Website modernization is a whole range of activities aimed at the overall improvement of a web resource and expanding its functionality. It precedes the complete redesign of the site and is a necessary step toward the development of any Internet site. In fact, modernization is a kind of redesign. However, there are key differences between these concepts that must be taken into account.
If you have been managing a web resource for a long time and are considering creating a web portal vs website from scratch, we recommend that you first familiarize yourself with the possibilities of modernization and redesign.
Modernization Or Redesign: What Is The Difference And What to Choose
Most often, updating the resource and introducing new functionality occurs through redesign and/or modernization.
The redesign means changing the appearance of the site. The logo, the style of fonts, and the main color scheme are changing. This also includes the expansion of the content part and the addition of new visual effects.
Modernization is a complete update of the technical part of the resource. In the course of work, developers introduce new features, improve performance and user interface. All changes occur in the program code and can affect both the structure of the resource and the databases associated with it.
Before choosing between redesign and modernization, it is necessary to understand whether the project needs processing at this stage of development. In addition, it is necessary to understand what kind of work each of these processes implies.
Factors That Indicate The Need For a Modernization Or Redesign
First of all, you should pay attention to the design of the site. If it looks outdated, consider upgrading. It is important here to keep track of competitors’ resources for new functionality and options, as well as to keep track of user requirements that change periodically.
Other reasons for upgrading include:
- the need to update the corporate identity;
- decrease in conversion and positions in search results;
- business expansion or the emergence of fundamentally new products that require reworking the structure of an existing resource;
- work with an outdated technology stack (updating the software part will increase performance, improve the user interface, and add new options and functionality);
- lack of adaptation for mobile devices;
- work with an outdated management system in which there is no way to manage the content of the content part;
- high costs for the development of the resource and its support.
What Does Modernization Include?
The complexity of upgrading a site depends on its current state, required changes, and available resources. It is important to conduct an analysis and assessment before starting the upgrade to determine the scope of work and the necessary steps for a successful site upgrade. As a rule, the modernization of sites includes the following works:
- Functional expansion. It is necessary to constantly expand the capabilities of the resource and increase the benefits that it can bring to the target audience. To do this, you need to add new tools to the site, integrate it with various services, or get rid of outdated functions that only slow down the resource.
- Design changes or point improvements to the interface. In order to keep the look and feel in line with the changing demands of the market, a redesign is carried out about once every 5 years. It will improve the usability of the site and increase its visual appeal. This type of work is important to carry out regularly. Often it is part of a larger comprehensive modernization.
- Moving to a new CMS or updating it. Not only ease of administration depends on the content management system, but also the main list of site features. To expand the set of tools or provide additional features, it is often necessary to change the “engine” and subsequent improvements, which are also included in the modernization.
- Extension of the site structure. This type of work is often carried out when expanding the range of online stores, improving the convenience of user navigation, or when changing the main tasks performed by a web project.
- Content update. The effectiveness of any promotion channels, as well as the site itself, depends on the content. If the content does not meet users’ requirements or does not fulfill the tasks set: sell, convert, attract attention, share helpful information, and generate interest. Then it needs to be replaced.
- Internal search engine optimization. It is also important to pay attention to the requirements of search engines if you want to increase the amount of search To do this, modernization specialists identify the main flaws that reduce the position of the site and eliminate them.
How Specialists Carry Out The Modernization of The Web Portal And Website
Without a serious comprehensive modernization of the site, it is impossible to promote and develop it. There are two main approaches to the site modernization service:
- You independently create a list of tasks and transfer them to specialists. This allows you to get started quickly and save time. But this option is only suitable if you have complete data on the effectiveness of the resource and know how to positively influence it.
- You turn to specialists to find the main problems on the site, and its points of growth, and carry out its improvements. In this case, analysts independently conduct a comprehensive study of effectiveness, provide you with the results, and together with you begin to form a list of tasks.
- It is important to carry out work in such a way as not to worsen the behavioral factors of the resource and its visibility in search engines. Therefore, it is important that the team that works on a web project includes an analyst, a UX specialist, and a search engine optimizer.
Final Thoughts
Modernization and redesign of a web portal or website allows you to improve user experience, adapt to new requirements and technologies, improve search engine optimization, integrate with other systems, and ensure data security.
This helps to retain visitors, improve performance and achieve more successful results in the digital space. If you want to upgrade your web platform, we recommend Digiteum. The company’s specialists will analyze the performance of your web system and integrate new functions depending on the needs.
