At some point or another, most business owners review their data, assess whether things need to be done differently, and realize that fewer inquiries are coming in, that their brand seems somewhat old-fashioned, and that the competition is simply everywhere. But the problem is figuring out where to invest first. Deciding between a website redesign or marketing refresh can feel very random and unscientific. But it does not have to be that way.

What determines the correct order is where your customers drop off. Get this correct and every dollar counts. Get this wrong and you could end up paying to send even more people to a site that quietly sends them packing.

Why the Order Matters

Marketing and websites serve two fundamentally different purposes. Marketing attracts people to your door and websites convince them to come inside. Thus, if one of those roles is being performed poorly, investing dollars in the other role will not solve the problem.

Consider an example. Imagine a company that doubles its ad spend while its website takes forever to load on smartphones and has a hidden contact form. Many more people come to the site, but most leave immediately, and the cost per lead increases. Now consider the opposite scenario: a brand-new website that very few people visit because the company has stopped publishing, sending emails and advertising. Both companies invested money, and neither saw results.

This is why the first thing to do isn't choosing a project. The first thing you must do is identify the weak link.

Signs Your Website Should Come First

There are times when the reason behind your poor performance is obvious. If you recognize any of these issues, a redesign should likely be at the front of the line.

• Fewer people than expected submit an inquiry, request a consultation, purchase your product/service, etc., after visiting your site.
• Your site appears to be significantly less modern compared to your competitors' sites.
• Your site is slow or difficult to use on a smartphone.
• You are unable to update it yourself.
• Your pricing model(s), products/services offered, or overall brand identity have changed, but your site is now outdated relative to these changes.

A redesign does not necessarily mean creating a new site or changing the platform you currently use. Many smaller businesses already utilize Wix as their website platform and love how simple it is to maintain daily. Working with a Wix web designer may provide you with a fresh design, increased clarity around what actions you want users to perform (i.e., calls to action), and an improved mobile user experience – all without having to incur the expense associated with migrating platforms. The ultimate objective here is a site that transforms the visitors you already get into customers.

Focus on the sections of the site that are used most frequently by your target market (e.g., homepage, service pages, contact page). Often small adjustments to these areas of the site result in larger gains than a total makeover.

Signs Your Marketing Should Come First

However, there are times when the issue lies with your marketing efforts. Your website may be performing its intended function perfectly, but too few of the right individuals are aware of it.

• The site effectively converts visitors into leads/customers/bookings/etc., but traffic is extremely low or declining.
• Your social media accounts/email newsletters have been inactive for several months.
• Your messaging no longer aligns with the profile/needs/pain points of your target customer.
• Ad spend exists, yet none of your team members have evaluated the targeting/advertising strategy or effectiveness in quite some time.
• You appear for searches related to your business name but not for the specific terms/services searched by your customers.

These are examples of scenarios where refreshing your marketing may mean developing tighter messaging, improving your content calendar, increasing your search engine rankings, or placing targeted advertisements in front of the appropriate audience. If your existing website is converting visitors into leads, adding more ideal visitors represents the quickest path to growth.

How to Decide: A Simple Audit

To determine which direction to go, you do not require high-cost resources. All you need to do is ask three questions:

1. How many people visit my website each month? And am I seeing an increase/decrease in that number over time?
2. Of those visitors, what percentage take action (call/request a quote/purchase/form submission)?
3. Where do my top customers report they discovered me?

If traffic to your website is strong, but action rates are weak, then your website is the weak link. Conversely, if action rates are strong and traffic is weak, then your marketing needs to come first. And if both metrics are weak, begin with your website, since there is little sense in paying to send more people to a website that will not convert them.

It also helps to evaluate your website through the eyes of a stranger. Ask a friend who does not know anything about your business to find your prices, book a call and work out what makes you different, all using their smartphone. Observe where they hesitate. These moments of uncertainty are typically where you lose potential customers.

When the Answer Is Both

Many times both sides of your business need work simultaneously, especially if your business has experienced rapid growth or has not reviewed its presence in years. The key is to phase the work rather than attempt to complete everything at once.

Begin with the sections of your website that impact conversions most, and build your marketing on top as each segment improves. This approach helps you control costs and allows you to track what each change contributes. Additionally, this approach prevents you from launching a large campaign while half of your site remains unfinished.

Here is a possible progression of events. Within the first month, develop a clean and clear format for the homepage, service pages and contact form so visitors can quickly identify what you offer and how they can reach you. In Month 2, after completing that portion of development, restart your email newsletter and refresh all of your social profiles so they reflect the changes made on the new version of your site. From Month 3 onwards, develop search and paid campaigns, recognizing that each person they attract will arrive at pages designed specifically to turn them into leads. At every juncture along this journey you will have solid metrics with which to evaluate progress.

Getting the Right Help

After determining which area of your business requires immediate support, determine who will assist with those tasks. Some owners elect to perform minor updates themselves, while others prefer professionals for each individual task. If your primary focus is on marketing, compare what various digital marketing agency services include (SEO, paid advertising, social media, email, reporting, etc.). Ask how they will measure success and how often you can expect to see results.

Be cautious of any expert who advises a total redesign of your website and a complete overhaul of your marketing program without reviewing your statistics. Any credible professional will want to identify where your customers drop off before advising solutions.

Prior to speaking with any expert, collect a few basic pieces of information: monthly visitors to your website, the number of inquiries/sales generated by those visitors, your current marketing spend and your estimated spend over the next 6 months. With these numbers readily available, discussions with experts will be quicker and quotations will be more precise. This process will also enable you to compare multiple proposals side-by-side based on identical objectives.

Bringing It Together

A website redesign or marketing refresh is not truly an either/or situation. Rather, it is a question of order. Addressing the weakest link first, measuring the resulting outcome, and then proceeding with additional enhancements will yield the best outcomes.

Assess your monthly traffic, conversion rate and customer discovery methods. These three answers will generally indicate where you should direct future investments and help you get the best return on your budget.