Website design
Website redesign checklist: 15 things to sort before you start
A practical website redesign checklist covering goals, content, SEO, redirects and launch, so your new site doesn’t lose rankings or enquiries.
Before you start
- Write down what the new site must achieve. More calls? Better quality enquiries? Online bookings?
- Export your current traffic, top pages and rankings from Google Analytics and Search Console.
- Crawl the existing site and list every URL.
- Note which pages bring traffic and enquiries. Those need special care.
- Collect real photos, reviews and case studies. Stock photos won’t carry a redesign.
During the build
- Plan the new page structure around services, locations and customer questions.
- Map every old URL to its closest new page.
- Rewrite weak pages, but keep what already ranks.
- Build mobile-first and check speed on a mid-range phone.
- Add structured data for your business, services and FAQs.
Launch and after
- Set up 301 redirects and test a sample of them.
- Test every form and phone link. Then test them again.
- Check analytics and conversion tracking are firing.
- Submit the new sitemap in Search Console.
- Watch rankings, crawl errors and enquiries daily for the first two weeks.
The step people skip
Number 7. A redesign without redirects throws away years of links and rankings. It’s the most common reason a new site performs worse than the old one.
Frequently asked questions
Will a redesign hurt my SEO?
It can if URLs change without redirects or valuable content is removed. Planned properly, a redesign usually improves rankings.
How often should a business redesign its website?
There’s no fixed rule. Most small business sites need a rebuild every four to six years, with steady improvements in between.
Should I redesign or just refresh?
If the structure, speed and platform are sound, a refresh of design and content may be enough.
