Low-Cost, High-Impact Updates for Your Brand and Website
Maybe you’re not ready for a full rebrand, so how can you make intentional, move-the-needle changes so you can see more bookings, sales, and income? I break it down with these low-cost, big impact brand and website refresh ideas.
Before we dive in, have we met?
I’m RuthAnn, the brand + Squarespace website designer behind the women-centered design business, R Artspace.
I’ve been serving women since 2016 with sophisticated branding and website design and LOVE seeing women step into their next level of business growth with a brand and website that’s set up for their expansion.
On the personal side, I’m a wife, mama to 3 littles and when I’m not working you can find me reading through homeschool curriculum, saving home decorating ideas on Pinterest, or chasing my little ones around the house.
Good to meet you!
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Hello, hello, welcome back to the show. Thank you so much for being here. I am excited to be talking today about low cost, high impact updates for your brand and website, because this is like the time of year when people are thinking about refreshing their brand, their website, they're thinking about maybe getting new photos.
It is September as I'm recording this, the end of September in 2025. And normally this time of year is just you are looking forward to what's next, the fall promotions, you're looking forward to the new year, and there's just a lot going on in your business. And I think this is the perfect time to be talking about how we can update your brand website with some low cost ideas that can really make a huge impact. Because maybe you're not ready for a full rebrand. So how can you make these intentional, move the needle changes so you can see more bookings, sales, and income?
So I'm excited to dive into this topic and just share some ideas with you and share some ideas with you.
This episode is for you if you've been thinking, I do want a website refresh or a redesign for my visual brand, but I need some cost effective ways to go about it. This episode is also for you if you're weighing the options for a little website redesign or a full rebrand. And I am going to link to the episode where I talk about the difference between a refresh and a rebrand in the show notes. And finally, this episode is going to give you some creative ideas. And finally, this episode is going to give you some creative ideas that maybe you hadn't thought of that can help boost your visibility and marketing. So I hope you enjoy today's show.
But before I get into the content of the episode, I wanted to give you a personal update. If you've been following along with me, saw that I shared on Instagram last week that we are in the process of moving. So we are under contract, we are actually, so I'm recording this on a Monday and we are actually closing on our house on Thursday. So it's just a few days away now, which is crazy to think. Our house is full of packed boxes. There's so many things that are still not packed, but I'm honestly feeling pretty good about everything. I feel like I have a good handle on what I need to do next. Thankfully I have my mom watching our kids these next few days as we're getting ready for moving day. And yeah, it's just, it's really exciting. So we are staying in the Kansas City area. We are just moving to a adjacent city. So it's only 15 minutes from our current place, but it's in a really nice location and I'm really, really excited about it.
We've been kind of low key looking for a house for a long time. So it's so nice to finally find our forever home. we're not those type, know, Fuad and I are not the type of people to move very often. I know some friends who like move every few years and that's just not us. We have been in this house for almost 10 years, which is crazy.
When we first got married, we lived in a little duplex for a year and then we got this house. So we've been here for a while and there's just so many emotions that come with moving. It's funny, you don't think about it, but that's kind of what I'm facing right now. It's just like, wow, this house has just meant so much to us and we have loved this home and it's served us so well, but we are excited to move on to have a little bit more space for the kids.
We're just, we're really excited for this next chapter, this new adventure. And yeah, so that's what's been going on over here. And it's been a lot. It's been a lot, but it's been, it's been good. It's been really nice to feel peaceful about everything. Like it doesn't, I honestly don't feel too stressed about it. So that's nice. Cause I feel like my natural tendency is to stress about things. So it's nice that I'm not feeling that way, but we'll see. Maybe I'll get there in a few days, but it's, it's been good. It's going to be a great move and everything's going to go smoothly. I'm just praying that it works out that way. that is a little update for us and what's been going on over here.
So let's dive into the episode. So first off, why is it important that we update our brand and our website? Like, what is the goal here that we're trying to do?
And I think it's important to really always go back to like, are we doing this? Like, what is the point? And I think it's always important to go back to why, why are you making changes? What changes are you wanting to see? Kind of asking those key questions before you go into making a lot of changes, because if things are, everything is like working and maybe you want to see like more engagement, maybe you want to see like a faster close rate. Like there's some things you can tweak and change to kind of make that happen. But if you're really like not seeing the results that you want, you're not attracting aligned clients. Maybe you get inquiries and they're not the type of clients you want to work with.
