Key takeaways
- Record current rankings and traffic before you start
- Redirect every old URL to its new equivalent
- Design for mobile first, then desktop
- Test speed, forms and tracking before launch
Redesigns are exciting, but many businesses see search traffic fall sharply after launch. The cause is almost always technical: missing redirects, lost content or blocked pages. With a checklist, a redesign can improve rankings instead of hurting them.
Benchmark before you begin
Export your current pages, top keywords, traffic and conversions from Google Search Console and analytics. This tells you which pages matter most and gives you a baseline to measure the new site against.
Plan content and structure
Keep the pages that bring traffic and enquiries, improve thin pages, and combine duplicates. Organise services into clear sections so both visitors and search engines understand what you offer and where.
Redirects are essential
Every old URL that changes should permanently redirect to the closest new page. Without redirects, links from other sites break and search engines treat your pages as new, losing the authority they had built up.
Pre-launch checklist
Before going live, confirm:
- All old URLs redirect correctly with 301 redirects
- Every page has a unique title and meta description
- Headings follow a clear H1, H2, H3 structure
- Images are compressed and have descriptive alt text
- The XML sitemap is updated and robots.txt allows crawling
- Contact forms, phone links and analytics all work
Mobile and speed
Most visitors arrive on mobile, and Google indexes the mobile version of your site first. Design for small screens from the start, keep layouts simple and test Core Web Vitals so pages load quickly and remain stable as they render.
After launch
Submit the new sitemap in Search Console, watch for crawl errors and 404s for several weeks, and compare traffic with your benchmark. Fix issues quickly and they rarely have lasting impact.
Working with us
We design and build business websites with SEO built in from the first wireframe, and manage the migration so your rankings carry over.
Frequently asked questions
Not if URLs, content and redirects are handled properly. A well-planned redesign often improves rankings.
Typically six to twelve weeks for a business website, depending on size and content.
Avoid combining a domain change with a redesign if possible; doing one at a time reduces risk.
Often it helps. Clear, useful content performs better for visitors and search engines.
