We’ve been doing a lot of website audits. Colleges and healthcare systems come to us when they know something isn’t right, but they aren’t sure exactly what it is. It might be their CMS or they have chronic accessibility issues. Sometimes they need someone to give an outside opinion of their design, interactivity, or content.

As a result of all these audits, we know the signs that a client needs a website redesign. I’ve gathered six of the most common signs to help you know whether it’s time for your institution to make changes.

1. You’ve Had Accessibility Violations or Complaints

This is an obvious reason and one you can’t afford to ignore. Accessibility is the law, and violations can land your institution in legal jeopardy. In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice published specific requirements about the accessibility of websites and mobile apps: Any state or local government site must meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards by specific dates, starting April 2026.

If your website can’t support full keyboard access or screen readers, or its design is full of contrast issues, non-pausing sliders, or flashy videos, it’s time to replace it. Watch our webinar on accessibility requirements. Or talk with us about an accessibility audit of your site.

2. Your CMS Is Hard to Update, Breaks Often, or Is Just Slow

Most of us have had a weird noise in our car that we pretend we don’t hear … until we can’t ignore it any longer. A lot of websites send the same kind of signal. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

An old, difficult CMS is one of the most obvious reasons you need a new website. There are serious opportunity costs to your IT team spending untold hours managing security updates, incompatible plugins, broken APIs, and mystery errors.

Another more human risk? The harder a website is to edit, the more likely page owners are to put off content updates. Then not only is your site old, but your content is old, too.

And then there is the general impatience of users. A 2024 Forbes Advisor survey showed that 33% of users will bounce from sites that take 6 seconds or longer to load. If your site is full of unoptimized images, old JavaScript, or is poorly hosted, you may be losing traffic.

A new or updated CMS will have unbeatable benefits like better security and SEO tools, a friendlier interface, and easier integrations with third-party solutions.

3. Your Menus Are Sprawling

As serious as reasons one and two are, this is one of the most popular reasons our clients come to us. Once upon a time, they had a tidy main menu with five to seven submenu items for each. But over time, priorities, politics, and personalities blew up the menu. Now it contains everything and yet no one can find anything. 

Not sure? Do a quick usability test with a friend who doesn’t know your site. Watch them while they try to complete a basic task. Some ideas: Where would you click if you want to find a dermatologist at a clinic near you? Where would you click to see if this college offers Spanish?

A clear symptom of this problem is if your heatmaps are showing that “Search” is your most popular click.

4. Your Site Is Hard to Use on a Phone

“Mobile-friendly” isn’t a nice-to-have anymore; it’s a must-have. Our research for higher ed and healthcare clients shows that a 50/50 split between phones and laptops is typical. For most users, mobile is the first way or the only way they will ever engage with you. Responsiveness comes from how your site is built. “Retrofitting” with code updates is often a large undertaking and one that might not be worth it compared to a new build.

5. You Plan to Merge Multiple Sites

If your online strategy is to merge multiple sites or subdomains, you are probably looking at a mix of design templates, information architecture, and maybe even content management systems. When you are trying to pull together so many kinds of strategies and solutions, it’s easiest to start fresh.

What you’ll lose: duplicate content, conflicting code or plugins, competing search results, and confusing wayfinding. What you’ll gain: consistent user experience across your enterprise, integrated search results, the same editing experience for everyone, and one web solution for your team to manage.

6. Your Institution Has Rebranded

Rebrands come in a few flavors. Maybe it’s a new visual language—updated logo and color palette. Or it’s a complete re-envisioning of the future of your organization. Whatever the level of rebrand, your website is the instrument by which most people engage with you, so it must align. A website redesign will help you express your promise to your community through visuals, yes. But brand appears in the language you use, too, and even in the way you ask people to interact with your website.

If the rest of your site is healthy—menus are tight, search is optimized, content is regularly reviewed—changing how your site looks is relatively easy. Watch a video: Redesigning your site without rebuilding it

Now What Do I Do?

If any of these six signs ring true to you, it’s time to get ready. Deciding to redesign your website is a really big deal! But there are steps you can take to get started: 

• Start with an audit. A Stamats website audit can help you scope your project, understand your site’s issues, and make the case for institutional support. Email us today.  
• Write your RFP. We have tips to help you write a great one (and an example to start from): Get our Default RFP template. 
• Declutter your digital junk drawer. Getting a structured content inventory, review, and rehoming can save you time and money. 

Trust me, future you will thank current you for taking the leap.