Practical website planning

Website redesign checklist

Improve the experience without losing useful content and working journeys.

Before design

Export existing URLs, titles, redirects and key page content. Keep a recoverable backup.
Record current enquiries, important landing pages and search performance where data is available.
List integrations, forms and accessibility needs that must survive the move.

During the build

Map each changed URL to its closest relevant replacement. Preserve good URLs where practical.
Use a protected staging site and ensure private content cannot leak into public search.
Test menus, forms, error messages and the main customer journey at mobile and desktop sizes.

Launch and monitor

Keep a rollback plan and publish during a time someone can monitor the result.
Verify redirects, TLS, robots, canonicals, sitemap and primary conversion paths.
Check errors and leads daily at first, then review performance over the following month.

Also useful: website cost calculator · launch checklist · website audit.