A six question scorecard
Answer yes or no. This is our rule of thumb, not a measured threshold. Count the yes answers in each group.
- Access: can you log in to the domain registrar, hosting, admin and analytics today? If not, secure access first, before any of the three paths.
- Platform: is the platform and every plugin still getting security updates? WordPress officially supports only its latest version, and older versions get fixes only as a courtesy, so a site several versions behind is a risk.
- Search: does the site already bring enquiries or rank for terms that matter? If yes, protect its URLs and headings whatever you choose.
- Editing: can your team change a page without a developer? If not and it hurts, the platform may be the block.
- Needs: is there a feature you need that the platform cannot do, such as a booking flow, a customer area or a Thai and English structure?
- Look: is the main complaint appearance or message, with the structure still right?
If access is the problem, start with the website rescue check.
How to read the answers
No access: rescue first. Platform and Needs both yes: rebuild. Only Look yes: redesign. Only one specific item broken, with platform and search fine: fix. Mixed answers usually mean a redesign now with a plan to rebuild, which is where people pay twice, so ask for a written verdict before you commit.
Worked example: what each path costs
Take a bilingual company site with about twenty pages, four years old, on WordPress with out of date plugins and content that is mostly ready. A fix means a repair sprint, which starts at THB 155,000. A redesign on the same platform sits in the estimator's structured package band, THB 29,000 to THB 138,000. A rebuild on a new stack, with content to restructure, two integrations and a migration, is THB 590,000 to THB 1,080,000.
Now the mistake. You redesign for THB 29,000 to THB 138,000, then the platform blocks a feature a year later and you rebuild. At the low edge you have spent THB 619,000 across both. A written verdict before work starts costs less than that gap.
One note on price. A structured package band of THB 25,000 to 120,000 is the market range for a template site, and it starts below our own prices. Our custom web design starts at THB 430,000. For a small template refresh, a freelancer or a studio package is the better fit.
Put in your own languages, content state and integrations with the website budget estimator. It runs in your browser and saves nothing.
Protect the traffic you already have
Any path that changes URLs puts rankings at risk. Google's guidance is to list every old URL, map each to its new equivalent, use permanent 301 or 308 redirects without chains, and keep the redirects for at least a year. Do not send many old pages to the new homepage, because Google may treat that as a soft 404.
Use our website redesign checklist to capture the baseline, redirects and measurement before launch.
When not to hire us
Do not hire us for a small template refresh or a single fix you can describe in one line. A freelancer will do it for less. Hire us when the site earns money and the platform or the structure is the block. A rescue diagnostic is THB 97,000 and returns a keep, patch or rebuild verdict, so you can take that verdict to any supplier.
Before you commission any of the three
- Export a list of every live URL and the pages that get search visits.
- Check you own the domain, hosting, admin and analytics accounts.
- Write down the one outcome the site must achieve this year.
- List the features you need that the current site cannot do.
- Ask for a written keep, patch or rebuild verdict before a quote.
- Ask for the redirect map before launch, not after.
- Agree an acceptance test for the contact form and each integration.
- Keep a backup of the old site for at least a year.
Questions buyers ask
How do I know if I need a redesign or a rebuild?
Ask whether the platform blocks something you need. If the structure and platform are fine and the look is dated, redesign. If the platform blocks a need or patches keep breaking things, rebuild.
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
It can, mainly through changed URLs, removed pages and lost headings. Keep URLs where you can, map the rest with 301 redirects and keep them for at least a year, as Google advises.
Is it worth keeping an old WordPress site?
If it works, is updated and you control access, yes. WordPress officially supports only the latest version, so a site several versions behind or on abandoned plugins is a risk worth fixing or leaving.
How long should redirects stay in place after a rebuild?
Google says to keep them for generally at least one year, and longer if possible. Update your own internal links so you rely on them less.
Who wrote this, how and why
Who: Written by the DLVX team. We rebuild and rescue websites, so we gain when a site needs rebuilding. We say above when a fix or a cheaper supplier is the better choice.
How: Baht bands come from our website budget estimator and our published price list. The scorecard is our own rule of thumb, not a measured threshold. We opened the Google and WordPress pages on 8 November 2026. Search results we reviewed on 8 November 2026 quoted dollars and gave no Bangkok prices.
Why: Owners of an old site ask this before every project, and the pages that rank are generic or sell one answer. We wanted a decision rule with baht costs and the search risk stated.
Sources and checked dates
- Site moves with URL changes, Google Search Central (checked 8 November 2026)
- WordPress security, WordPress.org (checked 8 November 2026)