Is Your Website Actually Working? 7 Signs It's Time for a Redesign

Your website looks fine to you. It's been working for a few years, and you've gotten used to it.

But here's the uncomfortable question: Is it actually working for your business?

Most business owners don't realize their website is underperforming until they look at the numbers. Visitors bounce immediately. Forms sit empty. Calls don't come in. Revenue that should be there... isn't.

The truth is, websites have a shelf life. Design trends evolve. Technology advances. Google's algorithms change. What worked three years ago might be costing you thousands of dollars in lost opportunities today.

In this guide, we'll walk through 7 clear signs that your website needs a redesign—with self-diagnostic tests you can run right now to see where you stand. By the end, you'll know whether you need a full redesign, a minor refresh, or if you're actually doing fine.

Let's find out if your website is helping or hurting your business.

How to Know When It's Time

Before we dive into specific signs, let's establish the baseline question: When should you redesign your website?

The general rule: Most business websites should be redesigned every 2-4 years.

But that's just a guideline. The real indicators are performance-based, not calendar-based.

You should seriously consider a redesign when:

• Your website isn't generating the leads or sales you need
• Your bounce rate is consistently high (over 60%)
• Your business has significantly changed direction
• Your site doesn't work properly on mobile devices
• You can't make updates without hiring a developer

You probably don't need a redesign if:

• Your site is less than 2 years old and performing well
• You're getting consistent leads and positive feedback
• The design still looks modern and professional
• Your bounce rate is reasonable (<50%)
• You can easily update content yourself

Now let's check each warning sign with specific diagnostic tests.

Sign 1: Your Website Looks Outdated

The problem: Outdated design makes visitors question your credibility. If your website looks like it's from 2015, potential customers assume your business is stuck in 2015.

Self-Test: Visual Design Age Assessment

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Does your site use any of these outdated design elements?

   • Flash animations or widgets
   • Rotating carousels or sliders on the homepage
   • Beveled buttons or glossy effects
   • Times New Roman or Comic Sans fonts
   • Multiple fonts (more than 3 different typefaces)
   • Background music
   • "Under construction" pages

2. Check these modern design standards:

   • Large, high-quality images (not stock photo clichés)
   • Lots of white space
   • Simple, clean navigation
   • Mobile-first design approach
   • Fast-loading, lightweight design

3. Compare to competitors:

   • Look at your top 3 competitors' websites
   • If yours looks noticeably older, that's a red flag

How bad is it?

• ✅ 0-1 outdated elements: You're fine for now
• ⚠️ 2-3 outdated elements: Consider a design refresh
• 🚨 4+ outdated elements: Full redesign needed

How to Fix It

Minor fix: Update typography, improve spacing, swap out stock photos for authentic images of your business.

Major fix: Full design overhaul with modern aesthetics, improved layout, and better visual hierarchy.

For ideas on modern web design, check out our portfolio of small business websites.

Sign 2: It Doesn't Work on Mobile

The problem: Over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site doesn't work on phones, you're losing more than half your potential customers.

Self-Test: Google Mobile-Friendly Test

Run these tests right now:

1. Google's Mobile-Friendly Test

   • Go to PageSpeed Insights
   • Enter your website URL
   • Check the mobile score

2. Manual test on your phone:

   • Visit your website on your actual phone
   • Can you easily read text without zooming?
   • Do buttons and links work properly?
   • Are images sized correctly?
   • Can you navigate without frustration?
   • Do forms work on mobile?

3. Check common mobile issues:

   • Text too small to read
   • Buttons too small to tap (less than 48×48 pixels)
   • Horizontal scrolling required
   • Pop-ups that can't be closed
   • Images that don't fit the screen

How bad is it?

• ✅ Mobile score 90+: Excellent
• ⚠️ Mobile score 50-89: Needs improvement
• 🚨 Mobile score <50: Critical issue, redesign needed

How to Fix It

Minor fix: Adjust font sizes, button spacing, and image dimensions for mobile devices.

Major fix: Build a fully responsive, mobile-first design from scratch. Modern frameworks handle this automatically, but older sites may need complete rebuilds.

Sign 3: It Loads Slowly

The problem: 53% of mobile users abandon websites that take longer than 3 seconds to load. Slow sites lose customers and hurt your Google rankings.

Self-Test: Page Speed Check

1. Run Google PageSpeed Insights test:

   • Visit PageSpeed Insights
   • Enter your URL
   • Note your speed scores

2. Manual perception test:

   • Clear your browser cache
   • Visit your homepage
   • Time how long until everything is visible
   • Try on slow 3G mobile connection

3. Check for common speed killers:

   • Unoptimized images (files over 500KB each)
   • No image compression
   • Too many plugins or scripts
   • No caching enabled
   • Large video files hosted on your server
   • Slow hosting provider

How bad is it?

