Redesign or not
Do you actually need a website redesign?
Usually something cheaper will do. Sometimes patching it further is wasted money. This is the test I run before quoting anyone.
Start with evidence
- How many calls or form fills did the site bring in last month?
- On your phone, try to call, book, or ask a question. Time it.
- Check which pages people actually land on. It is rarely the home page.
- Ask three customers how they found you.
Find what is really wrong
A redesign fixes design problems. It doesn't fix a traffic problem or a follow-up problem.
Traffic or conversion?
If nobody visits, a new design changes nothing. If plenty visit and nobody calls, a redesign is a reasonable answer.
Use it like a customer, on a phone
Find your phone number, how pricing works, and whether you serve their town. More than fifteen seconds for any of those is worth fixing.
Fix the boring things first
Speed, a valid certificate, a form that delivers, pages Google has indexed. All cheaper than a redesign, and all needed afterward anyway.
Can you edit it yourself?
If changing your hours means emailing someone and waiting, the site stays out of date by design. That alone can justify a rebuild.
Is the platform still supported?
An abandoned theme or an old PHP version is a security problem. That makes the decision for you.
The four answers
Leave it alone
When: It gets calls, works on a phone, and you can edit it.
Watch for: Being bored of your own site isn't a business reason.
Fix specific things
When: The bones are fine. It is slow, the form is broken, or pages are missing.
Watch for: Past about a dozen fixes, you are describing a rebuild in pieces.
Refresh the design
When: The content and URLs are right, but it looks ten years old.
Watch for: Only worth it if the platform is still supported and editable.
Rebuild it
When: The structure is wrong, nobody can edit it, or it can't be made to work on a phone.
Watch for: Redirect every old URL, or you lose the rankings you built.
If you rebuild, protect these
- Keep your URLs, or redirect each old one to its closest new page.
- Keep the pages that already bring traffic. Check Search Console first.
- Own the domain and hosting in your business name.
- Carry analytics over so you can tell if it worked.
Questions
How often should a website be redesigned?
There is no schedule. A site that is fast, editable, and organized around what you sell can run for years. One that isn't needs work now, whatever its age.
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
It can, when URLs change without redirects or ranking pages get deleted. Done carefully, rankings hold and often improve.
What is the difference between a refresh and a rebuild?
A refresh keeps the structure and URLs and changes the look. A rebuild changes the structure too.
My site looks old but still gets calls. Should I leave it?
Probably. Spend on what brings more calls, and revisit the design when it gets in the way.
Send the URL. I will tell you which of the four it is.
You get my honest read and why, including when nothing needs doing.