As a small business owner, having a website that effectively communicates your brand, showcases your products or services, and converts visitors into customers is essential. However, over time, websites can become outdated or ineffective, leading to a drop in traffic and conversion rates. If you’re in this situation, you might be wondering whether you need a website revamp or a full website redesign. Let’s explore the differences between the two so you can determine which is the right choice for your business.
What Exactly is a Website Revamp?
A website revamp, also known as a website update or website refresh, involves making small changes to your website’s design, content, and functionality. This typically includes updating your website’s color scheme, font choices, or main images. Updating your copy and content, adding new pages or sections, and improving the site load speed may also be included.
The goal of a website revamp is to improve your website’s appearance, functionality, and user experience without making any significant changes to the underlying structure or architecture. It’s also a relatively quick way to update the site with the latest design trends.
Think of a website revamp as an online home makeover. Just like a new coat of paint, some new furniture, or a few decorative pieces can instantly transform the look and feel of a room, a revamp can make a big difference in the visual appeal and atmosphere of your website. It’s quick, relatively easy, and cost-effective, making it a great option for small businesses looking to refresh their website without breaking the bank.
How is a Website Revamp Different Than a Full Website Redesign?
A website redesign, on the other hand, involves making significant changes to your website’s structure, design, and functionality. This may include changing your website’s layout, navigational structure, redesigning your logo or brand identity, or updating your website’s content management system (CMS). A redesign includes structural changes to your website that would not be included in a typical website revamp.
The goal of a full website redesign is to rebuild your website from the ground up with new strategies in place to improve functionality and drive higher conversion rates. A redesign is essentially creating a brand-new website that is modern, effective, and aligns with your business goals.
During a website redesign, we work with you to determine your business goals and develop a strategy for your new website. We then create a design that incorporates your goals, is user-friendly, and visually appealing. A website redesign often involves significant changes to the website’s structure, navigation, content, and functionality. It can also involve adding new features, such as e-commerce functionality, social media integration, and search engine optimization.
Using our home makeover analogy, a website redesign is more akin to an online home remodel than a simple makeover. While a home makeover involves changing the visual state of a room, a home remodel involves changing some of the structural elements of a home. Similarly, a website redesign involves changing the fundamental elements of your website such as its layout, navigation, or user experience.
A website redesign is more time-consuming, requires more resources, and is nearly always more expensive than a revamp. However, the changes made during a website redesign will have a much greater impact on the overall new look and feel of your site as well as your website performance user experience.
How Do I Determine Whether I Need a Website Revamp or a Website Redesign?
Now that you know the differences between a revamp and a redesign, how do you determine which is the right choice for you and your business?
Here are seven important factors to consider when choosing between a website revamp and a website redesign:
1 | Your website’s age
If your website is more than a few years old and looks outdated, a website redesign is very likely the better choice. A website revamp can only do so much to update an outdated website, whereas a redesign will give you a completely fresh start. Most small business websites over 5 years old have technical issues related to website speed, core vitals, best practices, and mobile usage. Your existing site could be costing you far more in lost revenue annually than the typical website redesign cost.
2 | Your website’s functionality
If your website’s functionality is limited or not working as intended, a website redesign may be a necessity. A properly functioning website is critical to the success of your business. User research indicates that a business website that does not function as the user expects it to—in terms of navigation, user interface, information architecture, site speed, and working links—will cause a website’s bounce rate to increase as users find it increasingly frustrating to interact with the content. This is particularly important for the mobile versions of your website.
Any gaps in functionality for the desktop version of your website are often a greater problem on the mobile version. Responsive designs that are optimized for full browser compatibility provide you with the greatest opportunity for a high conversion rate as obstacles along the user journey are eliminated. A full redesign will allow you to improve the user experience and make your older website more intuitive, user-friendly, and functional.
3 | Your website’s responsiveness
Responsive web design is a vital factor in determining the health of your website. If your current website is not responsive (built to function appropriately on all screen sizes and orientations) then it is definitely time to seek out website redesign services. This is an essential consideration for small businesses. If your existing website is not fully responsive and designed to display correctly on all mobile devices it will negatively impact your placement in search results and your website traffic.