There's so many things that can go into making a decision if you want to do a rebrand or a refresh. so I think it's important to see where am I at? Do I like the amount of inquiries I'm getting? Do I like how many clients I have right now? Do I want to see more inquiries, more clients? Do I like the type of people who are attracted to my brand, who are signing up for my newsletter? It's important to kind of see where you're at and take stock and see if you're on the right trajectory and if you just want to polish things up to get even more close rates, that kind of thing. Or if you feel like things are not working and maybe you do need to make some pivotal changes.
So I mentioned this a second ago, but there is a difference between a refresh and a rebrand. In my mind. the way I look at it is, and I am going to link to the episode sharing about this if you want to go more in depth with it, but a refresh is like if you want to just make some small tweaks and changes, maybe it's your homepage design on your website. Maybe you just want to make it like cleaner. You want to point attention to certain things and like move some things around. Kind of like that is like a refresh. It's like moving some things, shifting some things, making some small intentional changes.
A rebrand on the other hand is kind of really looking at everything as a whole and making some massive changes. So you're doing like a full website redesign. You're touching every single page. You're looking at every single design. You're maybe changing your color palette. You are changing your logo. These are like pivotal key things in your brand and you're making a lot of really big shifts. And so that's the difference between a refresh and a rebrand.
And I also like to think about it, well, maybe I have the house on my mind, but like when you are wanting to update a room and a house, like a refresh is like putting a new coat of paint on and a rebrand is maybe changing some foundational things about the room. Like you're moving a wall out of the way, you're adding a doorway, you're really changing the structure. And that's kind of what I think the difference is between a refresh and a rebrand. In today's episode, we are talking about refresh ideas. So we're not going through the whole rebrand process in this episode, but we are going to be talking about how you can make those intentional small shifts that can really make a really big, but we are talking about those intentional small shifts that make a really big impact on your marketing visibility and attracting aligned clients.
So as you know, I am a woman-centered design business.
I love supporting women and helping them feel more confident so they can step into that CEO role with even more conviction, intention, and a visual representation that's on par with the level of service they provide. But I have seen so many women in business feel like their brand and their website is like a headache to them. It's like a pain to them. It's not working for them. It's really like a source of frustration, maybe a source of like, I wish I could get to that, but I really don't have time. It's just one of those things that they have on their to do list for a long time. And you do not have time for that. As a busy woman, as an ambitious woman, you do not have time for telling a podcast host, my website is under construction. So head to this freebie landing page. Or telling a potential client, like, I'll send you a PDF of my services because my website is like, my services page is messed up. We do not have time for that. And I want you to feel so confident that your website is working for you. That is the point of today's episode is that you feel and know that your website is your best employee, that it's working for you 24 seven.
And you can trust it that it's going to do the job for you to lead ideal clients through the process of getting to know you and taking them to an action, whether that's joining your newsletter list, inquiring or connecting with you on social media.
So I want to say if you feel like your brand and website might be a pain or a headache, you're not alone. So many women do feel this way, but I am on a mission to help you feel so confident, so inspired, and so excited to share your work that you just can't help yourself but market yourself and get more visible.
Okay, so let's get into the several ways that you can make a really big impact with minimal effort and not very expensive changes so you can continue to grow and continue to reach aligned clients, make more sales, get more inquiries. And these ideas are, like I said, low cost and high impact with minimal effort. So let's jump into it.
No. 1 Limit your color palette
And you might be thinking, why would I limit my color palette? Wouldn't I add more colors? Because maybe you had your business for a few years and when you first started you have like six colors or something. And then maybe you're thinking if I'm doing a refresh I want to add a few more colors, like maybe these three other colors. And so now you have like, you know, eight or nine colors you're working with and it can get a little confusing. It can kind of muddy the water.
Paring down your colors is actually more effective and it helps you also with your mental clarity feeling not as overwhelmed. You know exactly which colors you're using for things and it can help bring clarity and it can help streamline your brand. And I've seen this happen for myself. I've seen this happen for myself and for my clients.
It cuts down on time you have to create marketing items. You spend less time in Canva because you know exactly which colors you're using. And it streamlines your brand's visual by making it more memorable and distinct. Because if you're using so many different colors all the time and there's not like an identifying color that you're really like grounding on, can feel like, it can kind of erode trust a little bit.
