What Should You Keep, Remove or Rewrite in a Website Redesign?

Not everything on your old site deserves a spot on the new one

When business owners come to us about a redesign, the instinct is often to move everything across and tidy it up later. That rarely works. Old content that was confusing or underperforming does not become better just because it sits inside a new design.

A smart redesign is selective. It keeps what is working, removes what is not, and rewrites what has potential but is not landing the way it should. Here is how to think through each of those decisions.

What is worth keeping

Some content on your current site is genuinely doing its job. Before you change anything, it is worth identifying what that is.

Pages that are already ranking in Google

If a page is bringing in organic traffic, you need to be careful with it. Deleting or significantly changing a URL without a redirect can wipe out rankings that took months or years to build.

Check your Google Search Console or Analytics to see which pages are getting impressions or clicks. These pages should be carried across with their URL structure intact, even if the design and layout changes around them.

Content that answers real customer questions

If you have a services page, FAQ section or blog post that regularly gets shared or linked to, that is a sign the content is useful. Useful content is worth keeping, even if it needs some light editing to match your new tone or structure.

Testimonials and case studies

Social proof takes time to collect. If you have genuine customer reviews or before-and-after examples on your current site, bring them across. They do not need a rewrite, just a clean presentation.

What should be removed

Most websites that have been running for a few years have accumulated content that is no longer relevant. Carrying that clutter into a new build just creates a bigger mess to manage.

Outdated service or product pages

If you no longer offer something, remove the page. Leaving it live creates confusion for visitors and can send the wrong signals to search engines about what your business actually does.

Thin pages with no real purpose

A page with two sentences and no clear call to action is not helping anyone. If a page does not give the visitor a reason to stay or a clear next step, it is better to cut it or roll the content into a stronger page.

Old blog posts that are off-topic or wrong

A post from 2017 about a trend that no longer applies, or advice that has since changed, can quietly damage your credibility. Review your blog archive honestly. Some posts can be updated. Others are better off removed and redirected to a relevant page.

What needs a rewrite

This is where most of the real work happens in a redesign. The structure of your site might be fine, but the words on the page are not converting visitors into enquiries.

Your homepage

Most homepage copy is written from the business owner's perspective rather than the customer's. It talks about how long the company has been operating, what the team values, and what services are on offer. Customers visiting your homepage want to know quickly whether you can solve their problem. If your homepage does not answer that in the first few seconds, it needs a rewrite.

Your services pages

Service pages often list features without explaining benefits. Telling someone you offer comprehensive project management does not help them understand what that means for their job or their time. Good services copy is specific. It tells the customer what they get, what changes for them, and what to do next.

Your about page

An about page that reads like a company history lesson is a missed opportunity. Customers read about pages to decide whether they trust you. Rewrite it to show who you work with, what you care about, and why that matters to the people you want to work with.

How to protect your SEO while improving your content

One of the most common mistakes in a website redesign is accidentally breaking pages that were ranking well. A few things to get right before you launch:

• Map every existing URL and set up redirects for any that will change
• Keep your strongest ranking pages as close to their original structure as possible
• Do not change page titles or headings on high-performing pages without checking the impact first
• Make sure your new site loads quickly on mobile, as this directly affects how Google ranks your pages

A redesign should improve your search visibility over time, not set it back. Getting the technical side right from the start makes that much easier.

Start with a content audit before you build anything

The best time to sort through your content is before the design work starts. Going through your existing pages and deciding what to keep, remove or rewrite gives your designer and developer a clear picture of what they are actually building.

It also saves time and money. Designing pages around content that will later be cut is wasted effort for everyone.

Ready to sort through what you have?

At Spray Media, we build custom-coded websites for Gold Coast businesses that load in under a second and are built to work with AI search tools like ChatGPT and Google AI. Before we build anything, we look at what you already have, what is worth carrying forward, and what needs to change.

If you are thinking about a redesign or rebuild and want a practical conversation about where to start, talk to Mark and get a straight answer about what makes sense for your business.