Old websites present a number of problems. Does one try to up-date or do we start again? Trying to update a very old website (more than 10 years old) is probably not worth it. Everything would need to be changed to meet modern requirements and it’s just not practical to even attempt it. A website that’s more modern might be worth trying to save, especially if it was well designed at the time by someone who really knew what they were doing. Unfortunately such websites (and such people) are not that common. Most websites have been built to a price and lack all the attention to detail that’s needed to age gracefully. So it’s a case-by-case exercise and there is no blanket rule saying that, at a certain age, a website is no longer useful. It all depends!

Usually though, it’s quicker and cheaper to start again. Keep the old website running in the meantime and build a new website, quite possibly on a new domain (that depends on a few things as well) and when the new website is built just switch all traffic going to the old website to the new website. With careful attention to the re-directs there will be no loss of rankings on Google (assuming the old site has a useful ranking). A new domain with key word or two in the domain name and extra careful attention to new page names will soon give big benefits to search engine performance. We’ve been doing this sort of thing for twenty years or more so know exactly what to do for the best results.

Of course it’s important for your website to be found on the Internet but it also now needs to work properly on mobile phones, on tablets as well as on laptops and desktops. This is called “responsive” design and most old websites have none of this. And the website has to look good, everything working nicely and representing your business in a positive, friendly, trustworthy fashion.

If some of this seems a little confusing or too full of jargon then just give us a call on 027 465 8188 and let’s have a chat. Also, you can visit our page: Website Rescue If you are reading this then that is most likely a good idea!

P.S. Check out this link if you are interested in really old websites: https://interestingengineering.com/top-12-oldest-websites-still-in-existence-today