A website isn’t something you build once and keep forever. Technology moves on, design expectations change, search engines update their rules and your business grows. So how long should a website last?
There’s no fixed answer, but as a rule of thumb most small business websites benefit from a significant refresh or redesign every three to five years, with regular smaller updates in between. Some last longer with good care; others date quickly if they were built on shaky foundations.
Rather than watching the calendar, it’s more useful to watch for the warning signs. Here are the ones we see most often.
1. It doesn’t work well on a phone
If visitors have to pinch, zoom and scroll sideways to use your site on a mobile, it’s time. Most of your visitors are on phones, and Google judges your site by its mobile version first.
2. It’s slow
Older sites often carry years of extra plugins, oversized images and outdated code. If your pages take more than a few seconds to load, visitors will leave, and your search rankings may suffer too.
3. You’re embarrassed to share it
If you find yourself apologising for your website, or avoiding giving people the address, that’s a clear sign. Your website should be something you’re proud to send to customers.
4. It doesn’t reflect your business any more
Businesses evolve. Perhaps you’ve added new services, moved premises, changed your branding or started targeting different customers. If your website still describes the business you were five years ago, it’s selling the wrong thing.
5. It’s hard to update
If you have to call a developer every time you want to change a sentence, or if the system is so old that nobody wants to touch it, your website is holding you back. A modern site should let you make everyday changes yourself.
6. It isn’t bringing in enquiries
A website’s job is to help your business: generating calls, bookings, sales or trust. If your traffic or enquiries have dropped, or your competitors are consistently ahead of you on Google, it might be your website letting you down.
7. It’s built on outdated or unsupported technology
Old versions of WordPress, abandoned themes and plugins that are no longer updated are serious security risks. If your site can’t be safely updated, a rebuild may be the most sensible option.
8. It isn’t accessible
Accessibility expectations have risen a lot in recent years. Poor contrast, missing image descriptions and forms that don’t work with a keyboard or screen reader can exclude customers and put you at risk of complaints. Older sites were rarely built with accessibility in mind.
Redesign or refresh?
Not every tired website needs to be torn down and started again. If the foundations are sound, a refresh might be enough: new photos, updated content, a cleaner layout and some speed improvements. But if your site is slow, insecure, hard to update and not mobile-friendly, a proper redesign is usually better value in the long run than patching up the old one.
Look after it in between
Whatever you decide, the best way to get the most out of a website is to look after it: keep the software updated, refresh the content regularly and review how it’s performing once or twice a year. A well-maintained site will last far longer than one that’s left alone.
Wondering whether your website needs a refresh or a full redesign? Get in touch with Wrexham Web Design for honest, no-obligation advice.