When should you redesign your website? 12 signs it’s time

Short answer

Consider a redesign if your site is more than four or five years old, isn’t mobile-friendly, is slow, generates no enquiries, can’t be edited, has been hacked, no longer reflects your offer or prices, or embarrasses you next to competitors. A well-run redesign keeps existing URLs or redirects them so you don’t lose rankings.

Key takeaways

A dated design costs credibility before anyone reads a word
A successful redesign starts by listing what already works
301 redirects protect your rankings
Use the redesign to add tools that make money

A website ages faster than a shopfront. What was modern five years ago now looks neglected, and clients draw conclusions about your business. Here are twelve signs it’s time to redesign.

Visible signs

1. The design is dated. Fonts, colours, stock photos, auto-sliding carousel: visitors see it in a second.

2. It isn’t mobile-friendly. See Website not mobile-friendly: the risks and how to fix it.

3. It’s slow. Over three seconds on mobile is too much.

4. It shows "not secure". No HTTPS, no trust.

Commercial signs

5. It generates no enquiries. A site that earns nothing is a cost. See My website brings no clients: why, and what to do.

6. It no longer reflects your offer. Discontinued services, old prices, a team that has changed.

7. Competitors look better. When clients compare, they choose the most reassuring site.

8. You hesitate to give out the address. The surest sign of all.

Urgent problem with your website?

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Technical signs

9. You can’t edit it. No logins, unreachable former provider, obsolete technology.

10. It has been hacked or shows security warnings.

11. It isn’t measured. No Google Analytics, no Search Console: you’re flying blind.

12. It does nothing. No booking, no quotes, no Mobile Money payment, no WhatsApp.

Redesigning without losing SEO

Inventory: list of pages, pages getting traffic, ranking keywords.
Mapping plan: each old URL keeps its address or is redirected (301) to the equivalent new page.
Carry over titles and content that work, improved.
Launch and submit the new sitemap to Search Console.
Monitor for 60 days to fix errors.

Every NTG Studio Web redesign includes this protocol.

What a redesign should bring

Not just a new look. A redesign is the chance to add what makes money: booking, online quotes, Mobile Money payment, chatbot, English version, blog. Our redesign starts at 359,000 FCFA, or from 99,000 FCFA for a simple refresh as an Essential site.

Frequently asked questions

Does a redesign lose SEO?

Not if it’s well prepared: page inventory, keeping or 301-redirecting URLs, carrying over titles, monitoring in Search Console. Done badly, traffic can drop.

How much does a website redesign cost?

Often as much as a new build, since design and technology are redone. Reusing content and SEO can lower or raise the budget depending on what exists.

Can I keep the same domain?

Yes, and it’s recommended: your domain carries your history and reputation.

Noé Mbwang

Founder of NTG Studio Web in Douala. Master’s in international public law, IBM Data Analytics and Anthropic AI Fluency certified. He designs websites and visibility strategies for African businesses. Learn more →