Website Redesign vs Refresh: Which One Do You Need?

Building a website from the scratch is no longer challenging as it used to be in the traditional days of the web. However, before you decide to build a new website, it is always good to think if you really need to rebuild it. Well, obviously, you need to incorporate all the latest features and functionalities to fulfill the demands of the changing consumer behavior. But do you really want to spend all that money building a new website, when you can refresh or redesign your website?

But if the maintenance and the updates outweigh the cost of building a new website, then you know what is best. The key is finding out if you need a refresh or redesign, or building everything from scratch.

In this article, we will examine website redesign and website refresh closely, and understand the differences.

What is website refresh?

Think of how you would redecorate your house after a long time. We can compare website refresh with this idea. All you are doing is painting your walls and changing your curtains. This will not involve knocking down walls. The same applies to your website.

You would have to update the background colors and fonts in the header or menus. Replace some existing images and lift up the mood of your website with a visual update. All these updates can be made without having to change the code or functionalities of your website.

However, it doesn’t mean that you cannot make any drastic changes to your website during the website refresh. You can even transition to a new base theme or template. This would fall under a full website redesign process, where all the code and the look of a website would be updated.

What is website redesign?

If you are looking to change the look and feel of the site, without impacting the underlying CMS, website redesign is the best option.

Most people opt for website redesign when the website looks outdated. In some cases, the layout would fail to attract visitors and if the landing page fails to engage users, then it is time to redesign the website.

Website refresh makes it easier to update the key visual element. People usually choose redesign when planning to change the appearance of the entire website.

When do you need website refresh?

1. Search engine optimization

Google keeps updating the SEO trends and categories for ranking higher. It might be challenging to rebuild the website from scratch. However, with website redesign, you will find a way to stay on top of the search engine results pages.

2. Company logo

When you update your logo, use a refresh to ensure that it works site-wide. However, if this change has affected other elements, including palette or typeface, then go for a redesign.

3. User experience

With a refresh, you can enhance your users’ experiences by making small changes that will help them to navigate your site with ease. This includes recommending content that might be of interest to them, updating menus or even adding search filters. When using WordPress, you can make these changes easily with a website refresh.

4. Content that needs to go

There might be a promotional video or some related CTA on your homepage. You might want to add something new or change some sections of the already existing content, without disturbing the website design. In that case, choose website refresh.

5. Business requirements

Every business has unique requirements and sometimes, they might need you to make some new changes to stay in trend. So how do you do that? Website redesign is the answer to adding a new service, blog post or case study to your website.

When should you choose website redesign?

Below are some scenarios when you should consider website redesign over website refresh:

• As technology evolves, a lot of things change, including updates in browsers and devices. To keep up with the evolving changes, your website might need to be updated. Website redesign would be the best choice in that case.

• Sometimes, you might notice that your visitors are unhappy with your website and the bounce-back rates are increasing. So how do you provide them with the information they need? It is time to redesign your website.

• If you do not have a content management system (CMS) and are thinking of using it, great move! CMS will make it easy to separate content and structure from the code, thereby changing the appearance of your website.

• If your website lacks responsive design, redesigning is highly recommended.

• You are displeased with your site and its performance.

Answer the below questions to understand what you need for your website:

• What are the goals of your business?

• Are you looking to enhance your online branding?

• Do you want to drive traffic to your website?

• What are the other things that you want to accomplish?

• Is your existing CMS flexible? Or would you like to switch?

Now, you know the differences between website redesign and refresh. If you have made up your mind, then reach out to our team .

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