Does your website need a redesign? Nine signs it is time
A website needs a redesign when it stops doing its job: bringing in enquiries, bookings or sales. These are the nine signs we look for, how to check each one yourself, and how to redesign without losing the Google rankings you already have.
Update5 min read
By Joshua Button, JB Digital Barossa
Key takeaways
- The clearest sign is a site that gets visitors but few enquiries, bookings or sales.
- A site that is hard to use on a phone, slow to load, or that you cannot update yourself is costing you customers.
- Check Google Search Console and your enquiries before deciding: the numbers usually show whether a redesign or a fix is needed.
- A redesign done properly keeps your page addresses or redirects them, so the Google rankings you have already earned carry across.
On this page
- 1. People visit, but few of them get in touch
- 2. It is hard to use on a phone
- 3. It is slow
- 4. You cannot update it yourself
- 5. The information is out of date
- 6. You do not show up on Google for what you do
- 7. It no longer looks like your business
- 8. It shows security warnings or is on an old platform
- 9. You are embarrassed to send people to it
- What a redesign can change: one example
- How to redesign without losing your Google rankings
- What a redesign costs
- Not sure? Ask us to look
Your website needs a redesign when it no longer brings in the enquiries, bookings or sales it should, and small fixes will not solve it. The usual causes are a site that is awkward on a phone, slow, out of date, hard for you to update, or invisible on Google. If two or three of the signs below sound familiar, it is worth a proper look.
A redesign is not just a new look. Done well, it is a rebuild of the parts that turn a visitor into a customer: what they see first, how quickly they can call or book, and whether Google understands what you do and where.
1. People visit, but few of them get in touch
This is the most important sign. If Google Search Console or your analytics show visitors arriving but your phone and inbox stay quiet, the site is not doing its job. Look at what a visitor sees on a phone without scrolling: is it obvious what you do, where you work and how to contact you?
2. It is hard to use on a phone
Most local searches happen on phones. Open your site on yours and try to call you, find your prices or send an enquiry with one thumb. Tiny text, buttons that are too close together, menus that do not open properly and forms that are a pain to fill in all cost you enquiries.
3. It is slow
If your homepage takes more than a few seconds to show anything useful on a phone, people leave. You can test it free with Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Huge photos, too many plugins and old page builders are the usual culprits. Some of this can be fixed without a redesign; an old platform often cannot.
4. You cannot update it yourself
If changing your opening hours, a price or a photo means emailing someone and waiting a week, the site will drift out of date. A modern site should let you make the small changes yourself, or come with someone who does them quickly.
5. The information is out of date
Old prices, services you no longer offer, staff who have left, last year’s specials, a copyright date from 2019. Visitors notice, and it makes them wonder whether you are still trading.
6. You do not show up on Google for what you do
Search for your main service and your town, for example “electrician Gawler” or “cafe Tanunda”, in a private browser window. If you only appear when someone types your business name, the site is not set up to be found. Common causes are a single page trying to cover everything, page titles that only say “Home”, and no mention of the areas you serve. Our guide to SEO for Barossa Valley businesses explains what Google looks for.
7. It no longer looks like your business
If you have a new logo, a new van or a new shop fit-out, and the website still looks like the business did five years ago, customers get a mixed message. Your website, your Google profile, your signage and your social pages should look like one business.
8. It shows security warnings or is on an old platform
A “Not secure” label in the browser, an out-of-date WordPress install nobody updates, or a platform the original builder has stopped supporting are risks, not just eyesores. They can get a site hacked, flagged by browsers or quietly dropped by Google.
9. You are embarrassed to send people to it
If you tell customers to “just ring instead” or to look at your Facebook page, that says it all. Your website should be the place you are happy to send people.
What a redesign can change: one example
Roam Offroad, a family 4x4 shop in Gawler South, had an online store that was hard to navigate. We rebuilt their existing Shopify store with simpler navigation, clearer product paths and built-in search, and we look after their SEO. Google clicks to the store rose 75%, from 322 to 562, in the 28 days to 9 October 2026 against the 28 days before (Search Console, all searches). The Roam Offroad case study has the before and after. Results vary by business and market.
How to redesign without losing your Google rankings
If your current site already ranks for some searches, a careless redesign can throw that away. Before you start, list every page that gets visits from Google, using Search Console. Keep the same page addresses where you can, and set up 301 redirects from every old address that changes to its new one. Carry the page titles and the useful content across rather than starting from a blank page. After launch, submit the new sitemap and watch Search Console for errors for a few weeks.
Every redesign we do follows that checklist. More on how we approach it is on our website redesign page.
What a redesign costs
A redesign is priced like a new build, because most of the work is the same: Starter $519, Essential $749, Business $1,099, Premium $1,599 and Signature $2,649, with online stores from $4,399. The difference is that we start from what already works on your site. See our pricing for what each one includes.
Not sure? Ask us to look
Send us your website address and tell us what you want it to do more of: calls, bookings, quotes or sales. We will look at it on a phone and in Google Search Console if you can give us access, and tell you whether it needs a redesign or a few fixes. Get in touch. We reply within 1 business day.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a small-business website be redesigned?
There is no fixed schedule. Many small-business sites are redesigned every four to six years, but the better test is whether the site still brings in enquiries and works well on a phone. A well-built site that is kept up to date can last longer.
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
It can if pages disappear or move without redirects. Keep page addresses where possible, 301-redirect any that change, carry the content and titles across, and submit the new sitemap after launch. Done that way, rankings usually hold and often improve.
Is it better to redesign or fix my current site?
If the problems are a few slow images, out-of-date text or a missing contact button, fix them. If the platform is old, the site is hard to use on a phone and you cannot update it yourself, a redesign usually costs less than patching it year after year.
How much does a website redesign cost?
We price a redesign like a new build, from $519 for a compact Starter site to $2,649 for Signature, with online stores from $4,399. Every price is a fixed quote agreed before work starts.
Can you redesign a Wix, Squarespace or WordPress site?
Yes. We redesign sites on all of those, and we can rebuild on the same platform or move you to a faster one, with redirects so you keep your Google rankings.
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