Service
Website redesign
A redesign should keep what already works. We start by finding out which pages bring in visitors and enquiries, then rebuild around them rather than over them.
Who this is for
Redesigns suit businesses whose site has some history: it ranks for useful searches, it has pages that other sites link to, and enquiries still arrive through it, but it looks dated, is hard to use on a phone, or no longer describes what the business does. That is most established firms in York and Harrogate that built their site five or more years ago.
Signs it is time
- The site is hard to read or use on a phone.
- Staff avoid editing it, so it is out of date.
- Pages describe services you no longer offer, or miss ones you do.
- It loads slowly, especially on mobile data.
- Customers phone to ask questions the site should answer.
- The security or software underneath is no longer supported.
Start with an audit, not a mood board
Before we change anything we look at your analytics and Search Console data for the last twelve months, crawl the current site and list every page that earns traffic, links or enquiries. That list decides what must be kept, merged or redirected. It is the single biggest reason redesigns lose rankings: good pages vanish and nobody notices until enquiries dry up.
What is included, step by step
- Data audit. Traffic, rankings, conversions and backlinks by page.
- Content inventory. Every page with a decision: keep, improve, merge or remove.
- Redirect map. Old address to new for every change, including old addresses that still have external links.
- New structure. Navigation and page plan based on how people use the site now.
- Design and build. Mobile first, accessible, fast.
- Copy updates. Rewriting vague or out-of-date pages while protecting the substance of pages that rank.
- Staged launch. Redirect tests, crawl comparison, forms and tracking checked before switching over.
- Post-launch monitoring. Daily Search Console checks for the first fortnight, then weekly for two months.
Keep, improve, merge or remove
| Decision | When | What happens to the address |
|---|---|---|
| Keep | Page ranks and converts | Same address if at all possible |
| Improve | Page ranks but is thin or dated | Same address, better content |
| Merge | Several thin pages on one topic | 301 redirect to the combined page |
| Remove | Obsolete, no traffic or links | 301 to the closest useful page |
How long it takes and what drives the cost
A redesign of a small site usually takes six to ten weeks, a little longer than a new build because of the audit and migration. Cost depends on the size of the existing site, how much content needs rewriting, whether the platform changes, and how many integrations must be carried over.
Common mistakes
- Changing every address for a neater structure without redirects.
- Cutting the text from pages that ranked because of it.
- Losing location or service pages that brought in local searches.
- Launching with "discourage search engines" still switched on from staging.
- Broken analytics, so a traffic drop goes unnoticed for weeks.
Redesigning in stages
Not every redesign has to happen at once. Some clients start with the most important templates, usually home, services and contact, and roll the rest over a few months. This spreads the cost and lets you see results early.
Redesigns around York
Many established York businesses have a site that was built when the business looked different. A Harrogate professional firm may have added services and partners over the years with no change to the structure. A city-centre shop may have bolted an online store onto a brochure site. A visitor attraction may have pages for events that ended years ago still ranking in search. In each case there is value worth keeping, which is why we audit before we redesign.
A worked example
A typical audit for a long-established firm might show that a handful of pages bring in most of the search traffic, including an old guide that still ranks well for a common question, while dozens of pages bring in nothing. The plan would keep and improve the guide at its existing address, merge thin service pages into stronger ones with redirects, remove outdated news posts with redirects to relevant pages, and design the new site around the services that actually generate enquiries. After launch we would watch the pages that carried the traffic most closely.
How we measure it
We compare organic clicks, rankings for your main searches, and enquiries for the eight weeks after launch with the eight weeks before, adjusted for seasonality where we can. Anything that slips is investigated page by page; it is usually a missed redirect or a page that needs more content, and fixing it is part of the job.
Questions
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
It can if done carelessly. With a redirect map, preserved content and post-launch checks, most sites hold steady and many improve.
Can we redesign in stages?
Yes. Some clients start with the most important templates and roll the rest over a few months.
Do we have to change platform?
Not necessarily. If your current platform is sound, we can redesign on it.
What access do you need?
Analytics, Search Console, the website admin and the domain or DNS account. We can help you find them if they were set up by someone else.
Can you keep our domain and email working?
Yes. We change only the records the website needs and check email continues to work.