We ran the same 120 checks before and after two rebuilds

Before we rebuild a website, we run our free Site Check on it: 120 checks in 12 areas, each scored out of 10. After launch, we run the same checks again. Here are the real numbers from two of our rebuilds, the good and the not so good, with what the research says the changes are worth.

How we tested

• Same checks, same rules. The old site was checked days before the switch, and the new one after it went live.
• Scores out of 10. Working well counts 1, worth a look counts half, worth fixing counts 0. Checks we couldn’t verify don’t count either way.
• Phone speed comes from Google’s phone test (PageSpeed Insights), run by our check while each site was live. It’s the time until the main content shows, the measure Google calls Largest Contentful Paint: 2.5 seconds or less is good, over 4 is poor.

Safeguard Martial Arts: WordPress to custom

A karate school in Langley. Old site checked on 19 October, new site on 23 October, the day after it went live.

What moved the most:

• Every page got a search description. The old site had none on the 21 pages we read.
• Pages answer taps straight away. The old ones were busy for 1.1 seconds while loading.
• Outside tools stopped slowing it down: 2 seconds before, a tenth of a second after.
• Text became easy to read. 13 pieces of text were hard to read against their background. That’s the most common problem on the web: WebAIM found it on 83.9% of the top million home pages.
• Google got the business details: address, hours and the areas served.
• Competitors covered 22 topics the old site had no page for. The new one misses 1.

See the before and after.

Bee Beauty Cosmetics: Wix to custom

A bridal makeup artist in Port Moody. Old site checked on 27 October, new site on 1 November.

What moved the most:

• The main content shows in 2.3 seconds on a phone. The old Wix site took 14.1 in the same test. That’s under Google’s 2.5-second mark, and the research says speed pays: in a study Deloitte ran for Google, even 0.1 seconds faster on mobile lifted retail conversions by 8.4%.
• Every page has a search description, and none is thin. The old site had 6 of 13 pages without one, and 8 pages under 150 words.
• Each service has its own page, with a next step on every one. The old site had none.
• The phone number and address are in the page text, where Google and AI tools can read them.

See the before and after.

Some things got worse at first

A new website isn’t finished on launch day. On each site’s first check after the switch, a few checks went the other way:

• Safeguard: text overlapped on the first screen on phones, a pop-up and a fixed bar covered 28% of a phone screen, and two thirds of the pictures had no description.
• Bee Beauty: 15 long reviews ran over 120 words in one block, and the enquiry form asked 11 questions.

We fixed Bee’s two the same week: each review now reads in short paragraphs, and the form asks 9 questions. Her next check scored 9.4, with nothing left marked as a fix.

That’s why we check again after launch, and why every website we build can stay looked after with Care.

What I’d do first

1. Check before you rebuild. You can’t tell whether a new website is better without the old one’s numbers.
2. Start with Google basics and phones. They moved the most here, and they’re often quick to fix.
3. Trust is small things. A privacy link, no leftover notices, real photos of your own place, text people can read.
4. Nobody scores 10 everywhere. Pick what matters for your goal and fix that first. Sometimes a redesign is the answer; often a few fixes are enough.

Want your own numbers? Get a free website check. It’s the same 120 checks, emailed to you in about 5 minutes.