Most business owners know their website “could be better”. The harder question is whether it is holding the business back enough to justify a redesign. Here are the signs we look for, and also the situations where a redesign is not the answer.
1. Visitors can’t tell what you do within five seconds
Open your home page and look at the first screen only. Does it say, in plain words, what you offer, for whom, and where? If it opens with a slogan, a slideshow or “Welcome to our website”, many visitors will leave before they find out.
2. It is awkward on a phone
For most small businesses, more than half of all visits come from phones. If text needs zooming, buttons are too small to tap, or menus cover the screen, you are losing those visitors quietly. Check your analytics for the share of mobile visits, then use your own site on your own phone for a few minutes.
3. It is slow
People wait about as long for a website as they would for a shop door that is stuck. Google measures speed with its Core Web Vitals: the main content should appear within 2.5 seconds, the page should respond to a tap within 200 milliseconds, and nothing should jump around while it loads. You can test any page for free at PageSpeed Insights.
4. Your business has outgrown it
New services, higher prices, a different kind of client, a clearer brand. If your website still describes the business you were three years ago, it attracts the clients you had three years ago. This is the most common reason our clients come to us.
5. You are embarrassed to send the link
If you hesitate before sharing your website with a potential client, or you explain it away (“we’re working on a new one”), that hesitation is the answer. Your website is often the first impression, and the second one when people check you out after meeting you.
6. It gets visits, but no enquiries
Traffic without enquiries usually means one of three things: visitors don’t understand the offer, they don’t trust it yet, or the next step is hard to find. Clear copy, real proof (projects, testimonials) and one obvious call to action solve more than any design trend.
7. You can’t update it yourself
If changing an opening time means emailing a developer and waiting a week, the site goes out of date, and outdated information costs trust. A good redesign gives you a simple way to edit the things that change.
8. It is technically outdated
Warning signs: no HTTPS padlock in the browser, a content management system or plugins that haven’t been updated in years, a design built in a page builder nobody supports anymore. Outdated software is a security risk, not just a style problem.
9. It isn’t accessible
Low contrast, tiny text, images without descriptions, forms that don’t work with a keyboard. These shut people out. Since June 2025, the European Accessibility Act also requires many businesses that sell to consumers online to meet accessibility standards. Very small service businesses are exempt, but an accessible site is simply a better site for everyone. More on that in our EU website legal checklist.
And three signs a redesign won’t help
You are simply bored of it
You see your website every day; your clients don’t. If it works, brings enquiries and still fits your business, a few content updates may be all it needs.
Traffic dropped for a reason outside the site
Seasonal dips, a change in Google’s search results, or a competitor’s campaign can all reduce visits. Check Search Console and compare with the same months last year before blaming the design.
One thing is broken
A broken form, an outdated price list or one confusing page is a fix, not a redesign. Fix it first, then decide.
A five-minute test you can do today
- Open your site on your phone, on mobile data, not Wi-Fi.
- Time how long until you can read the first screen.
- Without scrolling, say out loud what the business does. Would a stranger understand?
- Try to get in touch, start to finish. Count the taps.
- Ask yourself: would I hire this business based on this site?
If two or more of these made you uncomfortable, it is probably time.
Our Modern Relaunch exists exactly for websites that work but no longer represent the business. If you would like a second pair of eyes first, send us your link and we will tell you honestly whether you need a redesign or just a few fixes.