When a website stops bringing in enquiries, the first thought is usually "we need a new one". Sometimes that's right. But a new website from a Brisbane web designer typically costs A$1,800 to A$6,500, and a redesign that copies the same problems onto a new look won't fix anything.
Many of the reasons a site underperforms have nothing to do with how it looks. Slow pages, a contact form that quietly fails, a phone number that's hard to tap, or a page Google never indexed. These can usually be fixed on the site you already have, often in days rather than months.
This guide lists 12 fixes to work through before you pay for a redesign. Each one explains what to check, why it matters and how to fix it. If you work through the list and the site still holds you back, you'll go into a redesign knowing exactly what the new site has to do better.
Key takeaways
- Test on a phone first. Mobile devices made up 48.56% of Australian web traffic in October 2026 (StatCounter), and Google uses the mobile version of a site "for indexing and ranking" (Google Search Central).
- Speed has a clear target. Google's Core Web Vitals call for the main content to load "within 2.5 seconds" (web.dev). Fewer than half of WordPress sites (48.3%) met all three targets on mobile in September 2026 (HTTP Archive).
- Broken forms and missing tracking hide the real problem. If you can't see how many people call or enquire, you can't tell whether the site is failing or just unmeasured.
- Updates and accessibility are part of the job. The ACSC tells small businesses to "keep content management systems and plug-ins up to date" (ACSC), and 21.4% of Australians have disability (ABS, 2022).
- Redesign when the foundations are the problem. If the site can't be edited, can't be made fast or no longer fits your business, a rebuild is worth it. Otherwise, fix first.
Which website fixes make the biggest difference?
Start with the fixes that stop people from contacting you: speed, mobile use, calls to action and forms. Mobile devices made up 48.56% of Australian web traffic in October 2026 (StatCounter), so a problem on a phone affects about half your visitors. Then work through trust, content and the technical checks.
1. Make your pages load fast
Google's target is for the main content of a page to load "within 2.5 seconds", with the page responding to taps in 200 milliseconds or less (web.dev). These are the Core Web Vitals, and Google measures them on real visits. In September 2026, only 48.3% of WordPress sites passed them on mobile (HTTP Archive).
How to check: put your homepage and your main service page into Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool. Look at the mobile result first.
Common fixes: compress and resize large images, remove plugins you don't use, cut back on sliders and pop-ups, and move to better hosting if the server is slow to respond. None of these need a new design.
2. Check the site properly on a phone
Google uses "the mobile version of a site's content, crawled with the smartphone agent, for indexing and ranking" (Google Search Central). So the phone version isn't a smaller copy of your site. As far as Google is concerned, it is your site.
How to check: open every main page on your own phone, not just a desktop browser made narrow. Try to read, scroll, tap a button and fill in the form with one thumb.
Common fixes: text that's too small, buttons too close together, menus that don't open, tables that run off the screen and pop-ups that cover the page. Most are styling changes.
3. Make the next step obvious on every page
Every page should tell visitors what to do next, and make it easy. If someone has to scroll to the footer to find your phone number, many won't bother. Ask yourself: what's the one action you want a visitor to take on this page?
How to check: look at the top of each main page on a phone. Can you see a clear button or phone number without scrolling?
Common fixes: a "Call now" or "Get a quote" button near the top, a phone number that dials when tapped, and the same call to action repeated after each main section. Use plain words that say what happens next, such as "Book a free consult", rather than "Submit".
4. Test your contact form, end to end
A contact form can look fine and still fail. Messages land in spam, go to an old email address, or never send after a plugin update. You won't know unless you test it, because nobody tells you about the enquiry they couldn't send.
How to check: fill in every form on your site from your phone, using a personal email address. Check that the message arrives, where it lands, and that the person gets a confirmation.
Common fixes: set up proper email sending for the site (so messages aren't flagged as spam), remove fields you don't need, add a clear thank-you page, and send a copy of each enquiry to a second inbox. Test again after every update.
