What’s the Difference Between Refreshing, Redesigning and Rebuilding a Website?

It’s essential in this day and age to regularly review your business’s website.

After all, the internet moves fast – what was a great design 5 years ago could now be outdated and as users change the way they browse, they may no longer be getting an attractive or user-friendly experience from your website.

If you are considering changing or updating your website, there are 3 main options available to you; a refresh, redesign or rebuild.

Let’s take a brief look at each option and which one may be the best fit for your website.

A website refresh is a bit like redecorating your house in the sense that you are not knocking down walls but simply giving the rooms a fresh coat of paint. When thinking of your website, you may decide to change some background colours and fonts in the header or perhaps replace older images, all to give your website a visual boost.

There are many reasons you may choose to refresh your website. Your business may have a new logo or colour scheme (but not a complete rebrand) or you simply may not have the budget to redesign or rebuild. If your website CMS (the software used to create and manage a web site e.g. WordPress, Wix) and original design has been done correctly, then a refresh could be a cost effective way to give your website’s visitors a new experience.

A website redesign usually involves a redesign of the entire look and feel of the site, whilst generally retaining the underlying CMS. While a website refresh only changes some key visual elements, a redesign will change the whole look of the web site.

Again, there are lots of reasons why you may consider a website redesign. It could be that your website is looking dated, the layout of the pages is ineffective and does not attract visitors, or your product pages are not converting enquiries into sales. Another good reason is that your company may have had a rebrand which needs to be reflected on your website.

A website rebuild involves creating a completely new website from scratch. You might reuse some elements from your old site, importing things such as product data and images, or blog posts for example, but the rebuild essentially involves creating a brand new design, website structure, and using a new or updated underlying CMS.

If your website is not responsive or optimised for mobile users then a redesign may well be necessary. Additionally, if the CMS is outdated and no longer being supported, your site may be more vulnerable to hacking attempts or may not have the capability to make the most of current web technologies. A redesign would also be needed in this case.

Of course, a website rebuild is usually more time-consuming and costly than a website refresh or website redesign, but sometimes it may be the best, if not the only, solution for your business and circumstances. 

If you are thinking of updating your website, whether it is a refresh, redesign or rebuild, we can help. We have completed all types of projects for our clients and can also provide regular updates and maintenance for websites.

Contact us today on 0161 241 9050 / info@aspectit.co.uk for further information or see our web design case studies for a feel of what we have done and can do for you.