You want to be consistent in your tone and in your visual representation. You don't want to be like all over the place because if you are, it can kind of make people feel like, is she still doing this? Like, this doesn't seem like the same person. Is this the same? You know, people can question a little bit. So you really do want to have that consistency and that cohesiveness across the board. And sometimes using less can be more impactful.
And there's that quote by Coco Chanel that says, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” And that’s the thought behind this. Elegant design looks more cohesive and high end when it’s free of clutter.
And this can be really, really challenging for people. I think using color is one of the hardest things for people to do. And for designers, it can be challenging for us too, but especially if you are not a designer. Like using less is so much more powerful and impactful and easier for you as the non-designer to do marketing yourself or if you have a team member who is not like super design savvy, maybe they can do what they can do a little bit but they wouldn't consider themselves a designer. So having less is easier for them, easier for you, keeps things more on brand and makes you more memorable for people when they're coming into contact with your content.
No. 2 Update your brand message
So you have the solution to someone's problem. That's why we have businesses, because we are helping someone who has need or they have something that they need to get done. Maybe we are a coach, maybe we are a bookkeeper or a designer. You have something that people need and so many people need what you offer and it's really important that you recognize that and use that in your brain messaging.
So many times we can get a little in our head about our brand message and forgetting like the fundamentals, the basics of we are the solution to someone's problem and speaking directly to that. So if you are not attracting those leads and maybe you haven't had a lot of people, know, download your opt-in or connect with you in a discovery call or something, maybe it's time to update your message.
And if you are updating your message, I recommend trying a new message for about 90 days. And if you're using that message solidly for 90 days and you are really not getting anything back, you're hearing crickets, I recommend trying something else for another 90 days. But sometimes you have to give it a good stretch of time, like a quarter, that can really help you see if your message is resonating or not.
There's a lot that goes into brand messaging and so much of it is tied into copywriting and I am not a trained copywriter, but I have learned a few things. But when it comes to your brand message, it's important to focus on the problem that you're solving for and speak to what your ideal client wants, how they want their problem solved. Okay, for example.
Say you are a nutrition coach and you help women with their nutrition. And so maybe your ideal client is not actually interested in the nutritional aspect of wanting to put only the best food in her body, that kind of thing. the real thing that she's really concerned about is she's wanting to be more toned and lean and you help her with that by providing great nutrition, if that makes sense. So you are still providing what you provide, but you're just saying it in a different way that attracts that person who wants what you have. And so sometimes you have to think about how can I view this differently? How is my ideal client viewing this? What do they actually need? What do they want? And yes, I'm providing this, but do they want that or do they want like, the thing beyond that, if that makes sense.
And so it's important to really listen to your ideal client. And especially if you have a client right now or did work with someone, ask them
Why did you hire me?
Why did you make the decision to invest?
Listen to what they say in their own words and use those exact same words in your brand message. This is incredibly powerful and it really helps you speak directly to your ideal client.
I recently did this as I was looking over my own website and services page. I worked with my copywriter Meg and I asked her, I was like, or she asked me rather. I recently did this as I was looking over my own website and services page with my copywriter Meg. We were doing a little copy audit for myself and she asked me, she was like, do your clients use the word luxury? And I thought about it and no, they don't. Not a lot of people in my, who I've worked with before use that word. And that's not really a word that they're using very often. I will say they use it sometimes, but I think the word they primarily use is premium, high end. And I know those are synonymous with luxury, but it resonates even more if you're using their exact language.
So that's what updating your brand message can do. can make it, it can make your message more targeted and speaking to your ideal client so they're more likely to connect with you, to subscribe, to inquire into books.
And if you are thinking, do not have time to look over my messaging. I don't even know how I would go about looking over my brain message. Because it can feel like such a huge undertaking. I hear you. And I want to recommend working with my copywriter Meg. I just now said I worked with her in a copy audit on my website. So basically what she did was she looked through my home page and my services page.
