Should you update your website, or start from scratch?

Do you feel like it's time for that redesign, but you are not sure if you should start from scratch, or should you just refresh the design? What are the rules when it comes to deciding when to update your website?

Let's all agree that websites need to be updated regularly to stand a chance of a decent organic ranking and to be indexed by search engines. But is it enough to do an update, or do you need to rebuild it again from scratch?

Refreshing your website:

1. Your website does not reflect your brand
   
   Having a website might end up being good for your SEO and organic search results, but it will fall short if it doesn't reflect your brand's personality. Most website visitors are your potential customers, so it's important to communicate who you are and what your website is about clearly and efficiently.
   
   
2. It's Difficult to Navigate
   
   When users visit your website for the first time, they should be able to find specific content easily. If it's complicated or confusing to navigate, visitors won't stay long, nor will they engage with your business. To keep your visitors attention, it's essential to provide them with a good user experience.
   
   
3. Your website is not mobile-friendly
   
   If you are satisfied with your overall performance of your website, but you would like it to be compatible with mobile devices, you can update your website with a responsive design. Responsive design will provide your website with the dynamic layout that automatically adapts to the device on which it's viewed.

Start a new website from scratch:

1. Your customers complain your website is slow
   
   In some cases, website speed can be fixed by compressing your images, but in our experience, sites with poor loading speed suggest we have quite some work to do. If the business strategy is SEO and organic ranking, we advise our clients to consider building a new website from scratch.
   
   
2. Too much technical troubleshooting
   
   If your team spends more time fixing technical aspects of your site than they do to improving it, then it's time to start evaluating your options. As your business grows, your platform needs to be scalable. If scalability wasn't taken into consideration in the first place, looking into building a new website is probably the best thing to do.
   
   
3. Small changes are difficult or impossible to make
   
   You shouldn't have to hire a programmer to make simple changes and fixes to your website. Your team should be able to learn how your content management system works (CMS) and how to make those minor changes on your website.
   

If you would like a free consultation with one of our team members, we would be more than happy to give you our honest opinion of what is best for your business. Contact us to talk through the creative processes of any of our services.