When is it time to redevelop your website?

Any business owner, this one included, cringes at having to spend money on something they already spent money on before. Whether it's replacing a computer, or paying to re-print a business card that you later found out had a spelling mistake, paying again to get something that you already have can be concerning at best. While redeveloping your website does not necessary fall into the same category as a broken computer or reprinting a un-proofed business card, it definitely does fall into the category of something that you as a business owner will likely pay more than once to do.

Perhaps I should have prefaced the last paragraph with a disclaimer that I am not talking about websites that are ancient. In the web-world, ancient is more than 5 years old. Yes, I arbitrarily chose that number as I was typing it out, but it's a pretty good rule of thumb. If your website was developed more than 5 years ago without any major design changes, chances are the design is antiquated, content is out of date, and it probably fails any accessibility test miserably. So, if your business' website is more than 5 years old, it's time to redevelop it.

Now the real question is, what if your website was developed just a year or two ago, is it time to redevelop? The good news is, probably not. If your website was professionally developed by a web-development company who is reputable and followed web-standards, chances are you should be fine. Granted, your website content might need some updating and some pictures could use changing or freshening up, but it's very unlikely that you need a total redevelopment. Even if you wanted to have your web-developer do a redesign of the site's look and feel, it shouldn't be as much work or cost as the original web-development assuming the structure and content is the same.

Trying to work with a poorly developed, or even an ancient website is likely going to cost you as much as a completely redeveloped website. I often cringe (and say a few choice words) when I have to work with a poorly coded website that was handed off to us by another developer. Weeding through the garbage code and trying to make it work, and heaven forbid look half-decent, can be a real challenge to say the least. Often, when you factor in all the time spent trying to correct all the mistakes, it's easier and more cost effective to just start with a new design.

I realize the examples I have given are pretty cut and dry. I don't think anyone with an ancient website is going to be surprised to know they need a new one. In contrast the company that just had their website professionally developed 14 months ago is not expecting to have to redevelop it. Where judgment comes into play are those who fall somewhere in between. Working with a good (and honest doesn't hurt) web-developer can really help you determine what exactly is needed for your website. Whether it's just a freshening up, or a complete redevelopment, establishing a good relationship with a professional web-developer is key in making successful decisions about your website.