Your website is often the first thing potential customers see of your company. And this is where it becomes uncomfortable: if that first impression does not convince, in most cases you do not get a second chance. 94% of all first impressions are based on visual design. 50 milliseconds are enough for a visitor to decide whether to stay or leave.
You may be asking yourself right now: Does my website really need a relaunch? Or is a small refresh enough? In our daily work with mid-sized companies, we repeatedly see how much revenue potential is left behind due to outdated websites. That is exactly why we wrote this guide. You will learn what a website relaunch really means, how to plan it strategically, and which mistakes you should definitely avoid.
This article is for you if you are currently at one of these points:
In this article, you will find answers to the most important questions about a website relaunch, including costs, technical details, and proven approaches.
A website relaunch refers to the fundamental redesign and technical overhaul of an existing website. In this process, design, structure, content, technology, and often the content management system (CMS) are completely renewed in order to meet current requirements for user experience, search engine optimization, and brand presence.
In short: a relaunch is not a cosmetic update. It is a strategic restart of your digital presence.
While a simple update replaces individual elements such as texts or images, a relaunch goes much deeper. It affects the entire architecture of your website, from navigation and page structure to the technical infrastructure. The goal: a website that not only looks good, but performs measurably better. More inquiries, more trust, more revenue.
The average lifespan of a website is three to five years. After that, the technology, design, and often the content are no longer up to date. However, there are situations in which a relaunch becomes necessary much earlier.
Let us look at the most important warning signs:
Your website is not optimized for mobile and is losing mobile visitors.
Loading times exceed three seconds.
Your branding has evolved, but your website does not reflect it.
The conversion rate is stagnating or declining.
Applicants and customers give you feedback that the website feels outdated.
If even two of these points apply to you, you should seriously consider a relaunch. Every visitor who is not convinced is a missed opportunity. And competitors who invest will gladly take that opportunity from you.
In over 60 projects for companies in industries such as real estate, consulting, and SaaS, we have consistently seen one thing: those who postpone a relaunch do not only lose new customers, but also the best applicants.
These two terms are often confused. However, the difference is crucial for your planning and your budget.
A redesign modernizes the visual appearance of your website. Colors, fonts, images, and layouts are updated. The technical foundation and page structure largely remain in place. A redesign makes sense if the technology still works, but the design feels outdated.
A relaunch goes further. Here, design, structure, technology, content, and SEO strategy are renewed at the same time. Often, the CMS is also changed. The effort is greater, but the result is a completely new digital presence aligned with your current business goals.
One thing is clear: if your website has fundamental technical issues, does not provide a solid SEO foundation, or no longer aligns with your company strategy, a redesign is not enough. In that case, you need a relaunch.
Before you think about design or technology, you need a concept. This is the phase that determines the success or failure of your relaunch. In our work with companies, we regularly see projects fail because this foundation is missing.
What exactly should your new website achieve? Possible goals include more qualified inquiries through the contact form, a longer time spent on the site, better Google rankings for your most important keywords, or a stronger employer brand for recruiting new employees.
Without clear goals, you cannot measure the success of your relaunch. And what you cannot measure, you cannot improve.
Who do you want to reach with your website? What does your target audience expect when visiting your site? What questions do they have? What objections? What information do they need to take the next step?
At K&R, we know: the best websites answer these questions before the visitor even has to ask them. People buy with their eyes. And anything that is not clearly positioned visually, does not appear high quality, or is not strategically thought through is quickly perceived as interchangeable.
Take a look at what your competitors are doing online. Not to copy them, but to be better. What strengths and weaknesses do their websites have? Where are the gaps you can fill?
What content does your new website need? Which existing content can be retained, and what needs to be rewritten? How will your page structure be organized?
A well-thought-out content strategy is the common thread running through your entire relaunch. It is not just about text. Professional photos, videos, references, and case studies are just as crucial. In the digital noise, those who make their true value visible will stand out. An investment in high-quality content pays off for years because it builds trust before the first conversation even takes place.
Which CMS is the right fit for your requirements? Do you need special features such as a customer portal, a configurator, or a multilingual website? Which integrations with existing systems such as CRM or analytics tools are necessary? Clarifying these questions early on will save time and budget later.
