Website Lifecycles: When to Rebuild

“Should I rebuild my website?”

It’s a question you may find yourself asking as your business grows and your digital marketing needs evolve. But how do you know if your current website is still viable or if it’s time to start over?

Here are some key factors that will help you decide when to rebuild your website.

Brand Standards

Your brand standards are the rules that guide anyone working with your company’s print and digital assets, including your logo, colors, images and fonts. Their job is to ensure consistency across different marketing channels.

If you have brand standards, review your current website to make sure they’re implemented correctly. It’s possible to make small changes to colors, images and fonts without rebuilding the site, but changing the structure and overall presentation of your website may require an overhaul.

Website Speed

How quickly your website loads is an important consideration when deciding whether or not to rebuild it. Google prioritizes websites that pass core web vitals, so slower websites can receive less traffic. A quick website has a load time, or largest contentful paint (LCP), of 2.5 seconds or less.

Hope is not lost if your site isn’t passing core web vitals. Websites can often be optimized to pass LCP without a complete rebuild.

But slow speeds may indicate underlying web development issues. How your website was built can cause loading speed issues. A web developer can take a look under the hood at your website’s code to determine if a rebuild would fix the problem.

Website and Technology Age

Your website has a shelf life. You can prolong its lifespan by making incremental platform updates as they’re issued. Web technology will continue to evolve, though, and older software and content management systems eventually need to be replaced.

Here are some signs that suggest your web technology is outdated:

Speed: If you’ve updated your website but the load speed continues to lag, it could be because of obsolete programming.

Bugs: Are you noticing broken pages, blank spots in web content and 404 errors? Those malfunctions often occur when a site starts to age. Those problems may also indicate improper web development.

Security: Your website may be more vulnerable to hackers and bots if you use outdated technology, especially if you haven’t completed regular updates. Server and source code updates keep your website protected from malicious attacks. A rebuild can boost online protection and search performance since Google prioritizes website security during a crawl.

Design: Websites need the occasional facelift to stay fresh. Research shows that 75% of consumers judge a company’s credibility based on its website design. A rebuild improves your website’s visual appeal and usability.

A website rebuild may seem daunting, but the team at Touchstone Digital will review your website and help you determine if a rebuild is necessary. Contact us online or give us a call at 419-299-9000.