Website Refresh
Has it been a few years since you last updated your site? Is your website performance taking a serious dip? Are you receiving complaints regarding your website experience? Then it might be time to switch things up.
But what kind of changes do you want? Ideally, you have two options: a refresh or redesign. In this blog post, we will take an in-depth look at how a website refresh and a website redesign are different and how to tell which one is right for your site.
What is a Website Refresh?
A website refresh is similar to giving your house a “facelift.” You make simple changes such as repainting the walls, moving furniture around, replacing the front door, or adding color LEDs.
When you refresh a website, you make a few simple updates to layout, content, and design. You might change your site’s font, the logo, and maybe even add a new theme, but the general structure of the programming and layout remains intact.
What is a Website Redesign?
Back to our home revamp analogy: A website redesign is similar to tearing down the walls of your house and then starting over from square one with totally new blueprints.
When you redesign a website, you completely do away with the programming code, design, and layout to build something new. This goes beyond updating the visual outlook of your site.
Website Refresh Or Website Redesign? 9 Factors To Consider Before You Get Started
So when it comes to updating your website, the question remains: a little or a lot? The following factors can help you decide:
Boost User Experience
The user experience is a make-or-break part of website design. If your site lacks clear CTAs or search filters, has performance issues, doesn’t recommend related content, or isn’t easy to navigate, then it’s prudent to refresh your site so that it provides a better user experience.
Eliminate Outdated or Promotional Content
You might have put up lots of promotional videos or related CTAs conspicuously on your landing page and now want to shift your attention to other aspects of the business. Or perhaps this is your organization’s 10th anniversary- time to pop some champagne! You can make changes to small sections of your site without having to affect the overall website design.
Update Logo and Font Color
Creating new logos that reflect your current brand standards is another way to refresh your website without totally deconstructing its foundation.
By having attractive colors and logo, you enhance the look of your website and retain the attention of first-time visitors.
Research shows that users will likely choose to do business with a company with an engaging, modern-looking website. The good news is, attractive branding doesn’t have to start from scratch.
Showcase New Business Offerings
Your website is the mirror of your business. This means it should showcase every little change happening in your company, including:
Additional products
New route to niche/market offering
Changing business goals
Ceasing to sell a product or service
Diversifying
But if this isn’t the case, then it might be time to give your website a revamp without the need to redesign it completely.
Rank High on Google
Think about it: a total website overhaul for each Google algorithm would be absurd.
But you want to improve your current keyword strategy (we mean: SEO best practices) to continue staying abreast of rankings, right? It’s a brilliant idea to stay on top of your website’s SEO optimization with quick and easy refreshes. Besides, an upgrade to your keyword strategy helps save time and money.
You’re Not Getting Enough Leads
If your business is no longer bringing in new clients, that’s a sign you might need to redo your website from scratch.
Are people subscribing to your newsletter? Are your clients mentioning they found you through your site? After all, a website should generate quality leads and make visitors actually want to do business with you. If not, you might go all-in for a redesign.
You Need To Re-align Your Site With Your Marketing Goals
Your website is the heart and soul of your business. That means it can grow your bottom line if it’s specifically designed to match your current marketing strategy. But if it isn’t aligned with your marketing goals, then it might be time to restructure and build from the ground up.
You might also want to do a complete overhaul of your web design if the purpose has changed. This may involve redoing the elements of your site to reflect the new brand and adding some new CTAs, ebooks, and blog posts to capture your new voice and purpose.
Your Existing Design Is Outdated
Not everything old can be made new again, and this is especially true in web design.
Let’s face it, a slow load time, too many fonts, outdated colors, and more words than visuals mean your site is stuck in the past and will ultimately result in fewer conversions. Keeping up with technological and visual trends through a whole new redesign is crucial for your website to succeed.
Your Website Is Not Easy To Navigate
Have you ever been to a site that was almost impossible to navigate? You wait forever for it to load only to be presented with ambiguous layouts, broken links, and totally unresponsive buttons?
Not only is this frustrating, but it also makes you more likely to view the site as lacking credibility.
Your site may not be this level of broken, but segments of your website might be cluttered or dated and in need of a complete overhaul. For example, maybe you haven’t optimized for mobile devices, or you have non-functional CTAs. These issues might seem insignificant at first, but they can negatively impact your traffic in the long run.
Refresh & Redesign: Which Option Is Best For You?
Refreshing or even redesign is an essential part of improving your web presence. Every site is a work in progress and is never totally done. The truth is, your website will change many times over the years to better reflect your brand.
Go with a refresh (every year) when you simply want to spruce up things a bit for an affordable way to update your branding or drive traffic to your site. When you need an updated and responsive design or need to change your entire website structure, a redesign (every 2-3 years) is your best bet.