Website redesign
Website refresh or rebuild: how to decide what your business needs
Choose a refresh when the structure still works and the problems are limited. Consider a rebuild when the platform or layout prevents essential improvements.
A refresh makes sense when your website still supports the business and the changes are mainly to its presentation or content. A rebuild deserves a closer look when the underlying platform, page structure or editing setup prevents you from fixing important problems.
The age of the website doesn't decide this. Neither does the copyright date in the footer. Start by finding out what a customer can and cannot do.
Try the website as a new customer
Open it on your phone without relying on what you already know about the business. Can you identify the service, the area covered and the next step? Try the contact route yourself. Check that an enquiry reaches the intended inbox rather than stopping at an on-screen thank-you message.
Write down the problem and why it matters. “The home page feels dated” is hard to act on. “Our main service is hidden under a menu label customers don't use” gives the designer something specific to fix.
When a refresh is a sensible first step
A refresh can be enough if the site is easy to maintain and already has the pages you need. You may want clearer headings, new project photographs or a simpler route to your enquiry form. These changes can be considered without replacing the entire system.
- Your services are correct, but their descriptions need work.
- The business identity has changed and the visuals need updating.
- The mobile layout has a few identifiable problems.
- A useful page exists but is hard to find from the navigation.
For an illustrative example, a Newcastle trades business might have a useful list of services and working forms, but no clear explanation of the suburbs it covers. Updating the service information may be a better starting point than replacing the site.
When to investigate a rebuild
A rebuild may be justified if a necessary change cannot reasonably be made within the existing setup. Ask the designer to show you what prevents the change. A recommendation to rebuild should explain what the new setup will let you do.
Perhaps you cannot access the editing system. Perhaps the structure cannot accommodate new services, or the software needs substantial replacement. It is also a good time to ask which old features are still useful. Carrying every old component into a new design makes the project bigger without necessarily making it better.
Separate the essential repair from the preferred visual direction. You can like a new design and still ask whether the proposed work is proportionate.
Protect the useful parts of the old site
Before changing anything, record the pages people use, the enquiries you receive and any known search traffic. Keep a copy of the existing content. Identify images and downloads that other websites may link to.
If page addresses change, plan where each old address should lead. Google recommends mapping old URLs to their new destinations, putting redirects in place and monitoring the move. It also notes that search rankings can fluctuate during a significant change. See Google's site migration guidance.
Don't point every removed page at the home page by default. Ask what happens to each useful service page and whether there is a relevant replacement. Include these decisions in the scope rather than leaving them until launch day.
Questions to ask before agreeing to a redesign
Can we keep our domain and email?
Tell the designer which services must continue. A new website does not automatically require a new domain or email provider. Check account access and agree any proposed changes before moving hosting or editing domain settings.
How will we judge the work?
Agree practical checks: the important pages are present, the site works on phones, forms arrive and you have the access needed to maintain it. Treat future search performance as something to measure, not a promised launch result.
Our website redesign service starts with the existing site and your requirements. For the handover questions to include in your brief, read our website ownership checklist.
