Your website works, sort of. It’s a few years old, it doesn’t look quite right on phones, and you suspect it’s not bringing in the enquiries it should. Do you give it a refresh, or start again? Here’s how to decide.
What’s the difference?
A refresh keeps most of what you already have, mainly your words, images and page structure, and gives it a modern new design on solid, up-to-date technology. A rebuild starts from scratch: new plan, new pages, new content and a new design.
A refresh is usually enough when…
- Your content is still accurate and describes what you do well.
- You have around five pages or fewer, and that’s still the right amount.
- The main problems are how it looks and how it works on phones.
- You get some enquiries from the site, just not as many as you’d like.
- You want a quick, affordable improvement.
A rebuild makes more sense when…
- Your services, prices or the way you work have changed.
- The site runs on outdated software that’s hard or risky to update.
- Important pages are missing, such as individual services or service areas.
- You barely get any enquiries from it, or customers say it’s hard to use.
- You want new features like online bookings or selling online.
Signs your website is showing its age
- It’s fiddly on a phone. Tiny text, pinching and zooming, buttons too close together.
- It’s slow. If your homepage takes more than a few seconds to appear on mobile data, people leave.
- The footer says 2019. Small details like an old copyright year make a business look inactive.
- Browsers say “Not secure”. Every site should load over HTTPS.
- It’s hard to get in touch. No clear “get a quote” button, no form, or a phone number you can’t tap.
- You’re invisible on Google. Missing page titles, descriptions and the basics Google needs.
Not sure which you need?
Our free website check looks at your security, mobile set-up, Google basics, design, speed, pages and software, and gives you a score in about 30 seconds. The report includes our recommendation: a care plan, a refresh, or a rebuild.
What each option costs with us
- Website refresh: $299 design and set-up for up to 5 pages, mostly reusing your existing content, usually completed within 14 days. Available through the free website check.
- New website: from $549 for up to 5 pages, with extra pages at $99 each.
Both include hosting and care for $29 a month once your new site is live.