The 12-Point Website Redesign Checklist (Before You Rebuild Anything)
- Every redesign needs a full URL inventory + 301 redirect map — or you lose rankings.
- Baseline analytics before launch, or you can't prove the new site is better.
- Content audit first, design second. Design without copy is decoration.
- Speed regressions from launch day are the #1 lead killer.
1. Full URL inventory
Crawl the current site (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb). Export every indexed URL. This is the source-of-truth for redirects.
2. Top-performing pages by traffic + conversions
GA4 + Search Console. Any page driving traffic or leads must have a direct 1:1 URL in the new site — never redirect to the homepage.
3. Backlink profile
Ahrefs / free Search Console. Preserve URLs of pages with links. Losing a linked URL = losing SEO equity permanently.
4. Keyword rankings baseline
Snapshot rankings for your top 50 keywords before launch. Without a baseline you can't detect a drop.
5. Conversion rate benchmark
Current CVR by page and device. Post-launch you're either up or you missed.
6. Content audit
Which pages are pillar content? Which are thin? Kill or merge thin pages before migration — don't drag dead weight into the new site.
7. Brand & voice document
If it's not written down, every writer will make it up differently. Ship a 1-pager: tone, do/don't, tagline library.
8. Design system, not one-off pages
Reusable components (hero, CTA block, testimonial, service grid). Speeds build time and keeps the brand tight.
9. Mobile-first, thumb-reachable CTAs
70% of local traffic is mobile. Sticky call button, tap targets ≥ 48px, forms that autofill.
10. Core Web Vitals budget
LCP < 2.5s, CLS < 0.1, INP < 200ms — write these into the build spec. See our conversion design guide.
11. 301 redirect map
Every old URL → nearest matching new URL. Test on staging with a crawler before switching DNS.
12. Post-launch monitoring plan
Search Console daily for 30 days, GA4 weekly, ranking tracker weekly. Fix any 404s or ranking drops within 48 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Should I redesign or just optimize?
If Core Web Vitals fail, mobile UX is broken, or the brand has evolved — redesign. Otherwise start with copy + CRO.
How long does a redesign take?
A focused 6–10 page redesign takes 4–6 weeks with content, photography and QA included.
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