• ✅ Load time <2 seconds: Great
• ⚠️ Load time 2-4 seconds: Could be better
• 🚨 Load time >4 seconds: Urgent problem

How to Fix It

Minor fix:

• Compress images using TinyPNG or similar tools
• Enable browser caching
• Minify CSS and JavaScript
• Use a content delivery network (CDN)

Major fix: Migrate to faster hosting, rebuild site with performance-first approach, or use a modern framework like Next.js or TanStack Start.

For more on website performance, see our guide on how much a bad website costs your business.

Sign 4: Your Bounce Rate Is High

The problem: If visitors arrive and immediately leave, your website isn't engaging them. High bounce rates indicate design, messaging, or usability problems.

Self-Test: Check Your Analytics

1. Log into Google Analytics:

   • Go to Reports → Engagement → Pages and screens
   • Look at bounce rate for key pages

2. Check these benchmarks:

   • Homepage: 40-60% bounce rate is normal
   • Service/product pages: 30-50% is acceptable
   • Blog posts: 70-80% is common (people read and leave)
   • Overall site average: Under 50% is good

3. Identify problem pages:

   • Which pages have bounce rates over 70%?
   • Are these important pages (like your homepage or services)?
   • What do these pages have in common?

How bad is it?

• ✅ Bounce rate <50%: Healthy
• ⚠️ Bounce rate 50-70%: Room for improvement
• 🚨 Bounce rate >70% on key pages: Serious issue

How to Fix It

Minor fixes:

• Improve headline clarity (tell visitors what you do immediately)
• Add clear calls to action
• Speed up page load times
• Make navigation more intuitive
• Improve mobile experience

Major fix: Redesign with focus on user experience, clear value proposition, and conversion-focused layout.

Learn more in our guide on Google Analytics metrics for small businesses.

Sign 5: You're Not Getting Leads or Calls

The problem: The ultimate test of a website is whether it generates business. If your site isn't producing leads, calls, or sales, something's broken.

Self-Test: Conversion Audit

1. Calculate your conversion rate:

   (Form Submissions + Phone Calls) / Total Visitors × 100
   

2. Check industry benchmarks:

   • Service businesses: 2-5% conversion rate is good
   • E-commerce: 2-3% conversion rate is average
   • Lead generation sites: 3-5% is solid

3. Audit your conversion elements:

   • Is your contact form easy to find?
   • Is your phone number clickable on mobile?
   • Do you have clear calls to action on every page?
   • Are there multiple ways to contact you?
   • Do you ask for too much information on forms?

4. Ask these questions:

   • When was the last time someone filled out your contact form?
   • Do you track phone calls from your website?
   • Have you tested your forms to ensure they actually work?

How bad is it?

• ✅ Conversion rate >3%: Working well
• ⚠️ Conversion rate 1-3%: Could be better
• 🚨 Conversion rate <1%: Major problem

How to Fix It

Minor fixes:

• Simplify your contact form (ask for less information)
• Make your phone number more prominent
• Add trust signals (testimonials, reviews, certifications)
• Improve your calls to action

Major fix: Full redesign focused on conversion optimization, including form redesign, improved messaging, and strategic placement of conversion elements.

Check out our article on why your website isn't generating leads for detailed solutions.

Sign 6: Your Business Has Changed

The problem: If your business has evolved but your website hasn't, you're sending mixed messages that confuse potential customers.

Self-Test: Message Alignment Check

Ask yourself:

1. Does your website accurately reflect your current business?

   • Services you offer now vs. what's listed
   • Industries you serve now vs. what's shown
   • Your pricing tier (budget vs. premium)
   • Your geographic service area

2. Check for these misalignments:

   • Photos of employees who no longer work there
   • Outdated company name or branding
   • Services you've discontinued but still advertise
   • Old contact information
   • References to years-old events or promotions

3. Review your messaging:

   • Does your homepage headline describe what you do now?
   • Do case studies or testimonials reflect your current target market?
   • Is your "About Us" page accurate?

How bad is it?

• ✅ Everything current: No problem
• ⚠️ Minor outdated elements: Simple updates needed
• 🚨 Major disconnect: Full redesign required

How to Fix It

Minor fix: Update copy, swap photos, remove outdated services, refresh About page.

Major fix: Rebrand and redesign to match your current business direction and target audience.