5. Show proof that you're real and trusted
People look for signs that a business is genuine before they get in touch. Google says that for local search, "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking" (Google Business Profile Help). The same reviews reassure people on your website.
How to check: does your homepage show real reviews, your business name and ABN, a physical area you serve, photos of your actual team or work, and any licences or memberships?
Common fixes: add a reviews section linked to your Google reviews, real photos instead of stock images, and short case examples. Stay within the rules: the ACCC says businesses must not "create fake or misleading reviews" or "suppress or edit negative reviews" (ACCC).
6. Rewrite pages around your customers' questions
Visitors arrive with a question: can you help with my problem, how much will it cost, and how do I start? Pages that answer those questions clearly do better than pages that talk mostly about the business. This is usually a writing job, not a design job.
How to check: read your main service page as a new customer would. Does the first paragraph say what you do, who it's for and where? Does the page explain the process, typical costs or what affects them, and what happens next?
Common fixes: a clear first paragraph, one page for each main service, a short FAQ on each service page, and pricing guidance where you can give it. If you sell services in a regulated industry, check what your advertising rules allow first.
What technical fixes should you check before a redesign?
The technical checks decide whether people can find the site, whether you can measure it, and whether it stays safe. Google's Page indexing report shows "which pages Google can find and index on your site" (Search Console Help). If key pages aren't there, no design will bring them traffic.
7. Fix the SEO basics on each page
Each page needs its own clear title and description, and Google has to be able to find it. Google's guidance is to "Write descriptive and concise text" for page titles, and to avoid "repeated or boilerplate text" (Google Search Central). Many sites have the same title on every page.
How to check: set up Google Search Console (it's free) and open the Page indexing report. Then search Google for site:yourdomain.com.au and read the titles that come up.
Common fixes: a unique title for each page that names the service and location, one main heading per page, descriptive page addresses, and a sitemap submitted in Search Console. These are edits, not a rebuild. Our SEO services page explains how we approach this.
8. Complete and connect your Google Business Profile
For local searches, your Google Business Profile often shows before your website does. Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence, and tells businesses to "provide complete and detailed business info" (Google Business Profile Help). It also warns that inaccurate info means your profile "might not show up for relevant searches".
How to check: search for your business name on Google Maps. Is the category right, are the hours current, and does the profile link to the right page on your site?
Common fixes: choose the most accurate primary category, add services and real photos, keep hours up to date, and make sure your business name, address and phone number match your website exactly. Reply to reviews, good and bad.
9. Track calls and enquiries
You can't fix what you can't measure. Google Analytics lets you "Measure actions that are important to your business and evaluate the marketing channels that lead users to take those actions" (Google Analytics Help). Without that, you can't tell whether the site is failing or simply unmeasured.
How to check: open Google Analytics and look for form submissions, phone link taps and email clicks set up as key events. If you only see page views, you're missing the numbers that matter.
Common fixes: track form submissions (using the thank-you page is the simplest way), phone and email taps, and booking clicks. If you run Google Ads, connect the same actions there so you can see which ads bring enquiries.
10. Make the site usable for everyone
Accessibility helps a lot of people. In 2022, 5.5 million Australians (21.4%) had disability (ABS). The current standard for accessible websites is WCAG 2.2, published by the W3C (W3C). Many fixes also make the site easier for everyone else.
How to check: try to use your site with only a keyboard (Tab and Enter). Check that text is easy to read against its background, images have descriptions, and form fields have labels.
Common fixes: stronger text contrast, alt text on meaningful images, labels on every form field, visible focus outlines for keyboard users, and captions on videos. Most are small changes to the existing site.
11. Update, secure and back up the site
An out-of-date website is a security risk. The Australian Cyber Security Centre says "Websites are a common target for cyber attacks" and tells small businesses to "keep content management systems and plug-ins up to date" and back up their website regularly (ACSC).
How to check: log in to your website's dashboard and look for pending updates. Ask whoever hosts the site when the last backup was made, and whether it has ever been restored as a test.
