A redesign can make a site look better and convert more visitors, but it can also quietly wipe out years of search visibility if it is handled carelessly. Changed addresses, deleted pages and missing titles are the usual causes. This checklist walks through the steps in the order that protects what already works.
Before you design anything
- Write down the goal. More enquiries, better credibility, easier updates, a new service? A clear goal keeps the project focused.
- Record where you stand today. Note monthly visits, your most visited pages, the pages that bring enquiries, and the search terms that already send people to you. Google Search Console and Google Analytics are the places to look.
- List every existing page. Crawl your site or export the sitemap so you know exactly what you have.
- Decide what stays, what merges and what goes. Pages that rank or convert deserve to be kept and improved. Thin or outdated pages can be combined or retired.
Protect your search rankings
Search engines know your old addresses. If a page moves, the old address must lead to the new one.
- Create a redirect map. Match every old address to its closest new equivalent and set up permanent (301) redirects.
- Keep the good content. Reuse the wording that already brings traffic. Rewrite it for clarity rather than starting from nothing.
- Carry over titles and descriptions. Each page needs a unique title and description. Improve them, but do not leave them blank.
- Keep your headings logical. One main heading per page and clear sub-headings that describe the content.
- Rebuild internal links. Links between your own pages help visitors and search engines understand the site.
- Keep image names and alt text. Describe images properly and compress them for speed.
Common mistakeChanging every address at once without redirects. Even if the new site is better, visitors and search engines hit dead ends and your rankings drop.
Build and test on a private copy
- Work on a staging copy that search engines cannot see, so half-finished pages are not indexed.
- Test the layout on phones, tablets and desktops.
- Check page speed. Heavy images and scripts are the most common slowdowns, see our guide to Core Web Vitals.
- Test every form, button and link, and confirm form emails arrive where they should.
- Make sure tracking is installed so you can compare results with the old site.
Launch day checklist
- Switch the live site and confirm the staging block is removed, so search engines can crawl the new one.
- Test the redirects from the old addresses.
- Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console.
- Check that your robots file is not blocking the whole site.
- Confirm the secure (HTTPS) version loads on every page.
- Send a test through every contact form.
- Walk through the site on your phone.
After the relaunch
- Watch Search Console for crawl errors and pages that disappear from the index.
- Expect some movement in rankings for a few weeks. Small swings are normal. Large, lasting drops mean something needs fixing.
- Fix broken links and missing redirects as they appear.
- Compare visits and enquiries with your starting numbers after a month or two.
Planning a redesign? We rebuild websites with redirects and search basics included. Tell us about your current site and we will review it with you. You can also run through the basics in our SEO checklist.