A redesign changes more than the appearance of your site. Content, URLs, navigation and technical settings can all affect how people and search engines find it.
Record the current website
Start with an inventory of important URLs, pages receiving enquiries and available search performance data. Keep a recoverable backup before changes.
Keep useful content and paths
Do not remove a page simply because the design is changing. Review whether it serves a real user need. Keep established URLs where practical.
Plan redirects individually
Where a URL changes, map the old page to the most relevant new destination. Redirecting every old page to the homepage is rarely useful for visitors.
Check mobile journeys
Review navigation, readable text, forms and primary actions on smaller screens. Test the actual enquiry journey, not just the page appearance.
Review indexing controls
Staging sites may be kept out of search results. At launch, review robots directives, canonical URLs, sitemap entries and response codes so that intended public pages can be discovered.
Measure after launch
Monitor broken links, indexing reports and enquiries. Search results may fluctuate after changes; a new design alone does not guarantee better rankings.
Need a starting point?
A website audit can identify risks and priorities before you commit to a rebuild. Review the technical foundations alongside the offer and content.