Common fixes: apply updates monthly, remove plugins and themes you don't use, turn on automatic security updates where you can, use strong passwords with two-factor login, and keep backups somewhere other than the website's own server. If your site runs on WordPress, our WordPress or Next.js guide explains where most security problems come from.
12. Fix broken links and dead ends
Broken links and missing pages frustrate visitors and waste the attention you paid to get. They pile up as pages are renamed, services change and old blog posts point to sites that no longer exist. Google Search Console lists pages it couldn't find in the Page indexing report (Search Console Help).
How to check: look for "Not found (404)" in Search Console, and click through your main menu, footer and buttons yourself. Free link checker tools can scan the whole site.
Common fixes: update or remove broken links, redirect old page addresses to the closest current page, and make your 404 page helpful, with links to your main services and contact page.
When is a redesign really the answer?
A redesign makes sense when the problems sit in the foundations, not the surface. If your site can't pass Google's speed targets of loading "within 2.5 seconds" (web.dev) even after the fixes above, or you can't edit it yourself, a rebuild may cost less than patching it year after year.
It's usually time for a new site when:
- The platform holds you back. It's built on an old system that can't be updated safely, or on a builder you can't take your content out of.
- You can't make changes yourself. Every small text edit needs a developer, and that's slowing your business down.
- The business has changed. New services, a new market or a new brand mean most pages need rewriting anyway.
- It still fails on a phone. The layout can't be made mobile-friendly without rebuilding it.
- Speed can't be fixed. You've cleaned up images, plugins and hosting, and the site is still slow because of how it was built.
If you do redesign, take what you learned from this list with you. Keep the page addresses that already rank (or redirect them), carry over the tracking, and test forms before launch. Our guide to what a small business website costs in Australia explains what to budget, and our WordPress or Next.js guide helps you choose what to build on.
Quick checklist: fix or redesign?
| Problem | Fix the current site | Consider a redesign |
|---|---|---|
| Slow pages | Images, plugins, hosting | Still slow after all three |
| Hard to use on a phone | Styling, buttons, menus | Layout can't adapt to small screens |
| Few enquiries | Calls to action, forms, tracking | Site can't support the pages you need |
| Not found on Google | Titles, indexing, Business Profile | Platform blocks basic SEO settings |
| Hard to update | Training, simpler editor | Every change needs a developer |
| Security worries | Updates, backups, fewer plugins | Software no longer gets updates |
Our family law website checklist was written for law firms, but most of its checks apply to any service business that wants more enquiries.
Frequently asked questions
Test it first. If it fails Google's Core Web Vitals after you've fixed images, plugins and hosting, can't work properly on a phone, or can't be edited without a developer, a redesign is likely worth it. Remember mobile devices made up 48.56% of Australian web traffic in October 2026 (StatCounter), so phone problems matter most.
Yes. Most problems that cost enquiries can be fixed on the current site: slow images, broken forms, hidden phone numbers, missing page titles and an incomplete Google Business Profile. Google's speed target is for main content to load within 2.5 seconds (web.dev), and many sites can reach it with clean-up work alone.
Many fixes take hours or days, not months. Testing forms, adding a tap-to-call button, fixing page titles and updating your Google Business Profile can be done in a week. Speed work and accessibility fixes take longer, depending on how the site was built and how many pages it has.
It can if it's done carelessly. Changing page addresses without redirects, removing content that ranked, or launching without a sitemap can all cause drops. Google's Page indexing report in Search Console shows which pages it can find and index, so check it before and after launch.
Start with what stops people contacting you: test your contact forms, make your phone number tap-to-call, and check every main page on a phone. With 48.56% of Australian web traffic on mobile devices in October 2026 (StatCounter), phone problems usually cost the most enquiries.
Not sure whether to fix or rebuild?
Most websites don't need to be thrown away. Fix speed, mobile use, calls to action and forms first, then the SEO basics, tracking, accessibility and security. If the site still holds you back after that, you'll know exactly what a new one has to do better.
We can look at your current site and tell you honestly which fixes would make the biggest difference, and whether a redesign is worth it. See how we approach website design and development. Talk to us about your project.
