Do You Need a New Website or Better Content?

You open your website and think, “This isn't really us anymore.”

The obvious answer is a redesign. New colours, new layouts, perhaps a different platform while you're at it.

But what if the thing making it feel wrong is the content?

You could spend time and money rebuilding the website, put the same vague service descriptions back in and end up with a better-looking version of the same problem.

Before deciding, I'd try to name what isn't working.

Read the words without looking at the design

Copy the main text into a plain document. Take away the images and the font choices for a minute.

Does it explain what the business does now? Does it sound like something you'd actually say to a potential customer?

Businesses change gradually. A service becomes more important. You start working with a different kind of client. The website carries on describing the business as it was when someone last had time to update it.

No amount of extra spacing will fix an offer that is out of date.

If the words no longer fit, start there. You may discover that the existing layout works quite well once it has something useful in it.

Look at what your work is doing for you

Your projects may have improved since the website was built. Are the best ones actually on it?

An old portfolio can make a capable business look less experienced than it is. Sometimes the most valuable update is replacing a few tired examples and explaining the newer work properly.

The same applies to photography. If the website shows a team, premises or product range that no longer exists, visitors are getting the wrong impression before they read a word.

These are content problems, even though they have a strong visual effect.

Then check whether the website gets in the way

Better content has limits.

If your mobile menu is difficult to use, rewriting the homepage won't fix it. If adding a new service means asking someone to alter code every time, the underlying setup may need work.

You might also have outgrown the structure. A business with one main offer can work well on a simple site. The same structure may struggle once there are several audiences with different needs.

Try describing the problem as a task: “People can't find the right service” or “I can't publish the projects I want to show.” That's more useful than “It feels old”. It gives us something specific to solve.

There is a middle option

You don't always have to choose between changing a few words and rebuilding everything.

The answer might be a revised homepage and better service pages, while keeping the parts that already work. Or an improvement to the editor so you can maintain the site more easily.

That depends on the condition of the existing build. A targeted change is useful when the foundation can support it. If every adjustment causes another problem, continuing to patch it may not be a sensible use of the budget.

I'd want to look before recommending either route.

Start with one important page

If you're unsure, choose a page that matters to the business and ask what a visitor needs from it.

Rewrite the opening so the offer is clear. Add a relevant example of your work. Answer the question people usually ask before contacting you.

Then see what the layout can accommodate.

This won't settle every technical question, but it can show whether you're dealing mainly with tired content or a website that no longer supports the job.

A redesign is worth doing when there is a good reason for it. “We haven't changed it for a while” doesn't tell us enough on its own.