Website Redesign Checklist

Clarify redesign goals

A redesign without defined goals produces a site that looks new but performs the same. Lock these in before any design work starts.

1. Step 1

   Write the redesign brief

   Define what the new site must accomplish that the current site does not. Include business goals, audience changes, and any new features required.

2. Step 2

   List what is not changing

   Identify pages, content, and functionality that must be preserved exactly. This protects high-performing pages from being inadvertently dropped.

3. Step 3

   Agree on the scope boundary

   Confirm which pages are in scope, which are out of scope, and who approves changes to that list during the project.

4. Step 4

   Set measurable success criteria

   Decide how you will know the redesign worked — conversion rate, page speed, lead volume, bounce rate, or another metric tied to the brief.

Audit current site and content

You cannot protect what you have not inventoried. Run this audit before wireframes or copy are produced.

• Export a full page list using a crawl tool (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or similar).
• Flag each page as keep, update, merge, redirect, or remove.
• Note which pages drive organic traffic, backlinks, or conversions — these are highest risk to lose.
• Document all forms, integrations, tracking pixels, and third-party scripts currently in use.
• Screenshot or archive the current design for reference during QA.
• Identify all existing redirect rules before the new site is built.

Protect SEO and URLs

URL changes and missing redirects are the fastest way to lose organic traffic in a redesign. Treat this section as non-negotiable.

• Map every old URL to its new URL or confirm it stays the same.
• Write 301 redirect rules for every URL that is changing or being removed.
• Verify that all canonical tags, meta titles, and meta descriptions are migrated to the new site.
• Confirm that the new site preserves heading structure and internal link anchor text for key pages.
• Check that structured data (schema) is carried over or updated for all relevant page types.
• Test that XML sitemaps and robots.txt are correct on the new site before launch.
• Preserve any Google Search Console and analytics integrations.

Design and build handoff

Most redesign surprises happen at the handoff between design, development, and content. Resolve these before content is loaded.

• Confirm final design files are approved and version-locked before development begins.
• Agree on a component or template naming system that matches between design and code.
• Establish who enters final content — designer, developer, content editor, or client.
• Define who has sign-off authority at each stage: design, content, QA, and launch.
• Create a staging environment that mirrors production before content population begins.
• Lock the staging URL from indexing with robots.txt or password protection.

Pre-launch QA

Run QA on staging before any DNS change. Fix blockers, then re-verify the items most likely to break after migration.

• Test every page at mobile, tablet, and desktop breakpoints.
• Submit every form and confirm confirmation emails and CRM entries work.
• Verify every internal link, navigation item, and breadcrumb leads to the correct destination.
• Confirm all redirects return 301 — not 302 or a chain of multiple hops.
• Check that analytics tags, conversion pixels, and event tracking fire correctly.
• Run a Lighthouse or PageSpeed test and resolve any critical performance issues.
• Review all page titles, meta descriptions, and canonical tags are unique and correct.
• Confirm the favicon, logo, and brand assets appear correctly in all browsers.

For a detailed pre-launch process, use the Website QA Checklist alongside this section.

Launch monitoring

The first 72 hours after a redesign launch carry the highest risk. Run these checks immediately after DNS propagation completes.

• Confirm the live site resolves correctly and SSL is active.
• Verify Google Search Console shows no spike in crawl errors or 404s.
• Check analytics is receiving data and key conversion goals are firing.
• Spot-check redirects on the live domain — not just staging.
• Monitor Core Web Vitals for any regression versus the old site.
• Review any error logs or server monitoring alerts in the first 24 hours.

After launch, continue monitoring with the Post-Launch Monitoring Checklist and the SEO Site Launch Checklist.

Website Redesign FAQ

Related checklists

Use these alongside the redesign checklist to cover adjacent work: Website Launch Checklist · SEO Site Launch Checklist · Website QA Checklist · Post-Launch Monitoring Checklist.