Has your business changed since I built your website? Discover why many long-standing clients are rethinking their websites in the age of AI search, clearer messaging and changing customer expectations.
If you're reading this, there's a fair chance I built your website several years ago.
Some of those websites are still relatively young. Others go back a decade and were created at a time when 'responsive' websites were still something of a novelty.
And whilst I'm proud of what I did back then, businesses don't stand still, and neither does the web.
Many businesses are not doing exactly the same thing they were doing when their website was first launched.
Services evolve. Specialisms emerge. New markets appear. Some businesses become more focused, whilst others move further up-market.
Over the years, I've noticed something interesting with other clients. When we speak on the phone, or sit down for a meeting, they explain their business brilliantly. Within minutes, I have a clear understanding of what makes them different and why customers choose them. Then I visit their old website and find that very little of that story is being communicated online.
The business has moved on. But the website hasn't.
Building websites is still very much at the heart of what I do, but my own knowledge and experience have grown considerably over the years.
When we first worked together, my primary focus was on creating attractive, technically sound websites. I largely left the content creation to my clients.
Today, I spend much more time thinking about questions like:
My role has gradually evolved. I still design and build websites, but these days I spend much more time helping clients shape and clarify their message. In many ways, I have become just as interested in communication as I am in design.
Because ultimately, a beautiful website that fails to communicate clearly is still a missed opportunity.
When I built many of these older websites, visibility was largely about Google rankings.
That still matters, but search itself is changing.
People are increasingly receiving recommendations and summaries from AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI-powered tools. More decisions are being influenced by systems that are trying to understand businesses, rather than simply matching keywords.
That changes the role of a website.
It is no longer just a digital brochure. Increasingly, your website acts as a source of truth.
Today's most effective websites help both people and modern search systems understand:
Many older websites, including some of my earlier work, were never built with this new world in mind. In truth, much of the content on those websites was written by clients themselves, whereas today I spend far more time helping shape and write the content.
Humans can often infer meaning from photographs and vague wording.
Search engines and AI systems can't.
And if they don't understand your business clearly, they are less likely to recommend it.
Interestingly, when other clients return after several years, the conversation is rarely about colours, fonts or animations.
Instead, we find ourselves discussing questions like:
Those conversations are usually far more valuable than simply asking whether the website looks modern.
Interestingly, many of the conversations I have with returning clients begin with the words, "I think we may have outgrown our website."
Not every website I have built needs replacing. Sometimes a few carefully considered improvements can make a meaningful difference.
But if your business has evolved, your message no longer reflects the quality of your work, or your website simply feels out of date, perhaps now is a good time to start thinking about the future.
Interestingly, when clients return after several years, the conversation is rarely about colours, fonts or animations.
Instead, we find ourselves discussing questions like:
Those conversations are usually far more valuable than simply asking whether the website looks modern.
Not because you need a shinier website.
But because clear communication has never been more important.
And because search engines can't recommend what they don't understand.
