Website Redesign Checklist: 7 Things to Plan Before You Start

A redesign should make the site easier to use and maintain while preserving useful pages and search access. Audit the current site before changing layouts or URLs, then keep a record of what needs to survive the move.

Record what already works

Review analytics, Search Console, form submissions, calls, and the pages customers use. Save important URLs, page titles, headings, and content. This gives the team a baseline and helps prevent a visually polished redesign from quietly removing valuable information.

Set one outcome for each page

Decide whether a page should generate a call, estimate request, booking, purchase, or another action. Give it a clear primary action and remove sections that do not help visitors understand the service or take that next step.

Map old and new URLs

Keep URLs when they still describe the same topic. If a URL must change, map it to its closest useful replacement and plan a permanent redirect. Do not send every removed page to the homepage; choose a destination that helps the visitor.

Test before launch

Check mobile navigation, forms, phone links, redirects, analytics, indexability, and page speed on a staging copy. After launch, inspect important URLs and monitor Search Console for crawling or indexing issues. Google recommends clear, useful pages and descriptive URLs.