Website Redesign: What It Involves and Who Should Do It
Last updated . Outside sources were checked October 1, 2026, and DeskTeam360's details on September 25, 2026.
A website redesign is a rebuild of how a site looks and works, from its layout and pages to the system it runs on. It can be as small as a new homepage or as big as a full rebuild. You plan it, build it on a test copy, and launch it with permanent redirects so visitors and search engines follow the moved pages. An employee, a contractor, or an outside team can do the work, and the right pick depends on how much web work you'll have after launch.
This page is a plain reading of the rules. It isn't legal or tax advice.
How do you redesign a website?
You redesign a website in five steps: audit what you have, plan the new site, build it on a copy, launch with redirects, and watch the results.
- Audit and measure. List every page address. Write down this month's traffic, leads, and top pages, so you can compare after launch.
- Plan. Decide which pages stay, merge, or go, and write the new address next to each old one.
- Build on a copy. Test forms, links, and phone layouts away from the live site.
- Launch with redirects. For each page whose address changes, Google recommends a permanent server-side redirect, such as a 301 or 308.
- Watch. Compare traffic and leads with your audit numbers. Google says a move is done only after its crawler has visited every old and new address at least once.
The redesign project plan breaks these steps into phases, owners, and sign-offs. To keep your rankings, see website redesign SEO.
When is it time to redesign your website?
It's time when the site holds the business back: it's hard to update, it works badly, or it shows services you no longer sell. Common signs:
- You can't add a page or change a section without calling someone.
- The site is hard to use on a phone.
- Pages are slow. Google's target is for the main content to show within 2.5 seconds.
- The site runs an old version of WordPress. Older versions don't get security updates.
- Your services, prices, or brand changed, and the site still shows the old ones.
If only one or two of these fit, a refresh may be enough.
If you'd rather hand the redesign to a team, you can talk it through with DeskTeam360.
The button opens DeskTeam360's Book a Call page.
Should you redesign or refresh your website?
Refresh when the site works but looks dated or needs a few fixes. Redesign when the structure, the system, or the purpose of the site has to change.
| Refresh | Redesign | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | A few pages or sections | Most or all of the site |
| When it fits | The site works, but some pages look old or need small fixes | The site is hard to update, slow, insecure, or no longer matches what you sell |
| What changes | Images, text, colors, single sections, bug fixes | Page structure, page addresses, design, and often the system the site runs on |
| Redirects needed | Usually none, since addresses stay the same | Yes, for every address that changes |
A homepage update and a full rebuild are both web work an outside team can take on.
How often should you redesign your website?
There's no set schedule, and no official source gives one. Redesign when the signs above show up, not because a number of years went by. Regular upkeep helps a site last longer between redesigns: WordPress.org says to always update WordPress to the latest version, and to keep plugins up to date for security and speed.
Why redesign a website?
You redesign a website so it does its job again: it's safe, quick, easy to update, and it describes what you sell today.
- Security. Older versions of WordPress don't get security updates.
- Speed. Google sets targets for how fast a page shows, how fast it responds, and how much it shifts while loading.
- Fit. The pages should match the services you sell now.
- Easy updates. A site you can change without a developer for every edit saves time.
A redesign costs money, and a launch with missing redirects can cost search traffic. For the price, see website redesign cost.
Should a redesign fix accessibility?
A redesign is a good time to build accessibility in, because you're rebuilding the pages anyway. The W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the international standard for accessible web content. The current version, WCAG 2.2, was published on October 5, 2023, and it has three levels: A, AA, and AAA.
The US Justice Department's ADA.gov guidance names WCAG and the federal Section 508 Standards as helpful technical standards for accessible websites. It says businesses have flexibility in how they comply, but what they offer online must be accessible. A separate 2024 rule set WCAG 2.1 Level AA for state and local governments only. This isn't legal advice. Ask your lawyer what applies to your business.
Who should do the redesign?
The redesign should go to someone who can build the site, handle redirects, and leave the accounts and the work in your name. Three options fit most small agencies' needs.
| Who does it | How it works | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| An employee | A person on your payroll | You pay wages, employer taxes, and benefits. See what a web hire costs for the full math. The person also needs enough web work after launch |
| A contractor | One person, paid one price for the project or by the hour | Put who owns the work in writing before it starts. Contractor paperwork rules apply |
| An outside team | A company with several people, paid by the project, by the hour, or for a dedicated team | Keep the domain, hosting, and logins in your name |
Whoever you pick, put who owns the work in writing before it starts. The step-by-step guide's section on who owns the work explains the rule. Keep the hosting and logins in your name too: the guide to website migration tells what happened to one business whose marketer held them.
A flat monthly rate is one more way to pay an outside team. As of September 2026, DeskTeam360 publishes three monthly prices: $1,497 for 1 task at a time, $2,994 for 2, and $4,491 for 3. Its web work runs from a quick homepage update to a full rebuild, and website maintenance is included after launch. A plan is a team working on a set number of tasks at once, so it isn't the same as one full-time hire. To compare providers, see how to choose a website redesign service.
"DeskTeam360 provided exceptional and very professional work on my website. I’ve received nothing but rave reviews on not only the design but the customer journey."
D. Green (Trustpilot review)
More on redesign and migration
Ready to hand off the redesign? A call is where you find out if a flat monthly team fits your agency's web work.
The button opens DeskTeam360's Book a Call page.
Sources
- Google Search Central, "Site moves with URL changes"
- Google Search Central, "Redirects and Google Search"
- Google Search Central, "Understanding Core Web Vitals"
- WordPress.org, "Updating WordPress"
- WordPress.org, "Manage Plugins"
- WordPress.org, "Hardening WordPress"
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, "WCAG Standards and Guidelines"
- ADA.gov, "Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA"
- ADA.gov, "Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content"
- IRS, "Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee?"
- IRS, Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC
- Codeable, "Outsource web development" and Devox Software, "Outsource web development"
- DeskTeam360, home page and prices (deskteam360.com), web design and development (deskteam360.com/services/web-design-development), website maintenance (deskteam360.com/services/website-maintenance) and About (deskteam360.com/about)
- Trustpilot, DeskTeam360 reviews
All checked September 25 or October 1, 2026. This site isn't connected to the State of Florida or any other government agency.
What changed
- October 1, 2026: First version of this page.