The 18-month rebuild trap.

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The 18-month rebuild trap.

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2 min read

2 min read

2 min read

Process

Dec 13, 2025

It is usually structure, not aesthetics. Learn how to design for change with modular sections, reusable components, and governance that prevents constant redesigns and protects marketing speed.

It is usually structure, not aesthetics. Learn how to design for change with modular sections, reusable components, and governance that prevents constant redesigns and protects marketing speed.

Dave Curtin

Creative Director

Brainstorm*

Dave Curtin

Creative Director

Brainstorm*

Rebuilds are often the most expensive way to fix a structural mistake.

There is a predictable cycle in digital marketing. A company launches a new website. Everyone celebrates. Six months later, the marketing team gets frustrated. Twelve months later, they hate it. Eighteen months later, they scrap it and start again.

This is the "Rebuild Addiction."

It happens because teams confuse "pain" with "obsolescence." When a site becomes hard to update, the instinct is to demolish it. It feels decisive. You fire the old agency. You hire a new one. But unless you fix the root cause, you are just resetting the clock on the next failure.

The real culprit: weak content models

Most websites do not fail because they look bad. They fail because they are rigid.

The marketing team wants to launch a webinar series, but the CMS only has templates for "Blog Posts." They want to add a location page for Cork, but the footer is hard-coded.

When the structure cannot evolve, marketing stalls. Updates become risky, slow, and expensive. The site becomes a museum, not a tool. Eventually, the friction becomes so high that a rebuild feels like the only escape.

Modular design that absorbs change

The antidote to the rebuild cycle is modularity.

We do not design "pages"; we design systems. We build libraries of reusable sections—Testimonial Sliders, Call-to-Action blocks, Feature Grids—that can be stacked and rearranged like Lego.

If you need a new landing page, you don't need a developer. You just need to assemble the existing blocks. This reduces cost, ensures visual consistency, and allows the site to grow alongside the business without breaking.

Governance that prevents chaos

A modular system needs rules.

The second reason sites degrade is the "One-Off Exception." A manager demands a font that isn't in the brand guidelines. A plugin is installed for a single feature. Slowly, the codebase becomes a patchwork of quick fixes.

Governance prevents this. It is a set of approvals and technical rules that protect the system. It asks: "Does this change serve the user, or is it just internal vanity?" We stop the exceptions that break the rule.

When a rebuild is legitimate

We are not saying you should never rebuild. But you should only do it for the right reasons. Do not rebuild on "vibes."

Legitimate reasons to rebuild:

  • Major Repositioning: Your business model has fundamentally changed (e.g., moving from B2C to B2B).

  • Deep Technical Debt: The underlying code is a security risk or cannot pass Core Web Vitals.

  • Platform Mismatch: You have outgrown Wix and need a headless solution.

The staged evolution plan

Stop thinking in terms of "Launch Day."

The best digital products are never finished. They follow a Staged Evolution plan:

  1. Foundations: Fix the hosting and security.

  2. Structure: Implement the modular content model.

  3. Proof: Update the case studies and testimonials.

  4. Polish: Refine the animations and micro-interactions.

This approach allows you to upgrade the engine while the car is still moving. You get the growth, without the demolition.

Rebuilds are often the most expensive way to fix a structural mistake.

There is a predictable cycle in digital marketing. A company launches a new website. Everyone celebrates. Six months later, the marketing team gets frustrated. Twelve months later, they hate it. Eighteen months later, they scrap it and start again.

This is the "Rebuild Addiction."

It happens because teams confuse "pain" with "obsolescence." When a site becomes hard to update, the instinct is to demolish it. It feels decisive. You fire the old agency. You hire a new one. But unless you fix the root cause, you are just resetting the clock on the next failure.

The real culprit: weak content models

Most websites do not fail because they look bad. They fail because they are rigid.

The marketing team wants to launch a webinar series, but the CMS only has templates for "Blog Posts." They want to add a location page for Cork, but the footer is hard-coded.

When the structure cannot evolve, marketing stalls. Updates become risky, slow, and expensive. The site becomes a museum, not a tool. Eventually, the friction becomes so high that a rebuild feels like the only escape.

Modular design that absorbs change

The antidote to the rebuild cycle is modularity.

