Business Tips
Does my website actually need a redesign?
I turn down redesign work fairly regularly, because a lot of sites people are embarrassed by are doing their job perfectly well. Here's how to tell which camp yours is in.
Ask these six questions
Be honest with yourself. If you answer yes to three or more, a rebuild is probably justified.
- Is it awkward or unreadable on a phone? More than half your visitors are on one.
- Does it take more than three seconds to appear? Test it on mobile data, not office wifi.
- Can you change your own opening hours without emailing somebody?
- Would you happily send it to a customer you want to impress?
- Does it say what you do now, or what you did four years ago?
- Is there an obvious way to contact you from every single page?
When the answer is genuinely no
If your site loads quickly, reads clearly on a phone, and brings in enquiries, leave it alone. "It looks a bit dated" is not a business problem, and design fashions come round again anyway.
Often the better spend is on the content: clearer service pages, real photographs, honest pricing, a few reviews. That work usually outperforms a new coat of paint.
A slightly old-fashioned website that's clear and fast will beat a fashionable one that's confusing. Every time.
If you do rebuild, protect what you've earned
The one genuine risk in a redesign is losing search rankings you've spent years building. It's entirely avoidable, and it happens constantly because people don't ask about it.
Make sure whoever rebuilds it keeps your existing web addresses working, carries over the pages that already rank, and can show you they've done this before.