Should I fix my website or start over?

Fix the site if the problem is limited and the rest still fits your business. Starting over makes sense if the proposed repairs cannot give customers the information and working pages they need.

Start with something you can show: "Customers cannot find our opening hours on a phone." That gives a web designer a problem to look into. If the site just feels old, talk through what you want to work differently before deciding how much to change.

Which problems should I write down first?

Try something a customer would do on your website. Open a service page on your phone and look for the next step. Notice where information is missing or where you get stuck.

The wording needs a look, too. A restaurant's main page might still describe a service it has stopped offering. Mark what has changed in the business so the person reviewing the site knows what needs updating.

You can send the page address with a short explanation of what you expected to happen. When a repair quote comes back, you should be able to see how it deals with that problem.

Can an automated website score make the decision?

A score can give you questions to ask about repairs. Our free website checker explanation describes what the tool checks on the public homepage and what it leaves out. It does not inspect every page or try everything a customer might do.

For example, a passing result still leaves someone to read your service information and try the contact steps. You can take the result to the person reviewing your site and ask how it relates to the problem you found.

A rebuild recommendation should come with an explanation you understand. What needs changing? Can that work be done on the current site? The score can help start that conversation, but someone still needs to look at the problem itself.

What existing material is worth keeping?

Your service pages may still explain the business well. Some photos may also be useful on the next version. Note what you want to keep and which wording needs an update, then share that with whoever is preparing the quote.

Think about where customers find your current website address. It might be printed on a menu or included in a booking message. If the site changes, ask how those links and any connected services will be handled and checked.

You should know what will happen to the material you have picked out. The word "redesign" leaves plenty to discuss: which pages are being rewritten, which photos stay and what happens to the features you use now. Get those details into the description of the work.

Do I control the accounts needed for the work?

You need to know who manages the domain and hosting, and how your business can give someone else access. If those details are missing, tell the web designer so they can be sorted out before changes are scheduled.

Tell the web designer about your business email, too. For example, if your email depends on the current setup, explain that and ask what the planned work involves. The quote should make clear who is handling any changes to connected tools.

Our web design page explains that our sites run on your own hosting account, under access you control and can revoke. You own your domain and site, including the code we build.

How should I compare a repair quote with a replacement?

Put the quotes beside the problems you wrote down. Each should explain which pages you will get and what will work differently. For the opening-hours problem, you want to understand how customers will find those hours after the work.

You also need to know what is left out and what you will still manage yourself. Ask whether anything needs a separate quote. Whoever is offering the work should confirm whether they can repair your particular site and what that repair would cost.

We agree the work and price before starting, and we do not charge for extra work without written approval.

How will I check whether the work is ready?

Use the working pages to try the task that started the project. If you could not find the opening hours on your phone, try finding them again. Read the service information as well, and follow the contact step you want customers to use.

You can point out anything that still gets in the way and compare it with the work you agreed.

Show us the problem by starting with our web design page.