Website Relaunch: When It Makes Sense. The Complete Guide

Contents

1. Introduction

2. When is a website relaunch necessary?

2.1. Signs of an outdated website

2.2. Typical scenarios

3. Preparing for the relaunch

3.1. Analyzing the current website

3.2. Defining goals for the relaunch

3.3. Choosing the right CMS

3.4. Selecting the agency and technologies

4. The phases of a website relaunch

4.1. Strategy and planning

4.2. Design and UX/UI

4.3. Development

4.4. Go-live and support

5. What should you consider when relaunching?

6. Benefits of a relaunch for your business

7. Conclusion: Is your website ready for a relaunch?

1. Introduction

A website relaunch is much more than just a fresh design or a technical update. It's a strategic measure to take your online presence to the next level and meet the increasing demands of your customers. In a time when user experience (UX), loading speed, and mobile optimization are crucial factors for business success, a relaunch can mean the difference between an outdated website and a modern, high-performance website.

But what exactly does "relaunch" mean? While a simple redesign primarily concerns the visual appearance, a relaunch encompasses a comprehensive update of structure, technology, design, and often also the content. It's the perfect moment to adapt your website to new business goals, current technologies, and the expectations of your target audience.

In this article, we'll show you when a relaunch is necessary, how to optimally prepare for it, and which factors you should definitely consider to unlock the full potential of your website.

2. When is a website relaunch necessary?

A website is like your company's digital showcase – it should not only look appealing, but also function optimally and meet the expectations of your target audience. But over time, even the best website can become outdated.

2.1. Signs of an outdated website

1. Outdated Design

If your website looks like it was created ten years ago, you'll quickly lose the trust of potential customers. A modern, appealing design signals professionalism and relevance.

2. Slow Loading Times

In a world where users decide within seconds whether to stay on your site, long loading times are a conversion killer. A relaunch helps significantly improve performance.

3. Poor Mobile Rendering

More than 60% of website visits today are via smartphones. If your site isn't mobile-optimized, you'll lose a large portion of your target audience.

4. Missing Features and Integrations

Would you like to offer online bookings, start a blog, or connect your CRM system, but your current website doesn't support it? Then it's time for a new technical foundation.

5. Declining Visibility in Search Engines

Google prefers fast, responsive, and technically clean websites. A relaunch can help improve your SEO and regain lost rankings.

2.2. Typical scenarios

• Rebranding or New Positioning
  Your company has evolved, but your website doesn't reflect that. A relaunch helps make your new brand identity visible.
• Growth and New Target Audiences
  Do you want to tap into new markets or customer segments? Then your website should appeal to and convince them.
• Technological Development
  Old websites are often difficult to maintain and no longer future-proof. Modern solutions such as headless CMS and frameworks like Next.js enable greater flexibility and speed.

In short: If your website is putting off customers instead of delighting them, it's time for a relaunch.

3. Preparing for the relaunch

A successful website relaunch begins long before the first lines of code are written or design drafts are created. Careful planning is crucial to avoid any surprises later and to ensure that your new website not only looks modern but is also strategically compelling.

3.1. Analyzing the current website

Before you begin the relaunch, you should take a close look at your existing website.

• What is the user experience (UX) like? Can visitors quickly find what they're looking for?
• Are loading times and technical performance up to date?
• Which pages are performing well, and which are losing traffic?

A comprehensive audit – design, technology, SEO, and content – provides valuable insights into what should be retained and what should be improved.

3.2. Defining goals for the relaunch

A relaunch without clear goals is like building a house without a blueprint. Ask yourself:

• Should the new design generate more leads?
• Do you need new features like an online shop, a booking platform, or multilingual support?
• Do you want to reposition your brand and present it more emotionally?

Define concrete priorities so everyone involved is on the same page.

3.3. Choosing the right CMS

The choice of content management system (CMS) has a major impact on the flexibility and future-proofing of your website.

• Classic CMSs like WordPress are suitable for many standard projects, but quickly reach their limits when it comes to more complex requirements.
• Modern headless CMSs (e.g., Payload CMS) separate the backend and frontend. They offer maximum performance and flexibility and are ideal if you're looking for a customized solution with modern frameworks like Next.js.

Work with your agency to determine which solution best suits your needs.

3.4. Selecting the agency and technologies

A relaunch is a team effort. Choosing an experienced partner with both technical and strategic expertise is crucial. Modern technologies like Next.js, Tailwind CSS, and API-based architectures ensure your website remains scalable and performant for years to come.

Tip: Allow sufficient time for the design phase. Thorough preparation saves time and money during implementation.

4. The phases of a website relaunch

A successful relaunch requires a structured approach. From strategy to design to go-live: Each step builds on the previous one and contributes to ensuring that your new website not only looks modern but also performs well in the long term.

4.1. Strategy and planning

In this phase, you lay the foundation for the relaunch:

• Target group analysis: Who are your customers and what do they expect from your website?
• Content strategy: Which content is relevant and needs to be revised, supplemented, or created anew?
• Sitemap and wireframes: The structure of the new website is defined so that visitors can navigate intuitively.

4.2. Design and UX/UI

The new design is developed – visually appealing and functional at the same time:

• Modern, responsive design: Your website is optimized for all devices (desktop, tablet, smartphone).
• User experience (UX): The focus is on offering visitors a seamless and positive user experience.
• Corporate Identity: Colors, fonts, and imagery are chosen to optimally represent your brand.

