If you have a brick-and-mortar shop, do you want customers walking into a location with peeling paint, dusty or outdated decor, and packed aisles that are hard to navigate? Probably not.
You want your shop to match your brand’s vibes, make it easy for customers to find what they need, and make it a place they want to come back to and tell their friends about. Are you treating your website with the same care?
Your website is your digital storefront where potential customers learn more about your brand, discover your products or services, and seek the information they need to decide what to buy.
If your website is difficult to navigate, slow to load, or doesn’t have the right information, potential customers will just give up and seek a different solution (which is the opposite of what you want).
But sometimes, it can be hard to know how much of a renovation your website actually needs. Does it need a full-blown redesign or a simple refresh?
If you’re struggling with what side to choose in the website redesign vs refresh debate, we’re here to help.
Website Refresh vs. Redesign: Key Differences
What is a Website Refresh?
A website refresh preserves a website’s foundation while fine-tuning certain elements. Think of it like giving your space a fresh coat of paint or swapping out old furniture for something more modern—small but impactful changes.
Maybe you’ve got a blog that hasn’t seen a new post since last year, or your homepage could use a few more CTAs to direct your audience where to go. These little things improve your site without the need for a complete overhaul.
What is a Website Redesign?
Now, if a website refresh is like redecorating a room, a website redesign is more like knocking down walls and moving plumbing and electrical. A redesign means going beyond surface-level changes to reimagine the entire site.
This reimagining typically requires a complete overhaul of the site’s content, structure, and design. Website redesigning comes into play when minor fixes won’t cut it anymore. It’s a bigger commitment, but sometimes, that’s precisely what’s needed to stay competitive and keep your audience engaged.
Top Reasons to Revisit, Refresh, or Redesign Your Website
Here are the top five reasons it might be time to give your website some love:
1. Outdated Design
An outdated design can make your brand look behind the times, which isn’t exactly the vibe you want to give off. A refresh can help if you need to spruce up a few design elements, but a redesign can help if you’ve rebranded and every page needs a makeover to match.
2. Declining Performance
If your traffic, conversions, or other key metrics take a nosedive (or have never been great), it’s a clear sign something’s off. Whether it’s a refresh to update your SEO or a full redesign to address deeper issues, don’t ignore those red flags. Dig into them, identify the root cause, and make a plan to address it.
3. Poor User Experience
A poor user experience leaves your customers feeling lost in a maze while navigating your website or frustrated by slow load times, causing them to give up. If your users are bouncing faster than you can say, uh-oh, it might be time to redesign with a focus on user-friendly navigation, the various paths-to-purchase, and technical upgrades.
4. Mobile Compatibility Issues
Now that we’ve all grown attached to cell phones, your website needs to look and function beautifully on mobile. If it doesn’t, you’re missing out on a huge audience. A redesign might be necessary to ensure your site is mobile-friendly.
5. Rebranding or Business Pivot
When your business changes direction, your website should, too. Whether you’re rebranding or repositioning in a changing or new market, a redesign can help you align your online presence with your new goals and vision.
It’s Decision Time: Touch It Up or Tear It Down?
As you decide whether to refresh or go all-in on a redesign, reflect on a few key questions:
- What’s your budget?
- How much time do you have?
- What are the biggest concerns you have with your current website?
- Are there any features that are already working on your current website?
- What are your current business needs and goals? (And are they the same as when you launched your current website?)
If you have fewer resources to expend and only a few minor tweaks to make, a refresh is probably your best bet. But if you need a complete overhaul, it’s time to redesign.
Take a good look at your current site, assess your needs, and make an informed decision. After all, in the great website refresh vs redesign debate, the real winner should always be your business.
The Clever Lucy team is here to help keep you winning, no matter what side wins in your website refresh vs redesign debate. Reach out to us to learn how.