Rule: avoid full rebuilds inside the first ~24-36 months unless performance data demands it — preserve authority and amortization via incremental refreshes

Rule: Avoid full rebuilds inside the first ~24-36 months unless performance data (not aesthetics, not "it feels dated") demands it. Prefer incremental refreshes to preserve authority and improve amortization.

Why: A full rebuild that breaks URL structure forfeits accumulated link equity (A rebuild that breaks URL structure can forfeit "the most valuable marketing channel" and take "months or years to recover" — discards accumulated link equity, resets authority). Within the first 24-36 months, the invisible-window cost has been paid but the Stage-3 compounding has not yet materialised — a rebuild discards the asset just before it would have started producing (Invisible window consumes a non-trivial fraction of useful life — 6-12 mo invisible / 30-36 mo total = roughly a fifth to a third of asset life producing little organic return; premature rebuilds are especially destructive). Incremental refreshes (copy updates, design refresh, page-builder swap with slug preservation) extend useful life to 4-5+ years and improve amortization significantly (Amortization over useful life — small-business build cost amortizes over 24-48 months (stable/local up to 48-60); incremental refreshes extend useful life and improve amortization).

How to apply: When a client requests a rebuild before the 24-36-month mark, ask for the performance data driving the request. If the driver is genuinely "the site converts poorly" or "we've outgrown the IA," scope the change to preserve URLs and canonical clusters. If the driver is "it feels dated" or "we want a new look," counter-propose a design refresh that keeps the underlying URL structure intact.