A website redesign without a rebuild for Roxburgh Milkins

When you want to change the look or layout of your website, the thought of paying for a new one can make you put it off. But a change in direction doesn’t always mean starting again.

Two years after our original branding and website redesign for Roxburgh Milkins, the Bristol law firm came back to us with a different preference. They wanted a simpler, one page website, with the information potential clients needed brought together in one place.

Their existing Umbraco website gave us the flexibility to make that happen. By refreshing the block designs and moving the streamlined content into the new layout, we gave the site a fresh look without rebuilding it.

Refreshing the design on the existing Umbraco framework

The useful part was that the framework was already there.

Their Umbraco website was built using content blocks, the sections that come together to make up a page. We could edit how those blocks looked and use them to create the new layout, then migrate the retained content across.

That allowed us to change the way the website looked and presented its information while continuing to use the original Umbraco framework.

The work focused on the design and content, building on the website they had already invested in. It gave Roxburgh Milkins the flexibility to move from a larger site to a streamlined one page design without commissioning a completely new website.

Keeping website redesign costs and disruption down

Reusing the existing framework meant we could focus the project on the changes the team wanted. There was no need to replace the underlying website to achieve the new direction.

For Roxburgh Milkins, that meant avoiding the additional cost and upheaval of a full rebuild. The design could evolve around their current preferences, with the development from the original project continuing to earn its keep.

It’s a practical example of why we think beyond launch day when building a website. Two years on, the firm wanted something different, and their existing site gave us a way to deliver it.

Can you redesign a website without rebuilding it?

As this project shows, it can be possible. It depends on how your existing website was built and what you want to change.

For Roxburgh Milkins, the original Umbraco framework supported the new design and layout. Working with what was already there made sense and gave them the simpler website they wanted.

If you are considering a website refresh, understanding what you can reuse is a useful starting point. A new look, a different layout or a more focused set of content may be achievable within your existing website.