Companies are constantly looking for ways to improve their online presence. They want to optimize. They want to enhance. Some want to completely redesign. And some should redesign.

But, given the current conditions of the economy, suggesting a redesign isn’t always an easy sell. Unless you have an organization with plenty of resources—people, money, and time—you need to find creative ways to do what you can with less.

One approach to this issue is to separate design and content. I know, this isn’t always easy, as there is a symbiotic existence between the two. But consider for a moment—regardless of the information design, color palette, and general aesthetic—that you could dramatically improve engagement of your traffic if visitors had a clearer idea of the value you offer.

Re-tooling the content on your site can provide many benefits. As a marketing organization, you’re focusing your message. You can improve the throughput of traffic and impact key conversion opportunities. You may even improve your search engine rankings. And, this can be done inexpensively (relative to a full-blown redesign) and with virtually no technical roadblocks.

I don’t mean to over-simplify. Your site may genuinely be broken and any optimization of content is like trying to polish a turd. It’s wise to take a deeper dive into the perceived issues with your site. Do you need a redesign because your inner-designer is sick of staring at the same home page day in and day out? Is your boss convinced that your competitor’s site is so much “flashier”? Or are you receiving authentic customer feedback telling you that things just ain’t working right?

Each of these can be valid, but they must be validated. Know the issues by soliciting input. Conduct a content audit to understand what you have and what you need. And, consider the possibility that a focused rewrite of content may be just what you need for some short-term satisfaction.