Websites
Do I need a new website for my Newcastle business?
Many businesses asking this question need a few faults fixed on the site they already have, rather than a new one. The difference is usually thousands of dollars, so it is worth checking before you spend anything.
Tell us about your business and what you need.
The short answer
A rebuild is worth it for four reasons.
Whether you need a new website depends on what is actually wrong with the current one. A site that cannot be edited, is slow on a phone, runs on unsupported software or has no page for what you sell may need rebuilding. Most other problems can be fixed.
Looking dated is not on that list, even though it is the reason many rebuilds get bought. A plain site that loads quickly and says clearly what the business does will usually bring in more enquiries than a beautiful one that takes six seconds to appear.
When to rebuild
Four genuine reasons to rebuild
- Nobody can edit it
- If changing a phone number needs a developer, the site will slowly go out of date.
- It is slow on a phone
- Most visitors arrive on a phone using mobile data. A site that takes several seconds loses some of them before it appears.
- It runs on unsupported software
- Old platforms stop receiving security updates, which becomes a real risk.
- There is no page for what you sell
- A single page listing eight services struggles to rank for any one of them.
If none of those apply, the money usually does more on your Google Business Profile and on the pages of the site you already have. If you do decide to rebuild, our guide to what a redesign costs explains the price bands, and our website redesign service covers the work.
Cheaper fixes
What is worth fixing instead
These four fixes cost less than a rebuild and often matter more. Two of them can usually be done in a day, and they are the two that change the enquiry rate soonest.
- Make it load quickly on a phone
- Oversized images are the usual cause. Speed work is often an afternoon rather than a project.
- Say what you do on the first screen
- The service and the city in plain words, above anything else. Visitors decide in a couple of seconds whether they are in the right place.
- Put the phone number where a thumb can reach it
- Tappable and visible without scrolling, on every page.
- Add a page for each service
- The largest of the four jobs, and the one with the biggest effect on search, because a page about the exact service someone typed can rank on its own.
Hidden costs
What a rebuild can cost beyond the invoice
A new site can lose some of the search positions the old one had. Each page has its own web address, and if the addresses change without redirects (rules that send visitors from an old address to the new page), the visits those pages earned go with them.
That is routine work, but it has to be done. If you rebuild, ask in writing for every existing page address to be kept or redirected to its replacement.
The other cost is time. Months spent on a rebuild are months not spent on the profile, reviews and pages that bring in enquiries.
What to do first
The order that brings in work soonest
- 1. The Google Business Profile
- It is free, quick to improve, and it is what the map ranks.
- 2. The fixes on the current site
- They are cheap, and they raise the share of visitors who get in touch.
- 3. New service pages
- They take longest to pay off and depend on the first two being right.
- 4. A rebuild
- Only if one of the four real reasons applies.
One situation does justify a rebuild regardless: if the business has changed what it sells, who it sells to or its name, the old site describes a business that no longer exists.
Comparing quotes
Four questions to ask any website quote
These answers separate two website quotes more reliably than the design does. A domain registered in a builder’s own account is one of the hardest things to get back years later.
- Whose name is the domain in?
- It should be the business’s, and you should have seen the account.
- Who holds the hosting and logins?
- The same answer: your own accounts. Hosting should be in your name too.
- What does a change cost after launch?
- A real price and a real turnaround.
- Who looks after it in eighteen months?
- Many local sites were built well and then left, until the hours and services were out of date.
The short version
If your site loads quickly on a phone, says what you do on the first screen and has a tappable phone number, the site is probably not the problem. Fix the profile and add service pages before paying for a rebuild.
From clients
What clients say about working with spareday
“He didn’t just build me a great website, he created an easy-to-manage system that allows me to make updates myself whenever I need to. He has spared me so much time doing all of this myself!”
“Huge shoutout to Reece for building my website for Hughesys Painting Services. Since it went live my phone hasn’t stopped ringing.”
“He was able to take our rough ideas, from concept through to reality. The site has provided an influx of new members, helping to keep our club viable.”
Official guidance
For independent background, read the official guidance on business websites and Google’s SEO starter guide.
Common questions
Questions people ask.
My site looks old. Is that a reason to rebuild?
On its own, no. Looking dated costs less than being slow, hard to contact or missing a page for what you sell.
Will a new website improve my Google ranking?
Not by itself, and it can make it worse for a while. A page for each service and a site that loads quickly improve ranking, and both are possible without a rebuild.
How fast should my site load on a phone?
Something useful should appear within about two seconds on mobile data. Sites that miss this are often failing on image sizes alone.
What happens to my old pages if I rebuild?
Each one should be redirected to its replacement. If that is skipped, the search visits those pages earned are lost.
How does spareday charge?
spareday quotes one price for the work your business needs, agreed in writing before anything starts. The figure depends on what the business needs, and it comes with your quote.
Who you’ll work with
Hi, I’m Reece.
spareday is my business, based here in Newcastle. You’ll deal with me from the first review of your website, and I’m the person you talk to each month about what’s working.
Find us
spareday in Newcastle.
12 Grey Street, Wickham, Newcastle NSW 2293.
Next step
Get a quote for your website.
Tell us about your current site and what is not working. We will talk through the details and send you a quote.
Get a free quoteOr call 0485 017 387.