A website redesign is tempting when you look at your site and feel it looks old. But "looks old" is the weakest reason. The strong reasons are practical: the site does not work on phones, you cannot change a price without calling a developer, or it describes a business you no longer run.
Signs it's time
Go through this list honestly. Two or three yes answers usually mean a redesign is worth it.
- On a phone, text is tiny, buttons overlap or the menu does not open. A 10-minute mobile check will show you quickly.
- You cannot edit prices, photos or opening hours yourself.
- The site takes several seconds to show anything on mobile data.
- Your services, prices or languages have changed and the site still shows the old ones.
- Requests come only by phone, and the form either does not exist or nobody knows where its emails go.
- You have no access to the hosting or domain, and the previous developer is gone.
- You added Armenian or English to your service, but the site is in one language.
If the only complaint is "I'm tired of the colors", a small refresh of the first screen and photos may be enough.
Refresh or full rebuild
| Situation | Refresh | Rebuild |
|---|---|---|
| Platform is modern, you can log in and edit | Yes | Not needed |
| Site is slow because of heavy images | Yes, optimize | Not needed |
| Code is old, not mobile-friendly | No | Yes |
| No admin access, unknown hosting | No | Yes, on your own accounts |
| Business offer changed completely | Partly | Usually yes |
| Want new features: booking, payments, three languages | Sometimes | Often easier |
A refresh changes the look and a few blocks. A rebuild means new code and a new structure, while keeping content and addresses that matter.
What to keep
The domain. Never change it without a strong reason. Its age and links are worth a lot. If it is a .am domain, make sure it is registered to you, not the old developer.
Page addresses that bring traffic. Before touching anything, export the list of pages and how many visits each gets from search. Pages with traffic keep their address, or get a 301 redirect to the new one. Our guide on migrating without losing rankings explains the redirect map step by step.
Content that answers real questions. FAQ blocks, price explanations, service descriptions that people actually read. Edit them, do not throw them away.
Reviews and real photos. Anything that proves you exist and work.
Analytics history. Keep the same analytics account so you can compare before and after.
What to replace
- Sliders on the first screen. One clear message works better than five rotating ones.
- Stock photos of smiling people in suits.
- Forms with eight fields.
- Pages with old promotions, "news" from three years ago and empty sections.
- Contact methods nobody checks. If you answer only in Telegram and WhatsApp, say so and remove the email nobody reads.
Design: template or custom
A redesign is also the moment to decide how unique the site should look. A good template can be enough for many small businesses. A custom design makes sense when the brand matters in sales or the template cannot hold your structure. We compare both in template or custom design.
Plan for a redesign
- Export all pages with search traffic and inbound links.
- Mark each page: keep, merge, rewrite, delete.
- Write the new structure on one page.
- Prepare a redirect table: old address to new address.
- Design the first screen and one inner page, approve, then the rest.
- Move and edit content.
- Launch, then the same day test forms, Telegram notifications, redirects and mobile view.
- Watch search traffic and requests for four weeks.
Timeline and cost
| Scope | Price at Kinto | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| One-page site, redesigned | from $700 | about 6 days |
| Multi-page site, redesigned with content transfer | from $1,800 | about 12 days |
| Online store rebuild | from $4,000 | about 22 days |
| Extra languages | from $600 | added |
| Support after launch | from $900 for 6 months | ongoing |
The price is fixed in the contract before work starts. Full list on the pricing page.
The short version
Redesign because something does not work, not because of fashion. Keep the domain, the addresses with traffic and the content that answers questions. Replace the layout and the parts nobody uses. And test the request path on a real phone on launch day.
Send us your current site address and what bothers you about it. We will tell you honestly if a refresh is enough. Telegram: @kinto_am.