01
When a redesign makes sense
Most businesses that ask us about a redesign have a site that is five to ten years old. It may still work, but it looks dated, is awkward on phones, is slow, or no longer describes what the business does. Coventry businesses that have grown into new sectors, such as a machining firm now doing EV battery work, often find their website still describes the company they were years ago.
A redesign is worth it when the site is costing you enquiries or credibility. It is not worth it purely because a new owner or manager dislikes the colours. In that case a lighter refresh may be the better answer, and we will say so.
02
The risk most people do not see
An older site has usually built up search rankings and links from other websites over years. A careless redesign changes every page address, drops pages that were quietly bringing in traffic, and throws much of that value away. Enquiries fall, and nobody connects it to the launch until months later.
The redirect map is the single most important document in a redesign. Every old address that has traffic or links must point to the right new page with a permanent redirect.
03
Our redesign process
- Crawl and export. We crawl the old site, export Search Console and analytics data for at least the last twelve months, and pull a list of external links.
- Page inventory. Every page is marked keep, improve, merge or remove, based on traffic, enquiries, links and relevance.
- New structure. A site plan for the new site, with each old page mapped to its new home.
- Design and build. As with a new website, wireframes first, then design and build on a staging address that search engines cannot index.
- Content upgrade. Copy that has drifted out of date is rewritten; pages that ranked well keep their core content and headings unless there is a good reason to change them.
- Pre-launch checks. Redirects tested, titles and descriptions carried over or improved, structured data, forms and analytics confirmed.
- Launch and monitoring. Launch at a quiet time, submit the new sitemap, then check Search Console weekly for the next couple of months.
04
Timeline and cost drivers
A redesign of a small to medium site usually takes six to twelve weeks. The extra time compared with a new build goes into the audit and the redirect map. Cost is driven by the size of the old site, how much content needs rewriting, whether the platform is changing, and any features that need rebuilding. A site moving from one platform to another with hundreds of pages takes considerably more care than a ten-page refresh.
05
What to keep and what to change
| Keep | Change |
|---|---|
| Pages that bring in traffic or enquiries, and their core content | Layouts that do not work on phones |
| Page addresses where they are already sensible | Thin pages with a few lines of text |
| Content that other sites link to | Outdated claims, services you no longer offer, old photos |
| Brand recognition customers rely on | Slow plugins, sliders and heavy scripts |
06
Common mistakes
- Launching with the staging site still blocked from search engines.
- Redirecting every old page to the home page instead of the nearest equivalent.
- Removing a blog or resources section that quietly brought in most of the organic traffic.
- Changing the domain at the same time as the design without a migration plan.
- Forgetting tracking codes, so there is no way to compare before and after.
For B2B firms, the redesign is also the moment to fix how capability is presented. Our guide to what an automotive supplier website needs to show a buyer is a good checklist.
07
Signs your current site needs more than a refresh
- It is hard or impossible to edit without calling a developer.
- It fails Google's mobile and speed checks badly.
- The platform or theme is no longer supported or updated.
- Your services, sectors or locations have changed and the structure cannot accommodate them.
- Enquiries have fallen while your reputation and referrals have not.
If only one or two of these apply, a targeted fix may be enough. If most of them do, a full redesign is usually better value than patching.
08
What we need from you
Access to the current site, hosting, domain registrar, Google Search Console and analytics. A list of the pages you know matter, such as the ones customers mention or your sales team sends people to. And time with whoever knows the business best, so we can update the content properly rather than moving old text into a new design.
09
How we measure it
We compare organic clicks, impressions and enquiries for the same period before and after launch, allowing for seasonality. A short dip in the first couple of weeks is normal as search engines process redirects; a sustained fall is not, and we investigate straight away. We send you a short note at one, two and three months with what we see. If the redesign is part of a wider search push, our local SEO service picks it up from there.
10
Frequently asked questions
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
It can if done carelessly. With a proper audit, redirect map and post-launch monitoring, most sites hold their rankings and many improve as speed and content get better.
Can we keep our current domain?
Yes, and in most cases you should. Changing domain adds risk and should only happen with a clear reason.
Do we have to change platform?
No. If your current platform is sound, we can redesign within it. We recommend a change only when the platform is holding you back.
Can you redesign in stages?
Sometimes. We can rebuild the most important templates first and phase the rest, as long as the site still feels consistent to visitors.
What if our old developer will not hand things over?
You need access to your domain registrar, hosting and site admin. We can help you work out what you own and how to recover access.
Related services
- S-01
Website design
A website designed from the customer backwards: what they need to see, in what order, on the device they actually use.
- S-04
Local SEO
Search work for businesses that want to be found by people in Coventry and Warwickshire, not by everyone everywhere.
- S-08
Copywriting and content
Words that explain what you do in plain English, for buyers who skim and search engines that read every line.
Next step
Tell us what the site needs to do
Send a short note about your business and the problem you want fixed. We reply with questions, a rough approach and a free quote.