Refresh is enough when…
- The underlying WordPress theme is modern and well coded.
- Core Web Vitals pass, or are one speed pass away from passing.
- The information architecture broadly makes sense - menu, page structure, URLs.
- SEO is working; you don't want to risk rankings.
- The brand is evolving, not changing.
If most of the above are true, a refresh - restyled components, new imagery, updated copy, better CTAs, a component-level speed pass - will produce most of the business outcome at a fraction of the cost.
You need a rebuild when…
- The theme is a heavy page-builder template that can't be made fast.
- The URL and page structure is broken - thin pages, orphans, cannibalising keywords.
- Your commercial intent has shifted and the site can't express it.
- The admin experience is so painful that content stops getting updated.
- Custom functionality needs replacing end-to-end.
Don't wreck your SEO doing either
Rebuilds lose rankings when teams skip redirect mapping. We run a full pre-launch URL audit, map every old URL to its new home, and monitor Search Console after cutover. See the technical SEO case study for the pattern.
Rough pricing difference
A refresh typically lands 30-50% of the cost of a rebuild, for 60-80% of the outcome when the underlying site is still sound. Past that threshold, rebuild wins on every axis. Either way, an ongoing website care plan protects the investment so the site does not quietly slide back to where it started.
Refresh vs rebuild - common questions
A refresh typically costs 30-50% of a full rebuild and delivers 60-80% of the outcome - but only when the underlying site is still sound. Past that threshold a rebuild wins on every axis, including cost over time.
Only if you skip redirect mapping. Rankings are lost when old URLs 404 after launch. We map every old URL to its new home, redirect with 301s and monitor Search Console after cutover - see the technical SEO case study.
If the theme is modern, Core Web Vitals are close to passing, the structure makes sense and SEO is working, refresh. If the theme cannot be made fast, the URL structure is broken, or your commercial intent has shifted, rebuild. The comparison table above lays out the line.
Not sure which camp you're in?
Send us the URL. We'll give you a blunt refresh-or-rebuild recommendation, in writing, within a day.