Website Redesign Checklist: 12 Steps to Redesign Without Losing Google Rankings

Before the redesign

• 1. Set a clear goal: more calls, more bookings, more sales, or a more professional look.
• 2. Record your current numbers: visitors, enquiries and top pages (Google Analytics and Search Console).
• 3. List every page on your current site, especially the ones that get traffic from Google.
• 4. Note the searches you already rank for, so the new site keeps targeting them.
• 5. Collect what works: your best reviews, photos of real work and the content customers find useful.

During the redesign

• 6. Keep page addresses (URLs) the same where possible.
• 7. Where an address must change, plan a 301 redirect from the old page to the new one.
• 8. Keep or improve the content on pages that rank. Don't replace detailed pages with a single line of text.
• 9. Write a unique page title and meta description for every page.
• 10. Design for phones first, and keep pages fast: compress images and avoid heavy scripts.

After launch

• 11. Test everything: forms, buttons, phone links, redirects and checkout. Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console.
• 12. Watch your traffic and enquiries for 4 to 8 weeks, and fix any pages showing errors in Search Console.

The most common redesign mistakes

• Deleting pages that bring in Google traffic.
• Forgetting redirects, so old links and bookmarks lead to error pages.
• Launching with the site still blocked from Google (a leftover 'noindex' setting).
• Choosing looks over clarity: a beautiful site that doesn't say what you do or how to contact you.

Want help with your redesign?

We redesign websites for small businesses with these steps built in, so you get a modern site without losing the rankings you've earned. Start with a free audit of your current site.

Frequently asked questions

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