Is it time to consider a new website in 2025?

How long should a website last these days? Is there a standard? A few years ago, we remembered having conversations about future-proofing, as our clients were obviously looking for a solution that would last a few years, given the investment they had made. With the pace of technical change in today’s world, we appreciate that it is difficult for businesses to constantly redevelop. So what’s the answer, and how can we help you decide if the time is right for a new or revamped website?

1. Your website doesn’t work or some parts or features are breaking more regularly ?

Depending on the age of your website and how it was designed/built you might start to notice that it doesn’t work so well in some of the more modern browsers, or that certain plugins or modules need replacing. An audit of your site will help to identify the extent of the problems and you can then make a decision based on the facts.

2. Is your CMS (content management system) out of date?

Is it difficult for you to update / change / amend your website? Are there certain things that you would like to do to the website but simply aren’t able to? Do you find that the majority of the updates needed on your website have to be done by your web developers? Sometimes it is simply the case that the CMS that powers your site has reached its sell by date. Occasionally, it just hasn’t been configured very well from the outset and could be improved with some development work. We also find that sites powered by bespoke systems can sometimes be quite inflexible if the developers aren’t very active at keeping their software up to date.

3. Is your website responsive?

Have you looked at your website on a mobile / tablet? How was that experience for you? Frustrating? Positive? So the question is does your website respond to different screen sizes / resolutions? Don’t lose your audiences’ interest because your website only works well on a desktop. If you answered no to this, we’d usually say that the time is right for a new website, don’t forget, a new responsive design can, in some cases, be retrofitted to an existing CMS platform.

4. Does it look tired and out of date?

Is your website out of date? Is it starting to look outdated compared to your competitors and business peers? If you’re not sure, ask your customers/friends and get a consensus. Maybe your images are just tired and too stock image-based. A fresh look at images can make a huge difference to a site. Maybe the design needs a spruce up. Speak to a web agency, speak to us!, get some feedback, options, and ideas.

5. Are you getting the results you need?

Are you meeting your business goals? Your website should help your business progress by generating enquiries, sales, leads, or simply helping your clients understand more about you. Are you looking at your website analytics to find out how people are using your website ? It’s worth the time and effort to do this, even if you only look at a very high level.

You really don’t need training to understand the basics of analytics, but it’s the first step to finding out if your site is actually working, especially with the growth of mobile web visitors. We’d recommend an audit of your site activity and some competitor analysis here, as this will provide information that could help increase your site’s conversion rate or help identify any changes required that could make a huge difference.

6. Are your competitors being all competitor like..?

Have you looked at your top competitors’ websites recently? Have they changed tactics? If they haven’t it’s an opportunity for you to get ahead of the game and differentiate yourself from everyone else, set the trend! If they have updated, you better keep up!

Remember that for a lot of businesses your website is the first point of contact for your audience and as always first impressions count. If your competitors are offering a more engaging website, a site that is easier to use, a site with a more eye catching design etc., chances are you may lose some of your customers.

7. The website is no longer ‘selling’ your business?

Has your business changed / evolved and your website no longer represents your business offering? Or has your business simply outgrown your existing site?

Often, the simple answer is, yes, time for a new site and it’s not always a bad thing to consider. In our experience, a new website project can be very cathartic, often forcing focus in areas that haven’t been lifted and peered under for a while. Our advice, spend time on the discovery phase, really think about what you want and need for your business and then get an agency to give you their input. Don’t be afraid to give this some time, we see clients who spend years getting around to deciding on a new site and then it’s a mad rush and short deadlines. These days, a new site is a sizeable investment for a business, so the time to think and plan is worth every penny.

8. Do you use a whole range of systems and have to duplicate data ?

We see this a lot and its something that should be given serious thought when a new business system is considered. Our advice when looking at a new system is, can it integrate with my other systems? Don’t take anyone’s word for it, unfortunately there are some unscrupulous companies out there that offer a very loose version of “yes it will integration with your website”, make sure you ask for live evidence of that, and API documentation or ask your web agency to get involved. This could save you lots of money and making a bad decision that leaves you out of pocket and duplicating data entry everywhere! Remember, the point of utilising technology is to save you time.

9. Your website is not reaching your customers?

Whether you are trying to attract customers on your doorstep through local SEO or attract new business nationwide, this is a good enough reason to start thinking not just of a new website but also of a new content strategy. Is your old content dull? Do your blogs inspire new customers to purchase? Are the pages ranked on the first page for location searches? These are questions that you have to ask yourself.

Clientel Take Away

Lastly, we appreciate that websites cost money, but what is the cost of your lack of inertia to your business?