How the recommendation is made
Each answer adds “redesign pressure” in one of three areas:
- Foundation (technology, mobile, editing, security, speed): problems here are hard to fix without rebuilding.
- Presentation (design, brand fit, messaging, structure): often fixable with a refresh on the existing platform.
- Performance (enquiries, conversion, search visibility): may point to content or conversion fixes rather than a new site.
A full redesign is recommended when the foundation scores 60% or more, or when both foundation and presentation are high. A refresh is recommended when presentation is the main problem and the foundation is sound. Targeted fixes are recommended when issues are mainly in performance or scores are low overall. A warning is added when the current site ranks well, because a redesign must protect existing SEO. These thresholds are our judgement from scoping projects, shown so you can weigh them yourself.
Redesign, refresh or fix?
| Option | Typically means | Good when |
|---|---|---|
| Full redesign | New structure, design and often platform | The site is outdated, hard to edit, slow or broken on mobile |
| Refresh | New look, messaging and key templates on the same platform | The technology is fine but the site looks dated or says the wrong things |
| Targeted fixes | Specific improvements to pages, speed, forms or content | The site mostly works but underperforms in specific places |
Read planning a website redesign before starting, and estimate scope with the Website Project Scope Estimator.