Website Relaunch in 7 Steps: The Project Plan
A relaunch is a complex project. To ensure nothing goes wrong, you need a clear project plan. Here is the process we have successfully applied in over 25 website projects:
This process typically takes eight to twelve weeks. At K&R, we work in a way that ensures no more than three months pass from project start to go live, so your company can quickly benefit from the new website.
This is where it becomes critical. A relaunch carries a real risk: losing your existing Google rankings. If you ignore this aspect, a relaunch can cause more harm than good.
Create a complete crawl of your current website. Document all existing URLs, their rankings, and incoming traffic. Identify your most important pages, meaning those that generate the most organic traffic and the highest number of inquiries.
Plan 301 redirects for every URL that changes. This is not optional, it is mandatory. Every old URL must be redirected to the corresponding new URL. Without these redirects, you will lose not only rankings but also valuable backlinks.
Also ensure clean semantic HTML, optimized page titles and meta descriptions, a logical URL structure, and an up-to-date XML sitemap.
Submit your new sitemap in Google Search Console. Monitor your rankings daily during the first weeks. Check Search Console for crawling errors and fix them immediately.
The good news: if you consider SEO from the very beginning, your relaunch will not only preserve your rankings but improve them in the long term. A technically sound, content-rich, and user-friendly website is rewarded by Google.
Would you agree that when investing in your digital presence, it is not about the lowest price but about the greatest value? The costs of a website relaunch vary significantly and depend on several factors.
The main cost drivers are the scope and complexity of the website, the requirements for design and individuality, content creation such as texts, photos, and videos, as well as the SEO strategy and technical implementation.
For a professional, custom-built website with a strategic concept, high-quality design, and SEO optimization, mid-sized companies should expect an investment starting at around €15,000. For more extensive projects that include photo shoots, video production, and complex functionalities, the investment can be significantly higher.
What truly matters is not the size of the investment, but the return on investment. One example from our practice: after we completely redeveloped the website for MH Gewerbe-Immobilien, the managing director reported receiving more high-quality inquiries and closing larger deals. His conclusion: “In hindsight, I should have taken this step a year earlier.”
Better branding equals fewer objections, equals more trust, equals more revenue. This equation applies to every relaunch.
In over 60 completed projects, we have seen what causes relaunches to fail. Here are the five most common mistakes you should avoid:
Theory is good. Results are better. Let us look at what a strategic website relaunch looks like in practice.
A clear example is our project with Venture Advisory Partners, an M&A advisory firm. The initial situation was typical: strong professional expertise, but a website that did not reflect that level of competence. Potential clients simply could not recognize the quality of the offering online.
We developed a completely new brand identity for VAP and implemented a strategic web presence, including an e-book as a lead magnet and a dedicated academy page. The result: 40% more qualified initial consultations. In other words, trust is now built before the first phone call even takes place.
A similar outcome followed the relaunch for proQtech, an international B2B distributor in the electronics industry. The challenge was to present a complex product portfolio in a way that was clear and convincing online. After the relaunch, the lead rate more than doubled, and typical sales objections practically disappeared. In the words of the client: “The brand works for us 24/7.”
This is exactly the gap between the actual quality of your offering and the perceived quality of your offering that we can help you close: through distinctive, high-quality branding and a website that convinces from the very first click.
A website relaunch is not an IT project. It is a strategic business decision. If your digital presence no longer aligns with your company, you are losing customers, applicants, and revenue every single day without even noticing it.
The key points at a glance: Start with a clear concept, not with design. Consider SEO from the very beginning, not only after the launch. Invest in professional content, because it makes the difference between a visually appealing website and a website that sells. Plan realistically and work with a clear project roadmap. And measure success so you know what works and where adjustments are needed.
At K&R, we know from over 60 completed projects that a well-planned relaunch is one of the most effective levers for business growth. Because without branding there is no trust, and without trust there is no sale.
You may now be wondering what a website relaunch could look like for your company. We look forward to getting to know you and finding out together how your digital presence can become a true growth engine. Whether you have initial questions or concrete project ideas, we are here for you.
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