The conventional answer is every three to five years. In our experience, that timeline applies mostly to template-based sites — and here’s why.

Templates age because the platform ages. The design patterns become familiar, the limitations become visible, and what felt contemporary at launch starts to look like a product of its moment. When the framework underneath is someone else’s, there’s only so far a refresh can take you before the structure itself becomes the constraint.

A custom-built website doesn’t have that problem. Because every decision — layout, typography, spatial logic, interaction design — was made specifically for that brand rather than borrowed from a shared framework, the site has its own visual identity that doesn’t date in the same way. We have websites we designed eight years ago that still look considered and current today. Not because design trends haven’t moved, but because the work was grounded in brand rather than trend from the outset.

The more useful question isn’t “when should I redesign?” but “what does my website actually need right now?” For many of our clients the answer isn’t a full redesign — it’s a considered refresh. New imagery, updated content, a refined colour palette, a new section added to reflect where the business has grown. Because our sites are built on a solid custom foundation, these updates are neither time-consuming nor expensive. The structure supports evolution rather than resisting it.

A well-built website shouldn’t feel like a depreciating asset with a fixed lifespan. It should be something that grows with your business — updated when it needs to be, not replaced on a schedule.

We have on-going relationships with most of our clients and sometimes they change their business model – or they want to look more contemporary. Because we built their original site and we know the structure and content we are able to do a complete update and new look without going back to the drawing board and starting from scratch.