Website improvements: how to define the scope

The scope of website improvements comes from problems you can observe: where enquiries get lost, what slows editors down, which pages respond slowly. Each problem needs an example, an expected outcome and a way to test it. Then the estimate is accurate.

How are improvements different from a redesign?

Improvements change individual features, blocks and pages of a live website: an enquiry form, a catalogue filter, loading speed, CRM data exchange, a language version. Design and structure stay as they are.

A redesign changes the visual system and structure as a whole. If the list of improvements touches most templates, or the CMS is so outdated that updates break the site, it makes sense to discuss a redesign or a move to a current platform. One task table is enough to compare both options.

How do you build a list of improvement tasks?

Start an improvement request with an observable problem: enquiries go missing, the catalogue is hard to update, a form breaks on a phone or a page responds slowly. Record an example and the expected outcome for each issue.

• the page URL and the steps that reproduce the issue;
• a screenshot or a short screen recording from a phone;
• the expected result in one sentence;
• who is affected: a customer, a sales manager or an editor.

A list like this saves hours of back-and-forth. The developer sees at once what counts as done.

What should be checked before the estimate?

The developer needs details of the CMS and its version (WordPress, MODX, Shopify or a Laravel project), the PHP version, extensions, hosting and existing integrations. Provide access to a test copy, bug descriptions and a list of critical pages. Check whether components can be updated and backups restored.

• Core Web Vitals in Search Console: LCP, INP and CLS. INP replaced FID as the responsiveness metric in March 2024.
• Pages report in Search Console: indexing errors, 404s, duplicates.
• GA4 events: are form submissions, phone and messenger clicks recorded?
• Manual walkthrough: order, form, cart, mobile menu.

Lighthouse helps with an initial technical review. Supplement its automated checks with manual tests of orders, forms and mobile navigation.

How do you set priorities?

• Fix issues that prevent enquiries and payments first.
• Simplify editing and enquiry handling next.
• Then test ideas for content and interface improvements.

Order and contact exchange is designed around the chosen CRM: KeyCRM, HubSpot or Pipedrive. Compatibility, required fields and API limits are checked for that system before work starts. For online stores in Ukraine this also covers the Nova Poshta API, LiqPay, WayForPay and product feeds for Prom or Rozetka.

What affects the timing and cost of improvements?

• code quality and whether the CMS can be updated safely;
• whether a staging copy and backups exist;
• how many templates a task touches;
• external APIs and their documentation;
• who prepares copy, translations and images.

We set the timing for each task in the estimate after the audit. If the scope changes along the way, the estimate is updated before the new task starts.

How do you release changes safely?

Describe each task and its acceptance criteria in the estimate. Work on a test copy, take a backup before release and prepare a rollback plan. After deployment, test the complete enquiry journey, including receipt by staff. Agree on who monitors errors after launch and the response time for confirmed defects.

For ongoing work, a website support and maintenance contract is more convenient: tasks go into a queue, updates and backups run on a schedule. An example from our practice: after launching the website of the law firm Legal Solutions, we continued search optimisation on the same platform.

FAQ

How much do website improvements cost?

We estimate per task after an audit. Code quality, CMS version, the number of templates and integrations all matter. Two similar requests on different websites often need different amounts of work, so we have no flat price list for improvements.

Can you improve a website built by another agency?

Yes. We need access to hosting, the admin panel and the repository if there is one. The first step is a backup and a short audit of the code and extensions.

When is a redesign better than improvements?

When changes affect most templates, the CMS cannot be updated without breaking things, or the site works poorly on phones. In that case we compare both estimates and show the difference.

Why do you need a staging copy?

Changes are tested on the copy before release. Customers keep using the live site, and a mistake never has to be repaired in production.

Who fixes bugs after launch?

This is agreed in advance: response time for confirmed defects and the contact channel. For regular work, a support contract with a task queue is easier.

Sources

• Chrome for Developers: Lighthouse
• web.dev: Core Web Vitals