Should I Rebuild My Website?
A two-minute guide: how I look at a small-business website before anyone talks about rebuilding it, and why paid traffic is a different story.
Owners ask me this a lot. My answer is usually: not yet. Let’s first look at what your website is already doing.
I think of a business website as your online home. People come in from everywhere: Google, your Google Business Profile, a friend who recommended you, social media, people who already know you. They all want something a bit different, so it’s fine for them to look around.
So a menu is not a problem. Several services are not a problem. An About page, a gallery or a blog is not a distraction. That’s what a home has.
What I actually check
Can someone work out what you do, believe you, and take the next step?
Then I sort everything I find into five groups. Most of it ends up in keep or leave alone. Only a handful of things are worth paying for.
| What it means | |
|---|---|
| Keep | It’s working. Don’t touch it. |
| Must do | It’s costing you now. |
| Should do | Worth doing soon. |
| Can wait | Real, but not urgent. |
| Leave alone | Not worth the money. |
Sometimes the most useful thing I can tell you is: I wouldn’t spend money changing this.
Unless you’re paying for the click
Ads change things. Someone searched for exactly what you do, clicked your ad, and you paid for that click. You don’t want that person wandering around the house. You want them to see the offer, the proof, and one clear next step.
What I learned
The way I put it
Navigation is useful when people are exploring. Focus is useful when you’re paying for the click.
That still doesn’t mean a new website. Keep your website, and when you pay for traffic, add a focused page next to it. If your service page already does that job, you don’t need anything extra.
So, should you rebuild? Only once you know what’s working, what to keep and what isn’t worth the money. Usually the answer is a lot smaller than a rebuild.
About the author. Bach Ly is a software engineer with 17+ years building websites and applications for teams at Cochlear, CommSec, Pepper Money and ResMed, and now builds web applications and online integrations through KoalaDigital. More about Bach.