We do not design "pages"; we design systems. We build libraries of reusable sections—Testimonial Sliders, Call-to-Action blocks, Feature Grids—that can be stacked and rearranged like Lego.

If you need a new landing page, you don't need a developer. You just need to assemble the existing blocks. This reduces cost, ensures visual consistency, and allows the site to grow alongside the business without breaking.

Governance that prevents chaos

A modular system needs rules.

The second reason sites degrade is the "One-Off Exception." A manager demands a font that isn't in the brand guidelines. A plugin is installed for a single feature. Slowly, the codebase becomes a patchwork of quick fixes.

Governance prevents this. It is a set of approvals and technical rules that protect the system. It asks: "Does this change serve the user, or is it just internal vanity?" We stop the exceptions that break the rule.

When a rebuild is legitimate

We are not saying you should never rebuild. But you should only do it for the right reasons. Do not rebuild on "vibes."

Legitimate reasons to rebuild:

  • Major Repositioning: Your business model has fundamentally changed (e.g., moving from B2C to B2B).

  • Deep Technical Debt: The underlying code is a security risk or cannot pass Core Web Vitals.

  • Platform Mismatch: You have outgrown Wix and need a headless solution.

The staged evolution plan

Stop thinking in terms of "Launch Day."

The best digital products are never finished. They follow a Staged Evolution plan:

  1. Foundations: Fix the hosting and security.

  2. Structure: Implement the modular content model.

  3. Proof: Update the case studies and testimonials.

  4. Polish: Refine the animations and micro-interactions.

This approach allows you to upgrade the engine while the car is still moving. You get the growth, without the demolition.

Rebuilds are often the most expensive way to fix a structural mistake.

There is a predictable cycle in digital marketing. A company launches a new website. Everyone celebrates. Six months later, the marketing team gets frustrated. Twelve months later, they hate it. Eighteen months later, they scrap it and start again.

This is the "Rebuild Addiction."

It happens because teams confuse "pain" with "obsolescence." When a site becomes hard to update, the instinct is to demolish it. It feels decisive. You fire the old agency. You hire a new one. But unless you fix the root cause, you are just resetting the clock on the next failure.

The real culprit: weak content models

Most websites do not fail because they look bad. They fail because they are rigid.

The marketing team wants to launch a webinar series, but the CMS only has templates for "Blog Posts." They want to add a location page for Cork, but the footer is hard-coded.

When the structure cannot evolve, marketing stalls. Updates become risky, slow, and expensive. The site becomes a museum, not a tool. Eventually, the friction becomes so high that a rebuild feels like the only escape.

Modular design that absorbs change

The antidote to the rebuild cycle is modularity.

We do not design "pages"; we design systems. We build libraries of reusable sections—Testimonial Sliders, Call-to-Action blocks, Feature Grids—that can be stacked and rearranged like Lego.

If you need a new landing page, you don't need a developer. You just need to assemble the existing blocks. This reduces cost, ensures visual consistency, and allows the site to grow alongside the business without breaking.

Governance that prevents chaos

A modular system needs rules.

The second reason sites degrade is the "One-Off Exception." A manager demands a font that isn't in the brand guidelines. A plugin is installed for a single feature. Slowly, the codebase becomes a patchwork of quick fixes.

Governance prevents this. It is a set of approvals and technical rules that protect the system. It asks: "Does this change serve the user, or is it just internal vanity?" We stop the exceptions that break the rule.

When a rebuild is legitimate

We are not saying you should never rebuild. But you should only do it for the right reasons. Do not rebuild on "vibes."

Legitimate reasons to rebuild:

  • Major Repositioning: Your business model has fundamentally changed (e.g., moving from B2C to B2B).

  • Deep Technical Debt: The underlying code is a security risk or cannot pass Core Web Vitals.

  • Platform Mismatch: You have outgrown Wix and need a headless solution.

The staged evolution plan

Stop thinking in terms of "Launch Day."

The best digital products are never finished. They follow a Staged Evolution plan:

  1. Foundations: Fix the hosting and security.

  2. Structure: Implement the modular content model.

  3. Proof: Update the case studies and testimonials.

  4. Polish: Refine the animations and micro-interactions.

This approach allows you to upgrade the engine while the car is still moving. You get the growth, without the demolition.

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