Website Redesign Checklist

Most redesigns start with "it looks dated." That's rarely the real problem. Before you spend on a redesign, run this checklist so you fix what actually matters.

Before you start

Define the goal. Is the site failing on conversion, performance, content, or maintainability? "Looks old" is a symptom; name the disease. A redesign with no measurable goal produces a prettier version of the same problems.

Baseline the current site. Record current traffic, conversion rate, top pages, and rankings. Without a baseline you can't tell whether the redesign helped or hurt.

Protect what works

Audit your content. Identify pages that rank or convert. These are assets — they get migrated and improved, never quietly deleted.

Map your URLs. Every changing URL needs a redirect to its new home. This single step prevents the most common post-redesign traffic collapse.

Build for the real goal

Lead with performance. Speed and Core Web Vitals affect both rankings and conversion. A beautiful site that loads slowly loses on both.

Design mobile-first. Most visitors are on phones. Design there first, then scale up.

Plan the conversion path. Decide the primary action on every key page before choosing a single color.

After launch

Measure against the baseline. Compare conversion, traffic, and rankings to your pre-redesign numbers. Watch rankings for the first few weeks and fix any redirect gaps fast.

The real test

A redesign succeeds when the numbers improve — more qualified leads, better performance, easier upkeep — not when it merely looks newer. If you can't say which number you're trying to move, you're not ready to redesign yet.