Website redesign checklist: how to redesign without losing traffic

Why do websites lose traffic after a redesign?

Most traffic lost in a redesign is lost because URLs change without redirects, or because pages that ranked well are removed or rewritten without their key content. Search engines see a new site with broken links to the old one, and the rankings built up over years start again from zero.

None of that is inevitable. A redesign done with a redirect map and a launch checklist usually holds its traffic, and a faster, clearer site often gains more.

What should you record before the redesign starts?

Take a snapshot of the current site before anyone designs anything. You will use it to decide what to keep, and to check after launch that nothing important has gone missing.

• A full list of URLs, from a crawler or your current sitemap.
• The top pages by organic traffic and by enquiries or sales, from your analytics.
• The queries each top page ranks for, from Google Search Console.
• Titles, meta descriptions and headings of those pages.
• Pages that other sites link to, since those links carry ranking value.
• Current speed and Core Web Vitals, as a baseline to beat.

How do you plan the new site structure?

Keep what works and fix what does not. Pages that bring in traffic or enquiries keep their topic and, ideally, their URL. Thin or duplicate pages can be merged into stronger ones. New pages are added where your research shows questions you do not yet answer.

If URLs must change, for example because the site is moving to a new platform, change them once and make the new structure simple: short, readable paths that will not need to change again.

How do you set up redirects?

Build a redirect map: a list with every old URL in one column and the new URL that best replaces it in the other. Every old page that had traffic or links should point to its closest equivalent, using a permanent 301 redirect, never to the home page by default.

• Map every old URL, not only the top pages.
• Use permanent (301 or 308) redirects, not temporary ones.
• Avoid chains: an old URL should go straight to its final page.
• Update internal links to the new URLs instead of relying on redirects.
• Keep the redirects in place permanently.

What should you check before launch?

Build the new site on a staging address that search engines cannot index, and check it against this list before switching over.

• Every page has a unique title, description and one clear H1.
• Structured data, canonical tags and the sitemap are correct.
• The redirect map is loaded and tested on a sample of old URLs.
• Analytics and conversion tracking work on the new site.
• Pages are fast on a mid-range phone, not just on a laptop.
• Forms send, and someone receives what they send.
• The staging site's noindex setting will be removed at launch.

What should you do after launch?

Launch is the start of the check, not the end. Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, then watch closely for the first few weeks.

• Crawl the live site for broken links and redirect errors.
• Check Search Console daily at first for crawl and indexing errors.
• Compare traffic to your top pages with the baseline you recorded.
• Fix any old URL that returns a 404 by adding its redirect.
• Expect some movement in rankings for a few weeks while search engines recrawl.

How long does a website redesign take?

A focused redesign of a small company site can take a few weeks; a larger site with a new CMS and content migration can take up to two months. Our guide on how long it takes to build a website or app covers what decides the timeline, and the cost calculator gives a starting price.

We handle redesigns end to end, including the redirect map and the launch checks. See our website design and development service, or our maintenance and support retainer if you want someone watching the site after launch.