Sign 7: You Can't Update It Yourself

The problem: If you need to hire a developer every time you want to change a sentence or add a blog post, your website is costing you time and money.

Self-Test: Content Management Assessment

1. Try these tasks:

   • Add a new blog post or news item
   • Update your contact information
   • Add a new service or product
   • Change a photo
   • Fix a typo

2. Rate the difficulty:

   • ✅ Easy: You can do it yourself in 5 minutes
   • ⚠️ Moderate: Requires hiring someone or following complex instructions
   • 🚨 Impossible: You don't even have login access to your site

3. Check for these issues:

   • No content management system (CMS)
   • CMS so complicated you can't use it
   • Custom-coded site with no backend
   • Developer holds all access credentials

How bad is it?

• ✅ You can make updates easily: Good system
• ⚠️ Difficult but possible: Consider migration to better CMS
• 🚨 Can't make any updates: Urgent need for redesign with proper CMS

How to Fix It

Minor fix: Get training on your current CMS, or request admin access if you don't have it.

Major fix: Migrate to a modern CMS like WordPress, Webflow, or custom system that gives you control. This typically requires a redesign.

Redesign vs. Refresh: Which Do You Need?

Based on your test results, here's how to decide:

You Need a Full Redesign If:

• 3+ major warning signs (🚨) from the tests above
• Your site is over 5 years old
• It doesn't work on mobile
• Your business model has changed significantly
• Conversion rate is below 1%

What a redesign includes:

• New design from scratch
• Updated site structure
• Modern technology platform
• Mobile-responsive build
• SEO optimization
• Content management system

Timeline: 6-12 weeks for most small business sites

You Need a Refresh If:

• 1-2 minor issues (⚠️) from tests above
• Site is 2-4 years old and mostly functional
• Design is dated but structure works
• Mobile experience needs improvement
• Content needs updating

What a refresh includes:

• Design updates (colors, fonts, layout improvements)
• Content rewrites
• Image updates
• Mobile optimization
• Speed improvements

Timeline: 2-4 weeks for most refreshes

You're Fine If:

• Mostly green results (✅) on tests above
• Site is less than 2 years old
• Getting leads consistently
• Bounce rate is reasonable
• Mobile experience is good

What to do: Make minor improvements, update content regularly, monitor performance metrics.

What a Redesign Costs (And How to Budget)

If you've determined you need a redesign, here's what to expect:

Typical website redesign costs:

• Basic refresh: $2,000 - $5,000
• Standard small business redesign: $5,000 - $15,000
• Custom business site: $15,000 - $50,000
• E-commerce or complex functionality: $30,000+

What affects the cost:

• Number of pages
• Custom functionality required
• Content creation needs
• E-commerce integration
• Copywriting and photography
• Ongoing SEO work

For detailed pricing breakdowns, see our guide on website costs in 2026.

How to budget:

1. Assess your current website ROI: If your website generates $50,000/year in revenue, a $10,000 redesign pays for itself quickly. See our article on how to measure website ROI.

2. Consider the cost of NOT redesigning: A bad website costs you opportunities every day. Calculate lost revenue from poor conversion rates.

3. Phase the project if needed: Start with critical fixes (mobile, speed, conversion elements), then tackle design updates later.

Take Action on What You Found

Now you know where your website stands. If you discovered multiple red flags, it's time to make a decision:

If you need a redesign:

• Get quotes from 2-3 agencies or designers
• Ask about their process, timelines, and what's included
• Check references and recent work examples
• Don't choose based on price alone

For guidance, read our articles on questions to ask before hiring a web designer and red flags when hiring a designer.

If you need a refresh:

• List specific issues to fix
• Get quotes for the work
• Consider whether DIY updates are possible
• Set a timeline for completion

If you're doing fine:

• Keep monitoring key metrics monthly
• Update content regularly
• Stay aware of design trends
• Reassess in 6-12 months

Ready to Fix Your Website?

At MooseBase, we specialize in redesigning websites for small businesses that aren't performing. We'll audit your current site, identify what's broken, and create a conversion-focused design that actually generates leads.

Every redesign includes mobile optimization, speed optimization, proper analytics setup, and a content management system you can actually use.

Whether you need a complete overhaul or strategic improvements, we're happy to help.

Next Steps:

• Calculate if a redesign makes financial sense with how to measure website ROI
• Understand the hidden costs of waiting in how much a bad website costs
• Learn what to track in Google Analytics for small businesses
• Find out why you might not be getting leads in why your website isn't generating leads
• See our portfolio of redesign projects
• Schedule a free website audit to discuss your specific needs

Your website should be your best employee. If it's not pulling its weight, let's fix that.