And she just gave me tips, like going through the site, she just like scrolled through, giving me tips, asking me questions like, do your clients think this? Like, are they wanting this? How can we make this more clear? And it was incredibly helpful, I have to tell you. I got so much away from that hour of having an expert read through the site and like ask about, you know, just ask me questions like. Is this working here? Do you want to do this here? I would move this up over here. And I am a website designer, ya know? This is what I do. But it was still incredibly helpful to have her give me those copywriting pointers and those brand messaging pointers of like, I would recommend focusing on this. I would talk about this. I would clean up this.
And so if you are interested, this Copy Audit I will say is extremely affordable. So I would highly recommend chatting with Meg if you are interested in talking with her about doing a copy audit or maybe even something like more robust. But the Copy Audit is something that's really nice, especially if you already have a website, you already have things going on, she can just review it and just give you her feedback, which is incredibly valuable and it's just nice to have another set of eyes looking at your work and looking what you're doing because it can be really helpful and effective. So if you want to reach out to her, I encourage you to do so She's @saleswithmeg on Instagram or you can reach out to me and I would be happy to do an introduction.
Or you can find another copywriter who does a type of audit for you that can be extremely helpful. just from my own experience, I just did this, I think I did it back in July, and I'm still making the updates. I'm a little bit slow at making all the updates, but it's been really helpful and yeah, it just helps clarify things and get things more dialed in so you can see more activity and interest in your work.
No. 3 Do a brand photoshoot
This is an immediate way to bring life to your website and into your marketing. And it's something that you need to invest in that will give you the biggest bang for your buck. And brand photos will last you a very long time. some people use their photos for years, sometimes three or four years. Some people like coaches I know get their photos done every six months. So it kind of depends on how often you are marketing and using the photos and stuff.
But it I can tell you it's such an investment that will pay for itself over and over again because you feel so much more excited to show up to get visible and you can't wait to put out content, you can't wait to share your website, it's just a very quick win type of thing to do to have that new energy into your content. Brand photo shoots can range anywhere from $300 to $1,000 and more depending on how many hours you need, depending on how much content you wanna produce for, depending on where you're located, who your photographer is, who your photographer is. And so there's a lot of factors that come into play, but that is a relatively low cost, given the fact that, you know, a website design package could be thousands of dollars. So I think it's a relatively low cost thing that will serve you for, like I said, months to years, depending on how often you are marketing and using your photos.
Now I have been using my own brand photos, the ones that are on my website right now, if you're looking at this in September, October of 2025, my photos, I've been using them for about two years. And I remember I was pregnant with my third when we took those photos. And I remember telling my photographer, was like, think you can, like I'm showing. And she was like, you're not showing. And I was early, I would think I was only 14 weeks along, but still, it was one of those things where I was feeling a little self-conscious, I felt a little awkward in my body but I will say these photos have served me and I’m very grateful for how they turned out - I was happy with them. But all that to say, I am VERY excited to get new photos and I do have a photo shoot scheduled for October, so it’s coming up!
Like I said, new brand photos give you renewed energy, they can breathe a breath of fresh air into your brand and your business, and they can help you get more visible and share your offers.
And it builds trust and it helps you connect with your audience. And I think that's the main thing with photos. Video even more so, video you really connect with your audience in a different way. But with photos, it's such a way of connection that I think is really important. And it's a vital piece of your website. And so if you do get brand photos, it's just an easy way to kind of plug and play your new photos into your website. So you don't have to go through like a whole website redesign in some cases. Sometimes you can just plug in new photos. But having new photos really can help you in a lot of different ways. So those are the ideas.
So those are the ideas I have for you. Let me do a quick recap.
No. 1 Limit your color palette
No. 2 Refine your brand message
No. 3 Do a brand photo shoot
I hope these ideas gave you some great food for thought, especially with the changing seasons. As you're looking at your brand and website and thinking through if you want to do a refresh or redesign, I hope this gave you some great ideas. And I think going back to what I said in the beginning, it's really important to ask yourself some fundamental questions before you dive into all this, just so you have clarity on next steps and what's important to you in the process.
If you liked this episode you would love my free guide “7 Quick and Easy Ways to Elevate Your Brand” where you know which changes to make and how long each will take starting at just 30 min.
You don’t need a full rebrand to start booking higher level clients. You can start with small intentional tweaks today and in just 30 minutes.
And it just starts with taking that time, being intentional and making the shifts. So I hope this was so helpful. Thank you for hanging out with me today. I so appreciate you. And until next time, I hope you have a beautiful day.
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