I’m asking myself this question because I’ve been spending a lot of time this week rebuilding the Skyrocket Radio website. The old site wasn’t broken. It still works, loads fast, ranks well, and generates leads. We’ve grown, what we do has evolved, and it was time for the website to catch up.
That got me thinking about radio stations. I still visit station websites that look almost identical to how they did 10 or even 20 years ago. They’ve collected layer after layer of features, sidebars, widgets, logos, and promotions until the original design disappeared beneath years of patches.
A website ages the same way a studio does. You replace one piece of equipment at a time until one day you realize the room belongs in a museum.
Your website should never sit untouched for months. Contest graphics, staff photos, show schedules, local events, and news stories all change over time. Those updates keep your site active for listeners and search engines while giving visitors a reason to return. That’s routine maintenance.
A redesign is something different. Technology changes, listener habits change, screen sizes change, and your station changes. A design that felt modern in 2020 can begin to feel dated by 2026. Navigation styles evolve, mobile expectations increase, and accessibility standards improve. Your audience expects pages to load fast and make sense without hunting for information.
That doesn’t mean you need to start over every few years. It does mean you should step back once in a while and ask whether your website still supports your station’s goals. If you’re looking for a number, I think most radio stations should plan on a major website refresh every four to six years. Stations that make digital content a priority, publish a lot of local news, or continually expand their online offerings may find themselves redesigning every three to five years. The goal isn’t to chase design trends. It’s to make sure your website keeps pace with your station.
Many stations still promote features they abandoned years ago. The morning show has changed, the logo changed, the music format shifted, and the promotions calendar looks different. Yet the website still reflects an older version of the station. Listeners notice those details, and advertisers notice them too.
Your website should feel like the same station they hear on the air.
I’ve worked on enough websites to know there comes a point where fixing the old design takes more effort than creating a new one. Radio programmers might compare it to an old automation system. You can keep adding workarounds, or you can replace it with something built for the way you operate today. The same principle applies to websites.
If you answer “yes” to several of these questions, your station is probably due for a redesign.
– Does your homepage still look like it did five or more years ago?
– Does the site feel crowded or empty?
– Do listeners struggle to find the stream, contests, or local news?
– Does the site look dated beside other stations in your market?
– Have you changed logos, branding, or programming without updating the design?
– Do staff avoid updating the website because it feels difficult?
A single item on this list isn’t a reason to start over. If a couple of them sound familiar, it may be time to take a hard look at your website.
I’m rebuilding our own website because our business is changing. Priorities have changed, and the message we want visitors to hear has changed. Radio stations grow for the same reasons, and their websites should grow with them. If your station still looks like it belongs in the early 2000s, listeners may assume everything else about your station stopped there, too.
A redesign isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about making sure your website reflects the station you’re running today, not the one you were running ten years ago.
Pic generated by Midjourney.
Jim Sherwood is a radio veteran turned digital strategist dedicated to helping radio stations thrive online through engaging websites and mobile apps. As the founder of Skyrocket Radio and host of the Better Radio Websites podcast, he shares best practices to help stations grow audiences and revenue in the digital space. With decades of experience in radio and a passion for connecting content with listeners, Jim ensures that every station—no matter its size—can make a lasting impact online.