Should you repair your website or replace it?
A simple way to decide whether to fix what you have or start again, and roughly what each costs.
By David West, Darlington Design · 26 October 2026
When a website starts to feel tired, the instinct is often to start again. Sometimes that’s right. Often a few targeted fixes do the job for a fraction of the cost. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Repair it if…
- It already works well on a phone
- The problems are specific: a broken form, out-of-date details, a missing security certificate, poor page titles
- You’re happy with how it looks and what it says
- It’s on software that can still be updated
Replace it if…
- It’s hard to use on a phone, and most of your visitors are on one
- It can’t do what you need, such as take bookings, show your reviews or let people request a quote
- It runs on old software that can’t safely be updated
- Nobody knows how to change it, or the person who built it has gone
- You’d be fixing five or more things at once
A quick rule of thumb
What each costs with me
| Price | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Quick fixes | £199 | Usually within 24 hours |
| A new website (up to 5 pages) | £595, or £79 a month | Within 3 working days of getting your content |
A new website keeps your web address, email and place on Google. I move your best content across and point old page addresses to the new ones.
Still not sure? That’s exactly what the free review is for. I look at your site and tell you which makes sense, with a price for each.
Want me to check your website?
I’ll send you a free, plain-English review of your website: how it works on a phone, Google’s speed test, and what to fix first, each with a price. No obligation.