Website Redesign Checklist
Are you considering a website redesign?
Here are checklists to help you. You can also read our Website Redesign Tips.
Website Redesign Checklist
A. Evaluate the Current Website
- Assess the need for redesign
- Evaluate the website's current functionality and performance
- Check if the site looks cluttered or outdated
- Analyse website speed and responsiveness
- Review imagery and branding alignment
- Assess SEO performance
B. Define Redesign Objectives
- Identify goals for the redesign
- Determine necessary changes
- Set a budget
- Identify important aspects of the redesign
- Set a deadline
C. Planning the Redesign
- Ensure consistent branding
- Develop an effective content strategy
- Ensure quality code
- Plan for SEO improvements
- Organize site architecture
- Integrate social media engagement
- Plan for ongoing maintenance
Website Rebuild Checklist
A rebuild involves more than a new look and feel. A website rebuild is necessary when the site's technology is outdated, hindering desired features or performance; there are serious security issues; the current structure or functionality doesn't meet business needs; or significant changes are required that cannot be fulfilled with a mere redesign.
A. Assess the Need for Rebuild
- Determine if tweaks or a complete rebuild is necessary
- Assess the current website's limitations
- Identify new objectives that the current website can't meet
B. Define Rebuild Objectives
- Establish goals for the new website
- Determine functionalities needed
- Define target audience
- Set budget
- Set a deadline
C. Planning the Rebuild
- Select the right platform and technology
- Develop a new site architecture
- Design new branding elements if needed
- Create content strategy
- Ensure SEO best practices from the ground up
- Plan for mobile responsiveness
- Integrate social media and other third-party tools
- Plan for regular updates and ongoing maintenance
D. Transition Planning
- Prepare for data migration if needed
- Ensure proper redirection of old URLs
- Test the new site thoroughly before the launch
By following these checklists, you can approach a website redesign or rebuild with clarity and organization, ensuring you cover all the process's essential aspects.
Protecting your existing SEO
Whether you do a Website Redesign or a Website Rebuild, if there are changes in the site architecture, you need to take some steps to protect your existing search engine ranking that we will undertake with you:
- Copy the live site to a development server
- Set the website to no follow, no index, so Google does not index the development website.
Review of existing website
- Diagram the existing structure and content of the website
- Collect your top-ranking landing pages
- Do keyword research and document keyword phrases against existing content
- Highlight content gaps and create a content creation schedule
- Review site architecture
Implement changes to the new website
- Set up a new theme and design
- Create a new homepage and internal templates
- Create a new structure, including required redirects
- Update internal links
- Add new content
- Optimise images and check alt text
- Review page speed
- Check responsive design
- Testing
Move to Live
- The new website is copied to live
- Remove no-index
- Update new sitemap to Google
- More testing
- Track keyword ranking
- Check the Google Search console for errors
- Track ranking for several months
If you’re considering a website redesign or rebuild, I would love to help. I offer website redesign services and will undertake the redesign with a view to preserving and improving your SEO.