Repair when the foundation is still sound
If the site is fast, secure, maintainable and structurally useful, targeted changes may solve the problem. Navigation, copy, calls to action and service pages can often be improved without a full rebuild.
Rebuild when the platform is holding the business back
A rebuild becomes more sensible when the site is unreliable, heavily dependent on obsolete plugins, difficult to edit, slow, compromised or too constrained for the features the business now needs.
Protect useful URLs and content
Pages that already earn search traffic or links should be mapped before the new site launches. Changing URLs without redirects can throw away value the old site earned.
Keep useful copy, reviews and project information when they still serve the customer.
Choose based on total ownership cost
A cheaper repair can become expensive if the business keeps paying to patch the same underlying problem. A rebuild costs more upfront but may reduce recurring friction. Compare the next few years, not only launch day.
