a successful redesign—from planning to launch—ensuring your store is not only up-to-date but ahead of the curve. Whether you’ve already committed to a site redesign or just exploring the idea, this series will equip you with the knowledge, strategies, and best practices you need to make informed decisions and drive meaningful results.
Introduction
At the heart of every ecommerce website lies core information that keeps your business running—from product and customer data to content for informational pages and FAQs. While a site redesign is often a strategic necessity, it does not mean overhauling every asset or piece of information from your current site.
In this installment, we uncover what data and content shifts to anticipate during a redesign and define the roles concerning these changes. We’ll explore how strategic planning, coupled with a clear distribution of responsibilities from the outset, can catalyze impactful ecommerce enhancements.
Let’s dive in.
What Data and Content Changes During a BigCommerce Redesign?
A BigCommerce redesign, while intensive, doesn’t mean discarding everything and starting fresh. Much like a home renovation, it’s about introducing and re-organizing elements that improve functionality and aesthetics. However, the foundational pillars—your site’s data and content—generally remain untouched.
Data and content can take numerous forms, from brand assets like logos and images to product descriptions and page URLs. Let’s clarify further.
What Stays the Same During a Site Redesign:
- URL Structures: Even if page designs or structure are reimagined for the redesign, the original URLs remain intact to ensure backlinks and established SEO value isn’t lost. Sometimes, it may make sense to improve your URL structure, but most often, it is not a requirement.
- Product Data: Pertinent product information like product names, images, SKUs, and descriptions generally stay the same. However, as mentioned above, the way they’re presented (e.g. page layout) may undergo changes.
- Metadata: Meta tags and descriptions will generally remain intact to preserve SEO. However, some companies will opt to update and improve SEO elements after the new site is launched, or even during the redesign.
- Customer Data: Essential customer data like user profiles, order histories, and customer reviews will remain untouched during redesigns.
- Foundational Content: This may include core information about Shipping and Returns, the site’s Privacy Policy, your commitment to Customer Service, etc.
- Brand assets: Unless your business simultaneously undergoes a brand overhaul, logos, team images, and core messaging will remain the same after a site revamp.
What Changes During a Site Redesign:
- Site Structure: Site hierarchy, navigation menus, and page structure transform during a site revamp to improve user experience and align with modern design and development practices.
- Visual Elements: Banners, gallery layouts, typography, and colors generally change to improve aesthetic appeal and site usability.
- Interactive Elements: Call to Action (CTA) buttons, forms, and interactive features are added, removed, or modified to make the site more modern and engaging.
When working on a new project, our BigCommerce designers create a transparent roadmap detailing anticipated content changes and the client’s role in the transition as we prepare for foundational enhancements to their website.
Get a Complimentary Site Consultation
Let our BigCommerce experts guide you on the design enhancements that will move the needle for your business goals.
Content/Data Management Responsibilities During an BigCommerce Redesign
A smooth and successful redesign experience hinges on clarity in expectations and responsibilities. Establishing upfront which data changes are required and who’s responsible for the updates streamlines the redesign journey and helps prevent potential delays.
Your project team will address the following prior to beginning the project:
- Communicate tasks before the project begins (Agency Responsibility). Your design and development partner will inform you in advance about any tasks that your internal team needs to address, whether it’s organizing data or supplying additional content. These requirements should be outlined in the project kickoff.
- Audit and update existing content and data (Client Responsibility). You’ll use the redesign opportunity to clean, remove, and update content as directed by your partner agency. Always be sure to consult with your project manager or SEO partner to review potential implications prior to deleting data.
It’s essential to work with developers who understand the ins and outs of BigCommerce and how your data works with the platform. An agency with a deep understanding of BigCommerce will quickly pinpoint which data and content will remain untouched during the redesign process and which areas will need hands-on intervention.– Devin Hart, Senior Frontend Web Developer, IntuitSolutions
Content Management Do’s and Don'ts
The redesign process is the perfect opportunity to purge information that is outdated or no longer serving your business. However, it’s important to follow organized steps to preserve essential data and ensure you don’t remove content you’ll need down the road.
Follow these tips to help with content management during a site redesign:
- Limit team member access to your data and documents.
- Always create backup copies of data/content prior to making changes.
- Check with your design and development partner before deleting if you’re unsure.
Previewing Your New Website Before Launch with ThemeBridge™
Previewing your site redesign using your actual store data is invaluable during the website redesign process. Themebridge™, which our developers built exclusively for IntuitSolutions’ clients, is a staging environment tailored for the BigCommerce platform to help facilitate this process.
ThemeBridge™ is a popular tool with our clients, helping them to:
- Preview theme changes against live store data
- Save time and expense
- Collaborate with ease
Whether you’re previewing a design improvement, new custom functionality, or a feature adjustment, ThemeBridge™ gives you the confidence of knowing that your updates will “play nice” with your live website and avoid unforeseen issues.
Important Note: During the entire redesign process, your current site remains live and actively collects orders. There is NO downtime during the process, so your business can function as normal.
Final Thoughts: Managing Data and Content During a BigCommerce Redesign
Redesigning your BigCommerce store is a transformative experience, but not every informational element will change. While your site’s outward look and experience will shift, your site’s core data—from product listings to customer data—will remain.
With a strategic approach, a clear understanding of what changes, what stays the same, and transparent responsibilities, your redesign can usher in a new era for your business without starting from scratch.
Up Next
In our next installment, we dive deeper into redesigning a modern user experience on BigCommerce to maximize conversions. We’ll discuss how to enhance your BigCommerce store beyond traditional ecommerce—prioritizing enhancements that move the needle for your business.
