How Often Should a Startup Redesign Its Website?

The short answer

There is no fixed schedule. Redesign when the company has changed more than the website has. The usual triggers are new positioning, a new funding round, a new product and a site that has become slow or dated. Between redesigns, keep improving the pages that matter most.

The triggers at a glance

• New positioning: The site describes the company you were a year ago
• New round: Investors, hires and buyers will all look at the site
• New product: The current structure has no place for it
• Slow or dated: The site is hard to edit, slow to load or off-brand

Redesign or improve?

• Improve when the structure and brand still fit. Update the homepage, add pages and fix speed.
• Redesign when the story, the brand or the platform has changed.

Signs the site is holding you back

• Sales explains things on calls that the site should have covered.
• Marketing needs a developer for every small change.
• New pages look different from old ones.
• The product has moved on and the screenshots have not.

Most of our websites take 2 to 6 weeks, so a redesign can be planned back from a raise or a launch.

Related reading: Website Redesign Process, Week by Week, Website Redesign Cost: What Drives It

FAQ

Should we redesign after every funding round?

Only if the story changed with it. A round is a good moment to check.

Can we redesign one page at a time?

Yes, if the brand and components stay the same. That is improving, and it is often enough.

Does a redesign hurt SEO?

Not when URLs, redirects and content are handled with care.

Wondering if it is time? Send us your site and we will give you a straight answer.