Website Refresh vs. Redesign

Your website is the modern storefront of your business. It is important to keep it up to date because both technology and the way people interact with the internet is evolving. Eventually, a full rebuild will be necessary. In the meantime, website refreshes are a best practice that successful businesses employ with regularity.

Website Refresh

Refreshing your website is the best option when you are looking for small cosmetic changes that won’t impact the functionality nor overall structure of the website. For instance, perhaps you’ve updated your logo and branding. If so, it is crucial to integrate the changes into your website as well. This could be accomplished through a website refresh.  Website refreshes can involve many changes, such as refreshing every page in various ways, or just making small changes to one individual page. You should look for opportunities to refresh your website at least annually.

Website Redesign

A website redesign is the equivalent of tearing down a house and rebuilding it from the ground up. This may be necessary if your website is old, if prospects are not finding the info they need, or if you’ve significantly changed your business model. Furthermore, technological updates may leave you at a disadvantage that plugins and a simple refresh cannot hide forever. Maintaining mobile optimization and overall responsiveness on your website is another factor to monitor as time goes by and technology grows. If your website is more than five years old, it may be time to consider a redesign.

A Numbers Game

One of the most difficult parts about knowing when a website refresh or redesign is needed, is that most business owners aren’t web designers. You likely don’t keep up with the latest trends of online consumer preferences and might not know the best course of action to take. You also might not think it matters in circumstances where, to the untrained eye, one option looks similar to another. But keep in mind website conversions are a numbers game. For example, if you have 5,000 monthly visitors on average, 10% of whom click on a call-to-action and 25% of those whom convert, you are looking at 125 conversions per month. What would happen if we changed a call to action that resulted in a 12% click-through rate (versus the previous 10%)? If the other numbers remained consistent, you’d end up with 150 conversions, which is a full 20% increase in business! You may not have the acumen to differentiate between a decision that garners a 12% click-through rate from one that garners a 10% click-through rate, but a professional can help. The same concept applies to design elements, visuals, menu layout, content, and a plethora of other factors.

The CINIVA Approach

At Ciniva, we can help you whether you are in need of a website refresh or redesign (or if you are not sure). Each member of our website team has more than 15 years of professional experience making high-quality, high-performing websites that thrill our clients. We are meticulous in each detail and work diligently to build a site that is beautiful, fully functional, adaptable, and easy to update. We will address everything you want, while also proactively implementing best practices and bringing other optimization opportunities to your attention. At Ciniva, we focus on website visibility, the ideal user experience, and generating conversions. In instances where testing is appropriate to compare options, we set up A/B tests in order to continually improve your site over time.

Whether you choose to update your own website internally, or employ a state-of-the-art web design agency such as Ciniva, someone needs to consistently monitor and address your website needs to avoid your business getting left behind. To do so successfully, you will need an expert level designer, an expert developer, and a UX (user experience) trends expert. Call us for a free, no obligation consultation today to determine the best fit for your unique situation.