Redesigning a Wix website: refresh it, or move to something new?

Plenty of small businesses start with a Wix site they built themselves, and that’s a perfectly good way to start. A few years on, it often doesn’t reflect the business any more. The question is whether it needs a refresh or a full redesign, and whether to stay on Wix or move.

Refresh or redesign?

A refresh keeps the structure and updates the look: new photos, new colours, tidier text. A redesign rethinks the whole thing: which pages you need, what each one says, how people get in touch and how the site is found in search. If the problem is how it looks, refresh. If the problem is that it doesn’t bring in work, redesign.

Signs it needs a redesign

• It looks fine on a laptop but awkward on a phone.
• All your services sit on one page, so none of them can rank on its own.
• You get visits but very few enquiries.
• It no longer describes what you do or where you work.
• You want something the site can’t easily do, such as proper booking or ordering.

Redesigning without affecting the live site

Whether you stay on Wix or move, the new version should be built separately and switched over in one go, so customers never see a half-finished site. If you’re moving platform, keep your domain name: it can be pointed at the new site on launch day, and your email carries on as before.

Will it affect your Google rankings?

Moving platform usually changes page addresses, so every old address needs a permanent redirect to its new equivalent, and the pages that bring in searches should keep the words that earn them. Done carefully, you keep your search history. I explain the process in how to redesign without losing your Google rankings.

Do it yourself or pay someone?

If you enjoy it and the site is simple, redesigning it yourself can work well. It’s worth paying someone when the site needs to win work in a competitive area, when you want features the builder can’t do well, or when your time is worth more running the business. A professional redesign should also bring the structure, writing and local search work that DIY sites often miss.

What it costs with SR7

I build sites that you own outright rather than on a builder. My prices: Starter £295 for up to 5 pages, Growth £595 for up to 10 pages with local search set-up and your Google Business Profile tidied up, and Bespoke from £995 for booking, payments or shops. Moving your existing pages across and redirecting the old addresses is included.

Keeping it in good shape afterwards

Once you’re off a builder, someone needs to look after updates, backups and small changes. You can do that yourself, or take an optional care plan: Website Care at £25 a month on your own hosting, or Managed Website Care at £50 a month with hosting included.

Not sure which you need? I’ll review your current site for free and tell you honestly whether a refresh would do. Or get in touch for a fixed quote.