Every so often, a client will ask me something like:
“What’s the lifespan of our current site? Do you think it’s still doing the job?”
It’s a fair question – and one I never answer with a straight-up ‘yes’ in order to get more work. There’s no set expiry date for a website. Some sites are still working beautifully five or six years after launch (or longer in some cases!). Others need a rethink much sooner because the business has evolved, or the tech hasn’t kept up.
So before you jump into a full redesign, here are a few things worth considering.
Is your site holding you back, or still pulling its weight?

Ask yourself:
- Are you getting decent quality leads or enquiries?
- Are users finding what they need without frustration?
- Are you proud to send people to the site?
If the answer is mostly yes, it might not be time to rebuild. Even if the design isn’t the flashiest, a site that’s delivering results is still doing its job.
The reason I re-designed my own website recently is for the following reasons:
- I had commissioned a re-brand, and the new logo & assets no longer matched my overall design.
- I wasn’t proud to share my website, neither the design or content truly reflected the services or quality I was offering. Due to that, the content largely got neglected.
- I wasn’t getting any organic leads through the site, compared to my freelance one, so I was clearly giving off the wrong vibe (no surprise, it had barely been touched in about 7 years)
Is your brand still accurately reflected?

Your current website doesn’t have to win design awards, but it should feel like you.
If your services, messaging, or visual identity have changed significantly since launch, your website might be giving the wrong impression. That doesn’t always mean starting over though. Sometimes small content and style tweaks can bring things back in line. Things you could consider doing:
- Create pages for missing content such as relevant services
- Add a blog and regularly contribute
- Updating the imagery or colours
- Update your calls to action to match your current services/offers.
- Rewrite outdated copy to reflect your latest messaging and tone of voice.
- Add testimonials or case studies that show off recent work.
- Swap out old fonts for ones that align better with your brand guidelines.
- Add or refresh video content or interactive elements.
- Improve your main navigation so key pages are easier to find.
- Run a mini content audit: remove or redirect pages that no longer serve a purpose.
- Add social proof: client logos, press mentions, or certifications.
Can you update content easily?
You don’t want to be dependent on a developer for every update. If your current CMS (Content Management System – such as WordPress) lets you update pages, post news, or add new content without too much faff, that’s a big tick in its favour.
If it’s a battle every time, or something breaks when you update a plugin, then the backend might need rethinking, even if the front end looks fine. A website audit will help determine the health of your website at this point.
Case Study: Why we scrapped a site to save the client money
There’s only been one case in nearly 20 years (that I can remember!) where I have audited a website’s codebase and had to make the recommendation that it wasn’t salvageable and a new website was the only way forward.
The theme was no longer maintained and so no updates were available to keep it in line with the plugins that supported it (like WP Bakery). The second any updates were run, the entire site would crash. It also wasn’t compatible with PHP 8+, so eventually the site just wouldn’t be feasible to keep running. I looked at fixing it, but it would have been more costly in the long run to maintain it alongside any plugin updates that came out.
If I think that a website has redeemable qualities worth keeping, then I will make those recommendations during the audit.
How does it perform?

- Does it load quickly?
- Is it responsive and easy to use on mobile?
- Is it accessible to everyone who needs to use it?
These things can impact everything from SEO, to users being able to actually access your content, and ultimately to conversions. But the good news is, performance can often be improved without starting from scratch, a technical audit might reveal some easy wins that you could even implement yourself. I recently wrote a blog post about ways you can check your site performance and small things you can do to improve it.
Case Study: Small tweaks can equal big impact
On a recent client site, we shaved seconds off loading time just by optimising images, removing unused plugins, and cleaning up & optimising the code. No redesign needed, just some maintenance.
How long ago was it built, and has anything changed since?

If your site was built 5+ years ago and hasn’t had much TLC since, it could be due for more than just a polish. Even if it looks fine, the underlying tech might be outdated or harder to maintain securely.
That said, age alone isn’t a reason to rebuild. It’s about how well it still supports your business today, how easy it is to update, and whether it can keep doing that going forward.
Are you planning a bigger shift in your business?
If you’re changing your services, targeting a new audience, or repositioning your brand, a redesign might be the right move – because your site should support those strategic shifts.
But if you’re not quite there yet, you might be better off extending the life of your current site while you work on the bigger picture.
So… do you need a redesign?
Maybe. But maybe not.
Sometimes, it’s smarter to optimise what you’ve got. Improve performance, tidy up the design, and fix the things that are getting in the way, while giving yourself time to plan a more strategic overhaul.
If you’re unsure, I’d always recommend starting with an audit or health check. It gives you a clearer picture of what’s working, what’s not, and where your current site sits in its lifecycle.
And no, I’ll never tell you to redesign just because it’s been a few years. I’ll always consider the whole picture before suggesting you go down that route!
Still not sure where your site stands?
Drop me a message – I’m always happy to take a look and give an honest answer.