Short answer
Redesign when the site is hard to use on a phone, takes more than three seconds to load, cannot be updated without calling someone, or no longer matches how the business actually operates. Age alone is not a reason. A site from 2019 that is fast, accurate, and converting does not need touching.
In detail
The seven signals
If three or more of these are true, a redesign will pay for itself.
- It is awkward on a phone. Most local traffic is mobile, and pinch-to-zoom is a lost customer.
- It loads slowly. Past about three seconds, a meaningful share of visitors leave before they see anything.
- The information is wrong. Old hours, retired services, a staff member who left in 2022.
- You cannot update it yourself, or the person who built it is unreachable.
- It does not look like the business people meet in person.
- Nobody contacts you through it, even though traffic exists.
- It is not secure, shows a browser warning, or runs on software with known vulnerabilities.
Redesign or repair
Not everything needs a rebuild. If the structure is sound and the design still holds up, new photography, rewritten copy, and a speed pass can get you most of the way for a fraction of the cost.
Rebuild when the underlying platform fights every change, when the mobile experience cannot be fixed without starting over, or when the business has changed enough that the site is describing a company that no longer exists.
Protect what already works
The most common way a redesign backfires is losing search rankings that took years to earn. Before anything launches, map every existing URL to its new address, set permanent redirects, keep the page titles that are ranking, and do not delete content that brings traffic just because it looks dated.
Take a snapshot of your current traffic and rankings first. Without it you cannot tell whether the new site helped.
Keep the history
For a business that has been around a long time, a redesign is not a personality transplant. The sign on the building, the way you answer the phone, the reason regulars keep coming back: that is the material. The job is bringing it online without flattening it.
The short version
Mobile usability and load speed are the two signals worth acting on first.
Sometimes a content and speed refresh beats a full rebuild.
Redirect every old URL or you will donate your rankings to a competitor.
Related questions
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
It can, if URLs change without redirects or if ranking content is deleted. Done carefully, rankings usually hold and then improve as speed and structure get better.
How often should a site be redesigned?
Every four to six years for most small businesses, with smaller content updates in between. Fix problems when they appear rather than waiting for the calendar.