When a redesign is worth considering
Not sure yours qualifies? Seven signs a website needs a redesign separates the real reasons from "it looks a bit old", and names the cheaper job that often fixes it instead.
Look at the tasks a customer is trying to complete. Can they read your services on a phone, find current hours, open your menu and contact you? Broken forms, old offers, hard-to-read text and buried contact details are practical reasons to improve a site.
A full rebuild is not always the answer. A clearer headline, a repaired enquiry form or a focused service page may solve the immediate problem. I will distinguish a design issue from a content, hosting or functionality issue before proposing replacement work.
What I check before drawing a new homepage
- Pages and URLs: which pages exist, which still matter, and which addresses customers or other websites may have saved.
- Customer actions: calls, reservations, quote requests, downloads and links to external booking systems.
- Content and assets: accurate service descriptions, useful images, permissions and business details.
- Access and ownership: who controls the domain, hosting, website files and any third-party tools.
- Search context: available Search Console information and important pages, where you can provide access or exports.
You do not need to prepare a technical brief. Start with the current address and the parts that frustrate you or your customers.
A migration plan, not a ranking guarantee
Replacing a site can change how search engines understand it. I cannot guarantee unchanged positions or traffic. What I can do is agree which URLs to preserve, map retired pages to relevant replacements where appropriate, and check the published canonical URLs and sitemap.
Before launch I review internal links, contact actions, forms and mobile layouts. After launch, I check important old and new addresses and any agreed redirects. Search Console can then help identify indexing or coverage issues as Google revisits the site.
Tell me about domain moves, platform changes, email hosting and any booking or payment integrations early. These affect migration scope and should not be discovered on launch day.
Rebuild the parts your business actually needs
A restaurant may need a readable menu instead of a PDF-only customer journey. A contractor may need clearer services, coverage and quote questions. A small professional firm may need concise practice or service pages and a more credible introduction.
I price the agreed pages and features, not the fact that your old site is unattractive. Founding-client one-page builds start at $200; a business website with five included pages starts at $450. Migration work, content creation or new integrations can add to the scope. Compare the published package and add-on prices before requesting a quote.
Launch without losing control
Your domain stays in your name, and your paid-for finished website is yours. I agree the content review and revision scope in writing. Typical business builds are estimated at 2–3 weeks once the brief and content are ready; complex migrations may require a different schedule.
Choose optional $40/month Website Care for hosting, monitoring, backups, updates and small content edits, or request the files for a self-hosted handover. Third-party account ownership and licenses are confirmed separately.
Questions about website redesign
Can my old site stay online while you build?
Usually the draft can be prepared separately from the existing site. I confirm the hosting and domain setup before agreeing the cutover, and do not promise zero downtime without assessing it.
Can you keep my current domain and email?
I plan to preserve your domain and avoid disturbing email records. Tell me who manages both. Any required DNS changes are identified before launch rather than assumed.
Will the redesign improve my Google ranking?
A more useful and technically sound site creates a better foundation, but rankings depend on many factors and are not guaranteed. I focus on content, crawlability, useful URLs and a careful migration.