4 | Your website design and visual appeal
If your website’s design is outdated or not visually appealing, a revamp may be all that is necessary to improve its appearance and keep it up-to-date with the latest design trends. Consider your current colors, fonts, styles, and graphic elements—are they consistent and cohesive? If not, then a website revamp may be a relatively quick and cost-effective way to improve the way your visitors interact with your website.
According to this fascinating report on website statistics by Zippa—it takes potential customers only 50 milliseconds to form an opinion of your website and 75% of visitors determine the credibility of a business based on the quality of the home page of your website. If your Google Analytics data shows a high bounce rate on your home page, it is safe to assume that the visual elements of your current site are negatively impacting your user experience and it’s time for a website redesign strategy.
5 | Your website’s content
Whether you ultimately choose to do a revamp or a redesign of your old website—both provide the perfect time to take a closer look at your website’s content. Conducting a thorough SEO audit of your website is an important step in determining which of your web pages and blog posts are or are not performing well in search results. It will also provide insight into your most important pages, the average user behavior as visitors engage with your site, and even ideas for new content as you consider what content is currently performing well. It is a prime opportunity for you to ‘clean house’ by removing or redirecting outdated content that is not serving your target customers or audience and may also be hurting your rankings in search engines.
6 | Your business goals
If your business goals have changed since your website was last updated, a website redesign may be necessary. A redesign will help align your website with your new specific goals and it will help drive more traffic through SEO. It can also help you reposition your brand, speak more directly to your target audience, establish your digital presence, and highlight new products or services. Your company website should be a direct reflection of your business goals and should immediately tell your visitors what you do, why you do it, and why they should work with you to accomplish their own goals.
7 | Your budget
If you have a limited budget, a website revamp (or website refresh) may be the better choice. While a full redesign will have a bigger impact on your website, a revamp is a more cost-effective option that can still improve your website’s appearance and address minor functionality issues. Working with an experienced web designer to give your website a fresh look by updating color schemes, design elements, and the layout of your home page can be a great way to put a smaller budget to the best use.
Which Is More Cost-Effective in the Long Run—a Revamp or a Redesign?
As mentioned earlier, cost is an important consideration when deciding between a revamp and a redesign. A website redesign will have a much bigger impact on your website’s overall look and feel. However, it is typically the more expensive and time-consuming option.
A website revamp is a cost-effective option for small businesses with limited budgets. It also allows for updates to be made in stages. This allows you to prioritize your changes and make them incrementally. It may ultimately result in a similar cost in the long run. However, it is often a more appealing option for businesses with smaller budgets who can not afford a full redesign at one time.
As a small business owner, you may opt to initially focus on updating your website’s aesthetics. Colors, fonts, and image updates improve the visuals and can all be done relatively quickly and at a lower cost. A website revamp can also help you stay up-to-date with the latest design trends and keep your website looking modern and relevant.
On the other hand, a website redesign is a more significant investment. However, it is often well worth the expense in the long run. This is especially true if your website is outdated, not user-friendly, not aligned with your business goals, or not responsive. A redesign gets the job done all at once and creates an incredible opportunity for relaunching your site to current and past customers. A website redesign will also help you differentiate your business from competitors, build a stronger brand identity, and improve the overall speed, functionality, and user experience.
Which Is Right for You and Your Business?
Deciding between a website revamp and a website redesign depends on a variety of factors. Taking the time to thoroughly think through the entire process and honestly assessing your current situation vs. your ultimate goals for your new design is the best way to make the right decision. At Maize Agency, we work closely with you to determine the best strategic approach to your website redesign process. As with all of our services, we are very intentional about getting to know our clients, their businesses, and their goals in order to provide them with the best website possible.
Ultimately, the goal of any website update — whether a revamp or a redesign — is to capitalize on your online home by turning it into the most effective digital marketing tool in your arsenal. Updating your website will improve its effectiveness, user experience, and conversion rates. It will also have a significant effect on how well-positioned you are to rank better with SEO. By considering the factors mentioned above and working with us for your website revamp/refresh or redesign, you can be sure that we will help you make the most informed decision that meets the unique needs of your business while helping you achieve your online goals.
You can also take our FREE Needs Assessment to help you determine the specific areas of your business that need the most immediate attention in order to move forward. We have developed this helpful assessment to provide you with a comprehensive and custom look into the overall health of your business. The information in the report will be emailed to you immediately upon completion and will help you determine which areas to address first.