4.3. Development

Now the concepts become reality:

• Front-end and back-end development: Modern technologies such as Next.js and headless CMS ensure speed and flexibility.
• Content migration: Content from the old website is imported, updated, or created anew.
• Testing: Extensive tests on various devices and browsers ensure that everything works perfectly.

4.4. Go-live and support

The big moment: Your new website goes online! But the process doesn't end there:

• SEO checks and redirects: So that rankings aren't lost and visitors don't see 404 errors.
• Performance optimization: Loading times and Core Web Vitals are checked again.
• Training and Support: Your team receives an introduction to the new system so that you can maintain content independently.

5. What should you consider when relaunching?

A website relaunch offers the opportunity to take your online presence to a new level. However, it also poses risks that you should definitely keep in mind. To ensure the relaunch is a complete success, these factors should be considered from the start:

1. Don't lose SEO and visibility

One of the most common mistakes during a relaunch: Valuable Google rankings are lost because redirects were not set up correctly or content disappears.

Tip: Create a list of all old URLs in advance and plan 301 redirects to seamlessly direct visitors and search engines to the new pages.

2. Loading times and performance

In today's "mobile-first" world, users expect fast websites. Long loading times not only lead to high bounce rates but are also penalized by Google.

Tip: Use modern technologies and optimize images, code, and server performance.

3. Mobile optimization

Over 60% of all users access websites via mobile devices. If your new site doesn't work perfectly on smartphones and tablets, you'll lose a large portion of your target audience.

4. Security and GDPR Compliance

A relaunch is the ideal time to bring your website up to date with the latest security and data protection standards. SSL certificates, secure forms, and GDPR-compliant cookie banners are mandatory today.

5. Easy Content Management

After the relaunch, your team should be able to maintain content quickly and easily themselves. An intuitive CMS solution saves time and reduces costs in the long term.

In short: During your relaunch, ensure that design, technology, and content are in harmony – this is the only way to create a website that will impress in the long term.

6. Benefits of a relaunch for your business

A website relaunch isn't just a technical update—it's a strategic investment in the future of your company. A modern, high-performance website opens up new opportunities for acquiring customers, strengthening your brand, and sustainably growing your business.

More leads and higher conversion rates

A well-thought-out user experience (UX), clear calls to action, and fast loading times are crucial to ensuring visitors not only stay but also take action—be it an inquiry, a purchase, or a booking. A relaunch optimizes your website for more conversions and thus direct revenue.

Stronger brand presence

Your website is often the first point of contact between your company and potential customers. A fresh, professional design conveys trust and makes your brand distinctive. This helps you stand out from the competition and stay top of mind.

Technical future-proofing

Modern technologies such as headless CMS and frameworks like Next.js not only make your website faster but also more flexible for future expansion. Whether new features, language versions, or integrations—your website grows with your business.

Better search engine visibility

A relaunch offers the opportunity to integrate SEO strategies from the start. Clean code, optimized content, and faster loading times improve your Google ranking and bring more organic visitors to your site.

In short: A successful relaunch turns your website into a powerful tool for marketing, sales, and brand building.

Sample studies with measurable results

1. Impulse Creative reports 100% more traffic and 42% more leads within 6 months of relaunching its own website.
2. A redesign at a tea retailer resulted in an impressive 34% increase in sales because the relaunch was specifically focused on conversion.
3. WorkshopDigital documented 50% more organic traffic (YoY) for a non-profit client through better structure and SEO optimization.
4. PureVisibility recorded 85% more organic traffic for a client just three months after the relaunch, plus 110% more keywords overall and 36% more page rankings on page 1.
5. BlackBeanMarketing even reports a 6.5x increase in organic traffic over a year – combined with "billions in sales" from the new website and 80% of all leads via the website.
6. BlackTruckMedia documented an impressive 176% increase in organic traffic and 160% more leads after relaunching a financial services website.
7. An agency analysis shows 167% more visitors and 235% more leads compared to the previous quarter after the redesign.
8. A regional relaunch recorded a 308% increase in total traffic over two years – this speaks to the long-term impact of good relaunches.

Why the relaunch is worthwhile:

• Huge increase in visibility: 50–650% more organic traffic.
• Sales boost: 34% and more direct sales increase.
• Skyrocketing leads: up to 160–235%.
• Better rankings: significantly more keywords in top SERP positions.

7. Conclusion: Is your website ready for a relaunch?

A website relaunch is much more than a cosmetic facelift. It's an opportunity to strategically realign your digital presence, meet the needs of your target audience, and make your brand fit for the future. With a modern, fast, and user-friendly website, you can not only attract more visitors but also convert them into customers.

If you feel that your current website is no longer keeping up – whether visually, technically, or in terms of content – now is the perfect time to take the next step.

Checklist: Does my website need a relaunch?

Ask yourself these 5 questions:

1. Does my website still look modern and appealing?

2. Does it load quickly on all devices, especially mobile?

3. Can visitors navigate intuitively and find what they're looking for?

4. Does my website support current features (multilingualism, integrations, SEO)?

5. Does my website regularly generate inquiries, leads, or sales?

If you answer "no" to two or more questions, it's time to consider a relaunch.

Ready for a fresh start?

At Linxnpix, we support you in implementing your relaunch from the initial idea to a successful go-live. With state-of-the-art technologies, a clear eye for design and performance, and a strong focus on your business goals, we ensure that your new website impresses – and delivers results.