Website Redesign or New Website? How to Decide

Published 8 November 2026

Your website is out of date, slow or just not bringing in calls, and you are wondering whether to fix it or start again. Both can be the right answer. The difference comes down to what your current site already has that is worth keeping.

The short version

If your site has been online for a while, Google already knows it and some pages bring visitors, a redesign usually makes sense. If it has almost no history, no useful content and is built on something you cannot edit, a new website is often cleaner.

When a redesign is usually the better choice

• The site has been live for a while and Google has indexed its pages
• Some pages already bring visitors, calls or enquiries
• Your text, photos and reviews are decent and worth reusing
• Your domain name is established and well known to customers
• The main problems are looks, speed, mobile layout or structure

When starting fresh makes more sense

• The site is built on a platform that is outdated or that you cannot edit
• Almost no pages are indexed and there is no real traffic to protect
• The content is thin, out of date or copied from elsewhere
• The business has changed its name, focus or services
• The structure is so messy that fixing it costs more than rebuilding

What happens to your Google rankings

Google ranks pages by their web address. If a redesign changes those addresses without redirecting the old ones to the new ones, you can lose visitors you already had. A careful redesign handles this on purpose:

• Check in Google Search Console which pages already get clicks
• Keep the address of important pages, or redirect each old address to its new equivalent
• Keep the titles and text that perform well, and improve the rest
• Check Search Console again after launch for errors

No redesign can guarantee that rankings stay exactly the same, but a plan like this lowers the risk considerably.

Five questions to help you decide

1. Is my site indexed by Google, and do any pages get clicks?
2. Can I update it easily, or do I have to ask a developer for every change?
3. Does it work well on a phone?
4. Is the content accurate, and does it describe the services I want more of?
5. Do I want to keep my current domain name?

If you answered yes to questions 1 and 5, a redesign is probably the way to go.

What does it cost?

Price depends mainly on the number of pages and how much writing and SEO setup is included. Our guide to what a trades website costs explains the factors, and you can see our fixed packages on the pricing section.

What we do

We redesign trades websites while protecting what already works. See our website redesign service and our case studies of real redesigns. If you are not sure whether your site is losing jobs, read why trades websites lose jobs.

Frequently asked questions

Can I redesign my site and keep my domain name?

Yes. Keeping your domain is usually a good idea, because it holds your site’s history with Google.

How long before I see results after a redesign?

It depends on your site and competition. Many sites see changes in a few weeks as Google re-reads the pages, but we cannot promise a timeline or a ranking.