Rebuild or Redevelop Your Drupal Site?

Optimise, Evolve, Transform: A Better Way to Maximise Your Drupal Investment

When faced with the challenges of a problematic website, the instinctive reaction is often to think about a complete rebuild. Frustrations with outdated functionality, poor performance, or a difficult user experience can make starting from scratch seem like the easiest way forward.

A full rebuild can be costly, time-consuming, and disruptive - often overlooking opportunities to refine and enhance the existing site in a more strategic, phased approach.

Whereas redevelopment over time offers several compelling benefits. By taking an iterative approach, many perceived issues can be resolved without the high cost, disruption, and resource demands (for both parties!) of starting from scratch. Typically, there are often a number of 'quick wins' that can transform the Drupal experience for both users and website administrators alike.

Here’s why a gradual, strategic redevelopment over time could be the smarter, lower risk, more commercially viable choice.

Addressing Perceived Issues Without Starting Over

Many website owners believe their site’s problems - such as poor Admin Experience (AX), outdated User Experience (UX), or slow performance - can only be solved by a complete overhaul. In reality, these issues are often rooted in outdated components or configurations that can be incrementally, and sometimes quickly, updated.

AX Improvements

Introducing new AX elements, such as better content management tools or streamlined workflows, can significantly improve efficiency and usability. For example, revisiting the admin UI and implementing AX+ can significantly enhance usability without rebuilding the entire site.

UX Enhancements

By redesigning key pages (or templates) and restructuring navigation gradually, the user experience can be improved without the risks associated with a full rebuild. This approach allows for user feedback and iterative testing, ensuring changes genuinely enhance the experience.

Integrations and Features

New integrations or features - such as advanced analytics, marketing automation, or e-commerce capabilities - can be added incrementally. This phased approach brings benefits forward sooner without disrupting existing functionality or waiting potentially years to reap the benefits.

Retain and Build on Past Investments

One of the most overlooked aspects of a website rebuild is the investment already made in the existing site. Over time, it's likely that significant resources have been spent on custom features, SEO optimisations, and integrations. Starting fresh often leads to:

Rebuilding Custom Functionality

Custom modules and configurations may need to be recreated from scratch, wasting previous investments.

SEO Disruption

A complete rebuild can disrupt established SEO elements, impacting visibility and traffic - sometimes permanently. By iteratively enhancing the site, SEO risks are minimised through gradual migration and optimisation.

Cost Misconceptions

Many clients assume the cost of a rebuild will be the same as the original build, forgetting the cumulative cost of enhancements made over time. Iterative improvement helps distribute costs, avoiding budget shocks.

Reduced Customer Effort and Resource Demand

An iterative rebuild reduces the burden on the customer by breaking down the project into smaller, more manageable phases:

Incremental Changes

Changes are made in smaller work packages, reducing the demand on internal teams for approvals and feedback.

Learning and Adaptation

By implementing changes gradually, there is room for learning and adaptation, allowing adjustments based on real-world feedback.

Reduced Disruption

There is no need for a massive content migration or retraining, as updates are rolled out incrementally. This keeps the site live and functional throughout the process.

Leveraging the Power of Drupal’s Infrastructure

Drupal’s robust infrastructure is designed for scalable and flexible development, making it the perfect platform for an iterative approach:

Fresh Eyes

We've onboarded numerous Drupal websites where the administrative experience (AX) is severely lacking, often due to an approach that doesn't fully leverage Drupal's true capabilities. By rethinking and refining these setups, we've consistently delivered significant improvements - both in usability and in how Drupal's potential is perceived.

Content Types and Taxonomy

Drupal's flexible content types and taxonomy can be updated gradually, allowing for a more organised content structure over time.

Theme and Layout Updates

Upgrading from older versions of Bootstrap (e.g., version 3) to the latest (e.g., version 5/6) can be done incrementally, bringing modern UI/UX enhancements without the need for a complete re-theme.

Custom Module Review

Existing custom modules can be audited and refactored to ensure compatibility and reduce technical debt. This prevents the need to start from scratch while maintaining critical functionality.

Bringing Commercial Benefits Forward

The incremental improvement model allows for immediate and ongoing commercial benefits:

Early ROI

New features and enhancements can be implemented and utilised sooner, delivering value ahead of schedule.

SEO and Performance Gains

Site hygiene improvements, image optimisation, and better SEO practices can be rolled out iteratively, enhancing performance and visibility without major downtime.

Cost Efficiency

By breaking down changes into smaller tasks, budgets are managed more efficiently, reducing the risk of cost overruns and providing clear value for each phase.

Reduced SEO Risks and Improved Performance

A phased approach ensures SEO continuity and improved performance:

Gradual Migration

SEO elements (metadata, redirects, URL structures) are optimised gradually, reducing the risk of ranking drops or re-indexing issues.

Performance Optimisation

Image optimisation, CSS/JS minimisation, and caching improvements can be deployed incrementally, enhancing site speed without a complete rebuild. These aspects are often relatively easy to implement.

Pantheon Hosting Benefits

Hosting the site on Pantheon allows for multiple development environments, enabling safe testing and gradual deployment of performance enhancements.

Flexibility and Scalability

By choosing an iterative rebuild strategy, you retain control and flexibility over your digital strategy:

Adaptation to Changing Needs

As your organisation grows or focus change, new requirements can be easily incorporated into the ongoing development cycles.

Continuous Improvement

The site evolves over time, allowing for continuous optimisation and modernisation without the need for disruptive overhauls.

Future-Proofing

Adopting an iterative approach future-proofs the site by enabling compatibility with emerging technologies and design trends.

Conclusion: Iterative Rebuilds – A Smarter Choice

A complete website rebuild may seem like the only way to address existing issues, but it often comes with higher costs, greater risks, and increased resource demands. In contrast, rebuilding a Drupal site over time offers flexibility, cost efficiency, reduced risks, and immediate commercial benefits.

By leveraging Drupal’s powerful infrastructure and embracing an iterative improvement strategy, you ensure continuous enhancement, better user experiences, and future scalability - all while safeguarding previous investments and minimising disruptions.