How Often Should You Change Your Website and Why?
Website first impressions last. If your visitor hates your design and/or the experience, they’ll never return. Consider your cadence to make any type of website changes forever (as long as you are in business)
3 levels of change:
Website Refresh
Website Refresh – think of this as a new wardrobe makeover for your website
Design
- Brand consistency and all pages and landing pages
- User-friendly, don’t go overboard with modernity
Content
- Out with the old, in with the new
- Repurpose and expand e.g. make videos out of your infographics
- Stay relevant as far as what your ICP consumes.
Responsiveness updates
- new “refresh” design and UI must pass the browser accessibility test on all different screen sizes
SEO update
Integration optimization
Browser compatibility check-in
Cost Level: $
Frequency: Monthly or quarterly
Website Redesign
Website Redesign – This is typically a time when marketing invests in a design agency to rebrand or update the brand. This is when you bring more fire into the design.
- New brand and style guidelines e.g. colors, logo usage, graphics, fonts and user interface
Everything includes in a “Refresh”, but will require more planning and cycles since a redesign is a major change.
At this level, you should think of an A/B testing strategy. Landing pages and block designs are an easy way to incorporate design variations.
Cost Level: $$ – $$$$
Frequency: Once a year – every two years website trends change more frequently
Website Redevelopment
Website Redevelopment
Time for a technology upgrade
- CMS lift and shift. Scalability and security are the two main motivations
- All requirements in a website redesign, but user experience and conversion optimization becomes a key goal
- Security enhancements protect the website from potential vulnerabilities
- Third-party technology integrations
Cost Level: $$$ – $$$$$
Frequency: Every 2 – 3 years
