Redesign, or a new website?
Most owners face this question when the website stopped bringing enquiries, or never brought any. The answer cannot be picked from a price list. It depends on what exactly the site is losing, and that can be found out.
- 19 Aug 2026
- Patrik Zukal
When a fix is enough
A website can look dated and still do its job, and the other way round. Targeted fixes make sense when the foundation holds: the offer is clear, the page structure matches what people search for, and the technology does not resist change.
Typical findings that get fixed without a rebuild: a missing or vague call to action on the first screen, broken measurement (so you never know what works), slow loading on mobile, copy about the company instead of the customer, a form that asks for too much.
These are not fringe problems. My audit of 50 Czech websites found a clear action in the first mobile viewport on 22 sites out of 50. The rest leave the visitor guessing. That is a fix measured in days, not a rebuild measured in months.
When a fix is not enough
I recommend a new foundation when the problem sits in the substance, not the surface. You recognise it by fixes piling up: every change fights the template, and the site says everything except why to choose you.
- The site does not say who you sell to and why you specifically. That is not a copy tweak; that is missing strategy.
- The page structure does not match how your customers buy. Restructuring it is a bigger job than building clean.
- The technology resists change: an ageing template, a plugin for everything, fixing one section breaks another.
- The site stays slow after optimisation. The problem is the foundation, not the images.
What to fear in a redesign, and what not to
The real risk of a redesign is not the look; it is losing search rankings. It happens when the new site throws away page addresses, copy and internal links that Google spent years associating with your field. The remedy is craft: keep addresses where possible, redirect where not, and never delete content just because it is old.
What you need not fear is weeks of a “site under construction”. A new website is built next to the running one and switched over finished.
How to decide
Neither the site's age nor gut feeling decides. Findings do: what the site loses, where visitors leave, and how much of it can be fixed within the current foundation. That is why every engagement starts with an analysis: I review the site through the eyes of a customer and of Google and return a list of the specific places that cost you enquiries. Only from that list does it make sense to read whether you are facing a fix or a build.
Redesign questions
- Will a redesign cost me my Google rankings?
- It does not have to. Rankings get lost when a new site changes page addresses without redirects and throws away content. Keep the addresses and the content, or redirect them properly, and search engines handle a design change fine.
- How long does a redesign take?
- It depends on scope. Fixing five things and rebuilding a site are not the same length of engagement. I give a concrete date with the offer, which is based on the analysis.
- Can it be done gradually?
- Often yes. When the foundation holds, work starts with the highest-impact fixes and the site improves while running. A completely new foundation makes sense only when gradual fixes demonstrably lead nowhere.
Not sure which group your website belongs to?
Send me its address. Within three working days you get concrete findings, and they will show whether a fix is enough or a rebuild is due.
Tell me what you want to build or improve.
Tell me what is not working today or where you want to get to, and include a link to the current website if there is one. I will reply within three working days with the next step.
- Direct contact with me
- Free, non-binding review of an existing website
- Reply within three working days
Prefer email? patrik@patrikz.dev