It is important to keep your web site on par with the needs of your visitors. As your business evolves or market trends shift or user needs change, you must adjust your website accordingly.

How do you determine how much of an adjustment to make? Should you re- design or simply re-align? In many cases, it is better to refresh what is already there and leave the Extreme Makeovers to reality television.

What is the difference?

A re-design is more concerned with the "look" of the site: colors, fonts, graphics, etc.

A re-align is more about content, purpose and usability, often with just a touch of re-design to freshen the look.

Of course, sometimes it is necessary to recreate instead of refresh. Some situations warrant a complete re-design, for example, adapting to a new identity or "brand" or if the design is the cause of your problems (confusing navigation or painfully slow load time). But keep in mind that a re-design will not bring new traffic to your site if you repeat old mistakes.

Here are some questions to consider when considering changes to your site:

• What are you trying to accomplish? What are your reasons or goals? "Look and feel" considerations like a font choice and color scheme should not be discussed before addressing these issues.
• What level of change is necessary? Answering the first question will help to answer this question. If you already have a solid design, a few minor changes in the "look" and updated content may be all you need.
• How will this affect the users of the site? How painful or painless will it be for them to adjust to the changes? Are most of them new or repeat visitors?
• How will the re-design/re-align be done? Can changes be phased in or is it necessary to do it all at once? What are your budgets considerations?