Signs your website needs a rebuild

The short answer

If your site is slow, hard to change, awkward on a phone and has already had several fixes that did not last, a rebuild is usually cheaper and calmer than more patching. If it is mostly fine with one or two problems, fix those first.

Seven signs it is time

1. It is slow on a phone, and speed work has not helped much.
2. It does not work well on a phone. Text is tiny, buttons are hard to tap or parts of the page are cut off.
3. Small changes are hard. Updating a phone number or adding a page needs a specialist, or breaks something else.
4. It relies on lots of plug-ins that need constant updating, and some are no longer supported.
5. It looks out of date, and customers comment on it or ask if you are still trading.
6. Search engines struggle to read it. Pages share the same titles, the structure is unclear or important pages are missing from search results.
7. You no longer own the pieces. You cannot get hold of your own content, your domain or your login details.

Rebuild or redesign?

A redesign changes how the site looks. A rebuild changes how it is made. If the problems are mainly about appearance, a redesign may be enough. If they are about speed, structure or how hard it is to maintain, a rebuild gets to the cause.

Fixing first is sometimes right

Before you rebuild, check whether the cause is simple: oversized images, unused plug-ins or slow hosting. If a few fixes solve most of the problem, you may not need to start again.

What a careful rebuild includes

• A review of what your current site does well, so you keep it.
• A new design built for phones first.
• Your content carried across, improved where it is thin or unclear.
• A list of your old page addresses, with each one redirected to the right new page.
• Testing before the old site is switched off.

Protecting your Google visibility

A rebuild changes your pages, so it needs planning. Keep your page addresses where you can, redirect old addresses to the right new pages and carry over your titles and descriptions. Nobody can promise how Google will treat a changed site, but a careful move keeps the risk low.

Next step

If your site matches several of the signs above, our website rebuilds service starts with a review of your current site and a written quote. If speed is your main worry, read our guide to how fast a business website should be.