—Service
Website Rebuilds
Complete replacement of outdated, slow, unstable, or template-dependent websites.
01Overview
When a site has outgrown its foundations, patching it costs more than replacing it. We rebuild from the structure up — preserving what works, fixing what doesn't, and delivering a system designed for the next stage of growth.
02How we approach it
A rebuild starts with an audit, not a blank page. During Discover we examine the existing site in detail — its structure, content, traffic, integrations, and the specific ways it fails. Some of it will be worth keeping; much of it will explain why the site became expensive to run. That evidence, not preference, decides what the replacement needs to do.
Define turns that audit into a plan. We inventory every page and asset, map the current URL structure, and set the architecture, requirements, and visual direction for the new system. Redirects are planned here, not at the end, because search continuity depends on them. You see exactly what is being carried over, what is being retired, and what is new before any design work begins.
The new site is designed and engineered alongside the old one, which stays live and untouched throughout. We design the interface system against your real content rather than placeholders, then build it as a server-rendered frontend with a performance budget attached from the start. Content is migrated in a controlled way — scripted where volume demands it, checked page by page where accuracy does.
Before cutover we validate everything the audit flagged: performance, accessibility, redirects, forms, and integrations are tested against the failures the rebuild exists to fix. Deployment is staged — the new site moves through controlled environments, redirects are verified, and the switch is made when monitoring shows it is safe. Afterwards we compare measurements against the original baseline, so the improvement is demonstrated rather than claimed, and Evolve keeps it that way.
03Suitable for
- Slow or unstable existing sites
- Template-dependent builds
- Sites that are expensive to maintain
04Problems solved
- Poor performance and weak structure
- Limited, fragile functionality
- High maintenance cost
05Deliverables
- Rebuilt site or platform
- Migrated content
- Performance and accessibility uplift
- Redirect and SEO continuity
06Technical considerations
- Controlled content migration
- Redirect mapping to protect SEO
- Measured performance improvement
07Common questions
How much does a website rebuild cost?
We don't publish prices, because two rebuilds are rarely the same size. Cost is driven by the scale of the content being migrated, the functionality the old site provided, the number of integrations to reconnect, and the state of what we are replacing. Tell us about the existing site through the contact or brief form and we will set out scope and cost in a written proposal.
Will a rebuild damage our search rankings?
This is the main risk a rebuild has to manage, and it is handled deliberately. During Define we map every existing URL to its destination on the new site; redirects are implemented and verified before launch so that search engines and inbound links resolve correctly. We also check crawlability and metadata as part of Validate, and monitor the site after cutover so anything unexpected is caught early.
What happens to our current site while the new one is built?
Nothing — it stays live and untouched. The new site is built in its own environment, so there is no half-finished state visible to your users and no pressure to rush the cutover. When the replacement has passed Validate, the switch is made through a staged deployment: routing changes over, redirects take effect, and monitoring confirms the new system is behaving before anyone stands down.
Can you migrate our existing content, or does everything need rewriting?
Existing content that earns its place is migrated, not rewritten. We inventory the content estate at the start of the engagement and agree what carries over, what is consolidated, and what is retired. The migration itself is controlled and checked, so nothing is silently lost or mangled in transit. If you do want copy improved, a rebuild is a sensible moment to do it — but it is a decision, not an obligation.
Who runs the site after launch, and what do we own?
Both are settled before work begins. Deliverables, ownership, and any ongoing service commitments are defined in the written engagement agreement each project signs, so there is no ambiguity at handover. The system itself is documented and version-controlled, and handover includes what your team needs to operate it. If you want us to stay involved, our technical maintenance service covers monitoring, updates, and controlled improvement; if not, the documentation is written so another competent team can take over.
08Related
- Web Design
Original interface design built around brand, user behaviour, content hierarchy, and conversion.
- Performance Optimisation
Core Web Vitals, loading speed, caching, code splitting, and database efficiency.
- Technical Maintenance
Monitoring, updates, issue resolution, security maintenance, and controlled improvement.
- See it in practice: Kiln
A studio & brand site concept study from our work gallery.
Discuss a website rebuilds project.
Tell us what you need. We'll tell you how we'd build it.