Articulate Marketing Blog

Is it time for a new B2B website? 11 signs you can’t ignore

Written by Sam Beddall | 3 August 2017

Your website should be one of your strongest business assets. It should be generating leads, engaging customers, and positioning your brand as an industry leader. But what if it’s not pulling its weight?

If your website feels outdated, clunky, or hard to manage, it might be time to stop patching things up and admit that a complete redesign is the smarter move.

So, how do you know when to hit reset? Here are 12 clear signs your B2B website is due for a redesign.

1. Your website is difficult to maintain

Keeping your website up-to-date shouldn’t feel like a constant uphill battle. If every small change requires a developer, your marketing team is constantly waiting on external help, or even worse—you’re paying an agency for basic updates—it’s time to rethink your setup.

Old, hard-to-update websites often rely on outdated CMS platforms. Or, they were custom-built with rigid templates and limited access. The result? A slow-moving digital presence that can’t keep up with your business.

The fix:

  • Move to HubSpot CMS Hub, a platform designed for marketers, not just developers
  • Use HubSpot’s drag-and-drop page editor, allowing anyone on your team to make updates instantly

2. Your website is slow and frustrating to use

Google reports that if a page takes longer than three seconds to load, 53% of visitors will leave. Every extra second hurts conversions, ranking, and user satisfaction.

Put another way: A slow website is annoying and will cost you business.

If customers can’t navigate your site smoothly, they’ll go elsewhere. Simple as that.

The fix:

3. Your SEO is weak (and your competitors outrank you)

If your ideal customers can’t find you on Google, your website is as good as invisible.

Poor SEO often comes from bad site structure, outdated content, slow page speeds, or technical issues that prevent search engines from ranking your pages properly.

The fix:

  • Use HubSpot’s SEO recommendations tool to get real-time fixes for on-page SEO issues
  • Structure your site properly with topic clusters and an internal linking strategy
  • Regularly update your blog and landing pages with high-quality, keyword-optimised content

4. Your branding and design are outdated

First impressions matter. If your website looks and feels old, it sends the wrong message about your business.

Customers expect clean, modern, high-end visuals that align with their expectations. If your site still relies on outdated fonts, clunky layouts, or stocky designs, it’s sapping your ability to build trust with visitors.

The fix:

  • Use HubSpot’s customisable website themes to refresh your design effortlessly
  • Focus on developing a clean, modern user interface (UI), with plenty of whitespace and intuitive navigation
  • Make sure branding, colour schemes, and typography match your overall business identity

5. Your website doesn’t integrate with your CRM

Your website should be working hand-in-hand with your CRM, capturing leads, tracking customer interactions, and personalising experiences automatically.

If it’s not, you’re losing valuable data and missing chances to nurture prospects into paying customers.

The fix:

  • Automate marketing follow-ups using workflows and smart content personalisation
  • Sync forms, chatbots, and live chat to collect and store lead data

6. You need a portal for clients, members, or training

Many B2B businesses now offer self-service portals for customers, partners, or team training. If your website doesn’t support this, you’re making it harder for users to engage with your business.

The fix:

  • Build secure client/member portals using HubSpot’s Memberships feature
  • Offer gated content for exclusive resources, training, or partner materials
  • Use personalised experiences to show relevant content based on user roles

7. Your competitors have a better website

If your competitors’ websites look sleeker, function better, and offer a smoother user experience, your customers will notice.

When your professional rivals have high-quality visuals, engaging content, and strong calls to action—while your site feels clunky—you’re losing credibility.

The fix:

  • Analyse your competitors with competitive analysis tools like Ahrefs.
  • Upgrade your design with interactive content, video, and strong messaging
  • Use A/B testing to refine your site and improve conversions

8. Clients find your website confusing

If users struggle to find information, navigate menus, or complete actions (like booking a demo), your website isn’t working for them.

A bad user experience (UX) leads to higher bounce rates and lower conversions.

The fix:

  • Use heatmap analysis tools to identify where visitors are dropping off
  • Simplify your navigation, making it clear, logical, and easy to follow
  • Add clear CTAs (calls to action) guiding users to key pages (e.g., book a demo, contact us)

9. You’ve rebranded, but your website hasn’t

If your website still reflects an old version of your brand, it’s causing unnecessary confusion and hindering the buyer’s journey.

Your digital presence should always match your latest brand identity, tone, and values.

The fix:

10. You need better data and analytics

Without real-time data, you’re making website decisions blindly.

If you don’t know what’s working (or not working), you can’t optimise performance effectively.

The fix:

  • Use Google Analytics and HubSpot’s built-in analytics to track visitor behaviour and engagement
  • Set up automated reports to help you refine your site strategy

11. You want to be the industry leader

If you want to stand out, your website should reflect authority, credibility, and innovation.

An outdated, underwhelming website won’t position you as a leader. A clean, crisp and modern-looking site is needed to achieve that.

The fix:

  • Create an interactive content hub with case studies, guides, and videos
  • Use HubSpot’s AI-powered chatbots and personalised lead capture to improve engagement

Is it time for a website refresh?

If these warning signs sound familiar, it’s time to take action. A high-performing, HubSpot-powered website can generate leads, engage customers, and help you outperform competitors.

Get in touch today to discuss your next website.