Website Refresh vs. Website Redesign – Which One Works Better?

The design of any business-promoting website defines how a company works and what it does, through illustrations and sets of content. Why is web design so important? Because there’s no difference between customers entering your shop and visitors visiting your site. All you need to think of is how redesigning your website will increase conversions. You need to combine aesthetics and user-friendly interface without complicating things.

 

As easy as it sounds, most web designers tend to make their works of art as great as possible, so it’s not an easy task to create a ‘symbiosis’ of beauty and functionality.

 

If you need to freshen up the looks of your website, would you rather choose full redesign or just ‘repaint the walls’? Which one is actually better? You won’t get the answer from me, but rather decide on your own by reading this article in entirety.

 

Let’s define things first.

Website Refresh

Keep everything as it is, but change the appearance and perhaps re-structure the existing visuals around the site. That’s what a website refresh is all about. Do you think changing the color of your e-commerce will attract more visitors and increase sales? Some say it’s possible, others disagree.

Choosing the color of your website is apparently important, especially when it comes to the colors blue, red and black. In a recent study, these three attracted the most customers because they seem the most appealing to the human eye. Perhaps it would be wise to tell your web designer to combine two or more of these colors while changing its looks.

 

Website Redesign

On the other hand, if you’re feeling dissatisfied with the current look of your website, there’s always a ‘delete, start over’ option. On average, many companies practice this trend every 2-3 years to show their customers they keep track with the latest technology. Some consider this to be a waste of money, while others think it’s great for marketing. Either way, new ideas are born.

Working on some of its back-end features can also turn into website redevelopment, since functions and codes are being changed in the background. There’s a thin line between these two, so it’s wise to make a distinction by labeling ‘redesign’ as a “soft” version of ‘redevelopment’.

Which one is better?

To begin with, refresh can be done in stages, while a complete redesign may take weeks, months even, to complete. Refresh will most likely not affect the site’s functionality. On the other hand, redesigning the whole thing will most likely involve background coding. Lastly, it’s important not to touch the design if your site attracts and makes visitors click on its pages, i.e. decreases the bounce rate. In this case, a clean refresh would be the perfect idea. And if they just keep abandoning your site upon looking at the homepage, it’s time to get serious and start from scratch.

 

Made up your mind yet? At Digital Orange, we tend to keep track of the bounce rate and popularity of your website, upon request. Based on accurate statistics, we recommend the adequate option. However, we hear what our clients need and offer free advice before we continue. If you’re interested in refreshing the looks of your site or feel visitors quickly ‘slip away’ from the homepage, send us an email at do@digital-orange.com for free consultation and a quote.