Publishing

Crafting is the thorough modification of an existing Web site to make it more responsive to new goals, technical requirements or user expectations. It goes beyond minor changes: you often keep the basics but revamp design, structure, content or functionality. For SMBs, entertaining means making a site that is technically or visually behind relevant again without starting from scratch.

How entertaining works in practice

When entertaining a website, first take stock of what works well and what doesn't. Think outdated navigation, slow load times or content that no longer fits your current services. Then you choose which components to keep and which to replace. Often the content structure remains largely intact but pages get a new design, better accessibility or a responsive layout. For ecommerce stores, entertaining may mean simplifying the payment process or optimizing product pages for conversion. The difference with a completely new site: you build on existing URL structure, content and sometimes even code, saving time and costs.

Why websites become entertaining over time

Websites are aging faster than many business owners think. What was modern five years ago now feels slow or cluttered. Technical developments such as mobile usage, Core Web Vitals from Google and stricter privacy laws such as the AVG require adjustments. Companies themselves are also changing: new services, different audiences or a revamped brand identity no longer fit the old mold. Vermaken then offers a middle ground between muddling through with an outdated site and the investment of a completely new platform. In practice, we see SMBs thoroughly revamping their websites every three to five years to stay relevant.

What entertainment brings to your business

Een goed vermaakt website verbetert direct de gebruikerservaring: bezoekers vinden sneller wat ze zoeken, pagina's laden vlotter en de site werkt foutloos op mobiel. Dat leidt tot meer conversies, of dat nu contactaanvragen, offertes of aankopen zijn. Ook voor zoekmachine-optimalisatie maakt vermaken verschil: een snellere, beter gestructureerde site met heldere content scoort beter in Google. Technisch gezien vermindert vermaken vaak onderhoudskosten, omdat je verouderde plugins of frameworks vervangt door moderne alternatieven. Bij webdesign-trajecten koppelen we vermaken aan concrete bedrijfsdoelen zoals hogere omzet, betere vindbaarheid of efficiëntere klantenservice.

Entertaining occurs in different situations. Sometimes it is necessary for technical reasons, sometimes to seize commercial opportunities. Below are four concrete applications that we regularly encounter with Dutch SMEs, plus a framework of when entertaining is or is not the right choice.

Entertainment for mobile users and speed

Een veelvoorkomende reden om een site te vermaken is dat deze niet goed werkt op mobiel of traag laadt. Veel websites uit 2018 of eerder zijn gebouwd voor desktop en voelen op een smartphone krap of onhandig aan. Door het ontwerp te vermaken naar een mobile-first opzet verbeter je de ervaring voor de meerderheid van je bezoekers. Tegelijk optimaliseer je afbeeldingen, verwijder je onnodige scripts en schakel je over op een snellere hostingomgeving. Het resultaat: kortere laadtijden, betere scores in Core Web Vitals en minder bounces. Voor een webshop met 800 producten kan dit direct merkbaar zijn in conversie, omdat klanten niet afhaken tijdens het browsen.

Entertain after rebranding or new services

When your company chooses a new direction, the old website often no longer fits. Think of a graphics agency adding AI automation to its offerings, or a wholesaler launching a B2C ecommerce store. In such cases, you entertain the site so that design, tone of voice and content match the updated brand identity. You keep existing content that is still valuable, but rewrite landing pages, adjust color usage and typography, and add new sections. This is cheaper and faster than a completely new site because the technical base and URL structure remain. However, it does require a clear content strategy so that old and new elements blend seamlessly.

Entertain to comply with laws and regulations

Privacy legislation such as the AVG and accessibility requirements such as the European Accessibility Act sometimes force companies to adapt. A site that collects personal data without clear consent or does not work with a screen reader is at risk. By entertaining the site, you add cookie banners that meet the requirements of the Personal Data Authority, improve color contrasts and make sure forms are accessible. This type of entertaining is less visible to visitors but legally protects your business and expands your reach to people with disabilities. Government contractors and organizations with a public function especially benefit.

Entertain to leverage SEO opportunities

A website developed years ago often lacks modern SEO elements: structured data, internal link structure, fast server response or optimized content. By entertaining the site, you can make these technical and content improvements without losing existing rankings. You retain URLs that have already built authority, add schema markup for rich search results and rewrite pages around relevant keywords. At a B2B service provider with 40 employees, we saw a 60% increase in organic traffic within six months after entertaining, simply by combining better on-page optimization and faster load times with existing content.

When entertaining is the right choice and when it is not

Crafting pays off when the foundation of your site is still technically solid but the execution lags behind. Think of a managed WordPress site on good hosting, with working functionality but outdated design. It doesn't pay off when your platform is fundamentally broken, full of security vulnerabilities or built on a framework that is no longer supported. In that case, a completely new site is often safer and cheaper in the long run. Even if your business model changes completely, for example, from service to SaaS platform, entertaining is usually too limited. Choose entertaining if you can keep 60 to 80% of the existing structure and want to make targeted improvements to the rest.