Website redesign checklist: before, during and after launch

A redesign goes well when the boring parts are done properly. This is the checklist I work through on every redesign, from the first conversation to the weeks after launch. Use it whether you work with me or not.

1. Decide whether you need a redesign at all

Sometimes a few fixes will do. A redesign is usually worth it when:

• the site is hard to use on a phone;
• it no longer describes what you actually do or where you work;
• you can’t update it yourself, or it’s built on something nobody supports any more;
• it’s slow, or it looks noticeably older than your competitors’;
• it gets visits but very few enquiries.

If it’s only one or two of those, a targeted fix may be cheaper. A free website review will tell you which.

2. Gather what you need before design starts

• Logins for your domain, hosting, website and Google Search Console (or who holds them).
• A list of your services, in order of how much work you want from each.
• The questions customers ask most often; they make the best page content.
• Your best photos of your work, team and premises.
• Any reviews, accreditations and awards you can genuinely show.

3. Take stock of what’s already there

• List every page on the current site, including old blog posts and pages not in the menu.
• Note which pages get visits and which searches they appear for (Search Console shows this).
• Note which pages other websites link to.
• Decide, page by page, whether it stays, merges into another page or goes.

4. Technical checks before launch

• Every page has a unique title and description.
• One clear main heading per page.
• Images are compressed and sized for phones.
• HTTPS works, and the www and non-www versions go to the same place.
• A sitemap is ready to submit, and the staging site’s “don’t index me” setting is switched off for launch.
• Analytics or your preferred measurement is in place.

5. Protect your rankings

• Every old address that’s changing has a permanent (301) redirect to its closest new page.
• Pages that earned searches keep the words that earned them.
• The new sitemap is submitted in Search Console on launch day.

I’ve written the full process up in how to redesign without losing your Google rankings.

6. Test before it goes live

• Open every page on a real phone, not just a resized desktop browser.
• Send a test through every form and check it arrives.
• Tap every phone number and email link.
• Check the site with the keyboard only, and check the contrast of text on backgrounds.
• Run the main pages through Google’s PageSpeed Insights on mobile.

7. How long it takes, and what makes it late

With me, most sites take one to two weeks once the content and photos are in. The most common cause of delay is waiting for content, followed by late changes to the plan. Agreeing the page list at the start avoids most of it.

8. What to watch after launch

• Search Console’s Pages report for new “not found” errors in the first few weeks; redirect anything that was missed.
• Search clicks and impressions compared with the same period before launch.
• Enquiries: calls, form submissions and where they came from.

If you’d like a redesign done with all of this handled for you, my prices start at £295, and most local businesses choose Growth at £595. Get in touch or call 0191 722 1678.