15 Signs Your Business Needs a New Website

1. It looks broken on a phone

Over 65% of UK traffic is now mobile. If your site needs pinching, zooming or sideways scrolling on a phone, you're losing the majority of your visitors in the first three seconds. Mobile-first design isn't a nice-to-have — it's the default.

2. It takes more than three seconds to load

Google's own data shows that the probability of a visitor bouncing increases 32% when a page goes from 1 to 3 seconds to load. A slow site quietly halves your conversion rate before anyone ever reads a word.

3. The branding looks five years old

Design trends move on, and so do customer expectations. Heavy drop shadows, glassy buttons, stock imagery, busy backgrounds — these all date a site quickly. People judge credibility on visual quality long before they read your copy.

4. You barely get any enquiries

If your site brings in fewer than one or two enquiries a month and you're getting reasonable traffic, the problem is the site, not the audience. We unpack why in Why your website isn't generating enquiries.

5. You don't rank for anything on Google

If you only show up for your business name, you're missing every prospect who's searching for what you offer. Modern websites are built with technical SEO baked in: fast, semantic, well-structured, with proper schema. Older sites usually aren't.

6. Updating content is a nightmare

Every time you need to change a price, a phone number or a service description, you have to email someone and wait. A modern CMS should let you edit core content yourself in a few clicks.

7. The calls to action are weak or missing

Vague 'Contact us' links at the bottom of every page won't convert. Strong sites give visitors a clear next step on every section: book a call, request a quote, download a guide. If you can't see the next action without scrolling, the site is leaking enquiries.

8. You've had security warnings

Missing SSL, out-of-date plugins, mixed content warnings, browser red flags — any of these and visitors will simply close the tab. Worse, Google will start to deprioritise the site in search results.

9. The user journey is confusing

Too many menu items, no clear hierarchy, important content buried three clicks deep. Good sites make the next step obvious. If you have to explain how to use your own website, the website is the problem.

10. Your competitors look more professional

Open three competitor sites side-by-side with yours. If theirs feel more credible, faster, clearer — your prospects are noticing the same thing. They're comparing you on the website long before they ever contact you.

11. Your services have changed but your website hasn't

Businesses evolve. Your website should reflect what you do now, who you serve now, and the prices you charge now. A site that's a year or two behind your business confuses prospects and undermines trust.

12. The site doesn't pass basic accessibility checks

Tiny tap targets, low-contrast text, missing alt text on images, forms without labels. Accessibility is increasingly a legal expectation in the UK — and a usability one for everyone.

13. You're spending money on ads that go nowhere

If you're running Google or Meta ads and the conversion rate is poor, the problem is rarely the ad — it's the landing page. Sending more traffic to a site that doesn't convert just multiplies the loss.

14. You have no trust signals

Reviews, client logos, case studies, testimonials, awards, certifications. If none of these are visible above the fold, visitors have no reason to trust you over the competitor in the next browser tab.

15. You're embarrassed to send people the link

This is the gut-check. If you'd rather hand someone a business card than send them your URL, your website is undermining you — and it's almost certainly costing you more than a redesign would.

What to do if four or more of these apply

You have two sensible options. The first is optimisation: targeted fixes to speed, structure, copy and conversion paths on the existing site. This makes sense when the design and platform are still fundamentally sound. The second is a redesign: a clean rebuild on a modern foundation, designed from the ground up around the enquiries you want to generate.

A free website review will tell you which one you actually need. And if you'd like to talk it through with a real person, a short discovery call is the easiest way.