{"id":217,"slug":"orbit-media-website-lifespan-2y4mo-vs-6y4mo","title":"Orbit Media: average website lifespan across Inc 5000 is 2y4mo; under continuous care, 6y4mo","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","claude-code","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["agency-methodology","longevity-architecture"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Orbit Media reports the average website lifespan across the top of the Inc 5000 list is *\"just 2 years and 4 months.\"* Their own client base — sites under continuous care — averages *\"6 years and 4 months\"* between major redesigns. **Lifespan is a function of architecture and maintenance, not a fixed property of websites.**\n\n**Source:** <https://orbitmedia.com/blog/website-lifespan-and-you/>\n\n**Confidence:** Industry-consensus (Orbit's own benchmark + Databox survey of 145 SMBs they cite).\n\n**Honest caveat:** The frequently-recycled \"2 years 7 months\" lifespan figure (attributed to HubSpot in many agency blogs) **could not be verified at primary source**. Use Orbit's 2y4mo Inc-5000 number, not the unverifiable HubSpot one.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"ten-year-cost-model-rebuild-vs-foundation","title":"Reference framework: 10-year cost model — rebuild-every-3-years vs foundation-first (Canadian SMB, CAD)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"rule-build-for-10-year-horizon","title":"RULE: Design every Candid client site for a 10-year operational horizon. Rebuild is a choice, not a forced move.","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"research-brief-built-to-last","title":"Research brief: Built to Last — why most SMB sites rebuild every 3-4 years (piece 5 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-22T19:58:12.792Z","updated_at":"2026-05-22T19:58:12.792Z"}