What to tell customers when your website changes

When your website changes, most customers need to know only one thing: whether anything changes for them. If the address, phone number and way to book are the same, a short, friendly note is plenty, and for some businesses no announcement is needed at all. If something they use has moved, such as an online booking link, a client login or a new web address, tell them clearly, more than once, and in the places they already look.

First: does anything change for the customer?

Before you write a word, make a list of what is different for someone who uses your business, not for you. Typical answers:

Nothing they would notice except the look. Same address, same phone, same way to get in touch. A light announcement, or none.
A new web address. You changed your domain, for example after a rebrand. This needs a proper announcement, and the old address must forward to the new one for a long time.
A new way to book, order or pay. Different booking tool, a new payment link, a customer portal that moved. Tell every regular customer directly.
New hours, services or prices shown on the site. These are business changes that happen to show up on the website. Announce the change itself, not the website.

That list decides how much to say. Owners often over-announce a new design and under-announce a new booking link. It should be the other way round.

A short announcement that works

If you do announce, keep it to a few sentences. Customers are happy for you, but they read for what matters to them. A good note:

Says what is new in one line.
Says what stays the same, especially the phone number and address.
Gives one reason to visit: a new photo gallery, online booking, a clearer price list.
Has one link.

Here is a pattern you can adapt:

"We have a new website at yourbusiness.com. Same phone number, same team. You can now see photos of recent jobs and book a time online. Take a look and tell us if anything is hard to find."

That last line is worth keeping. Customers who reply with "I could not find your Saturday hours" are doing your testing for free.

Where to tell people

Use the places customers already hear from you. You do not need all of them.

Email. If you have customer emails, send one short message. Use your normal email address, not a new marketing tool, so it does not land in spam. Write the subject line plainly: "Our new website" or "New: book online at Smith Plumbing". If you have never emailed your customers before, this is not the moment to start a newsletter; one courteous note is enough.

Your Google Business Profile. Check the website link points to the right address. Google lets you post updates to your profile; a short post with a photo of the new home page is a simple way to mention it. If you changed your web address, update it here first. Our guide on adding your website to your Google Business Profile shows where.

Facebook, Instagram or Nextdoor, if you use them. One post with a picture of the new site on a phone. Pin it for a week or two if the platform allows.

At the counter or in the van. A small sign by the register or a line on invoices: "See our new website, yourbusiness.com". If you use QR codes, test that they open the new site before you print anything; our guide on QR codes that point to your website covers the details.

Your phone message and email signature. If your voicemail greeting or email signature mentions the website, update them.

Tell your staff first

The people who answer the phone will get the questions. Before you announce anything, make sure everyone who talks to customers:

Has seen the new site on their own phone.
Knows where the main things are: booking, prices, the contact form, hours.
Knows what changed and what did not, so they can say "Yes, same number" with confidence.
Knows who to tell if a customer reports a problem.

A five-minute walk-through at the start of a shift is enough.

When you changed your web address

A new domain needs more care, because customers have the old address saved in bookmarks, old emails, magnets on the fridge and printed cards.

The old address must forward to the new one, page by page, for at least a couple of years. Many owners keep the old domain forever, because it costs little.
Say the change clearly and more than once: in the email, on social media, on invoices for a few months.
Update everything you control: Google Business Profile, Facebook page, directory listings, vehicle lettering when it is next redone, business cards on the next print run.
If your email addresses change too, say so in the same message, and keep the old addresses receiving mail for a long while.

Our guide on changing your domain name when it is worth it explains the risks before you commit.

When to say nothing

If your site got a fresh look and works the same way, it is perfectly fine to let customers discover it. Many will not notice the change, and that is a sign the switch went well. Spend the effort instead on testing the new site before it goes live, so the first customer who visits finds it working.

Also hold the announcement until the site is truly ready. Announcing on launch day, then finding the form does not work, means the first wave of curious visitors hits the problem. Waiting a week costs nothing.

What to do this week

Write down what changes for customers, if anything: address, booking, payment, logins.
Draft a three-sentence announcement using the pattern above.
Walk your staff through the new site.
Update your Google Business Profile, email signature and voicemail if they mention the website.
Wait until the site has run a few days without problems, then send the note.

If you are not there yet and want to see what the new site would look like before planning any announcement, you can see your site rebuilt first.