Let’s cut to it: your website is supposed to be working for you, not gathering digital dust while your dream clients bounce. But how do you know if your website needs a redesign? How often should you redesign your website or brand?

If your site feels more “meh” than magnetic, here are 10 signs it’s time to hit refresh—and how a new website (or even just a website audit from a pro) can help you get back on track and more profitable than ever!

How do you know if your website needs a redesign?

1. Your website looks like it was built in 2015

Retro is cute for web design when it’s intentional. But that 5-10 years out of date look? It just looks bad. It makes people question if the information is current, or if you’re even still in business!

If your site still has a homepage slider, 4+ fonts, low color contrast, not enough white space, or feels like a time capsule (I’m talking to you, with the blog that hasn’t been updated in 6 months!), it’s not building trust—it’s hurting it.

2. You’re embarrassed to send people to it

If you’re dodging the “what’s your website?” question, or prefacing it with “it’s not totally done yet, but…” that’s a neon sign it’s time to fix it. It’s AMAZING if someone asks you for your website- they’re interested, and may have purchasing intent! Your website should be your hardest working sales closer and employee- not something to hide.

3. Your site isn’t converting

You’re getting traffic (yay!) but no inquiries or sales (boo). That’s not a traffic problem—it’s a website problem.

Super honesty time: the DIY website that you so painstakingly designed might be slow, ugly, confusing, clunky, or just not guiding people to take action in an intuitive way. People expect PERFECTION from websites now days- you have 0.05 seconds to make an impression on your website visitors, so the margin for error is basically non existent.

4. It’s a DIY job you threw together out of necessity

No shame! But now that you’re leveling up, your website should too. You can’t keep marketing your heart out only to send leads to a site that doesn’t reflect your professionalism, brand, or growth. In fact, spending money on marketing only to send traffic to a dated website is a total waste of money!

5. It’s not mobile-friendly

Most people will meet your site on their phone, not their laptop. If your site is slow, un-scrollable, or looks like a mess on mobile? You’re losing sales before they even read your headline.

6. Your site doesn’t match your brand vibe anymore

Your visuals, your voice, your offers—they’ve evolved. But your website? It’s still stuck in your soft pastel era when you’ve gone full bold CEO (or vice versa- you get the idea!).

7. Your backend is a hot mess

You have to Google how to update your website every time. You’re scared to break something. You avoid your site like it’s your ex. You don’t have someone you can count on (even if it’s you, yourself!) to update your website as it grows and changes.

8. It’s not clear what you do (or how to work with you)

If your visitors have to play detective just to figure out what you sell, they’re leaving. Your site should have clear, click-here-next structure.

9. Your traffic is flatlining

A stale site = stale SEO. If your traffic has plateaued or dropped off a cliff, it’s time to check what’s going on behind the scenes.

👉 Not sure? Book a website audit with me and I’ll tell you exactly what’s hurting your traffic (and how to fix it) in less than 24 hours. Finally, some answers!

10. You’re growing—but your site isn’t keeping up

New services, new dream clients, new business direction… but your website? Still stuck where you were 6 months ago (or longer- yikes!). Your business deserves better.

Ready to stop blending in and start booking out?

I hope this blog helped answer your question, “How do you know if your website needs a redesign?” If any of these resonated with you, it’s time to act!

At SO Digital, we build bold, strategic websites that turn browsers into buyers—in one week or less. No 3-month timeline. No fluff. Just a fresh, modern site that’s totally custom and built to convert.

📣 Check out our Website in a Day and Website in a Week all-inclusive packages → https://sarahokeefedigital.com/services

Not sure if you need a full redesign?
Let’s start with a website audit. I’ll comb through your site, tell you what’s working, what’s not, and what changes will actually boost conversions.

Stop sending dream clients to a site that doesn’t do you justice. Let’s get you the online presence you deserve! At SO Digital, our dream for you is a website that gives you back your most precious commodity- time. It answers questions before potential clients can ask them, tells them what to do next, and guides them to conversion. If you want to turn clicks into clients, work with us at SO Digital– we can’t wait to help take you from overlooked to fully booked.