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Before a redesign, record what the current site does: which pages bring calls, which URLs rank, and how forms and phone tracking work. Keep URLs the same where you can, map every changed URL to its new page with a permanent redirect, carry over page content that ranks, test forms and tracking before launch, then watch Search Console after launch. Google says rankings can fluctuate temporarily during a move.
Key takeaways
- Record your baseline before touching anything: calls, form leads, top pages and top searches.
- Keep the URL for every page that earns calls, and redirect every URL that has to change straight to its closest new page.
- Test forms, call tracking and analytics on the new site before launch, not after.
- Keep redirects in place for at least a year, as Google recommends.
- Assign each item to a named person so nothing sits between the owner and the web builder.
A redesign usually goes wrong in the unglamorous parts: a page that brought in calls disappears, old addresses lead nowhere, the form emails go to a former employee, and nobody notices for a month. The checklist below puts the risky items first. Each item says who should do it, when, and the usual way it gets skipped. It follows Google's guidance on site moves with URL changes, and it assumes you still want the redesign. If you are not sure you need one, read signs you need a new website first. This is general information, and your web builder should adapt it to your platform.
1. Write down what the new site must do and what must not change
Who: owner. When: before design starts. List the changes you want (more booked calls, clearer services, mobile speed) and the things that already work and must survive: the pages that bring calls, your phone number and your service areas. How it gets skipped: the brief says "make it modern" and nothing else, so the designer drops pages that looked dated but ranked. A one-page brief that names the pages to keep prevents it.
2. Record a baseline of calls, leads and searches
Who: owner or office manager. When: at least a month before launch, and again the week before. Write down monthly calls (from your phone system or call tracking), form submissions, and the top pages and searches in Search Console. Our guide to setting up Search Console shows where to find them. How it gets skipped: nobody can say afterwards whether the new site is better, so every dip becomes an argument. Save a spreadsheet and a few screenshots with dates.
3. List every URL on the old site
Who: web builder. When: before design. Google suggests checking server logs or analytics for the URLs that get the most traffic, and including embedded content such as videos, images, JavaScript and CSS files in your move plan. Add your sitemap and content management system lists, plus pages that exist only in menus, old blog posts and pages linked from your Business Profile. How it gets skipped: the builder lists the pages in the menu and misses the old service-area page that still gets calls. Compare the list to Search Console's list of pages that get clicks.
4. Mark the pages that earn calls and clicks
Who: owner with web builder. When: before design. In Search Console, sort pages by clicks and mark the top ones. Add the pages your call tracking and form reports show leads from. These are protected: same URL, same main topic, same contact options. How it gets skipped: clicks are ranked but leads are not, so a modest page that quietly books jobs gets merged away. Review it with your office, who know which pages customers say they called from.
5. Decide keep, improve, merge or drop for each page
Who: owner and writer. When: before writing. For each page, choose one. Keep pages that work. Improve thin ones. Merge near-duplicates into one stronger page and redirect the old one. Drop pages that serve no one, with a redirect to the closest page. How it gets skipped: everything is rewritten from scratch, including the copy that ranks. Change one thing at a time on protected pages, so a drop can be traced.
6. Keep the same URL wherever you can
Who: web builder. When: during the structure phase. A page whose address does not change needs no redirect and carries no risk from the move. Set the new site's address pattern to match the old one for service pages, area pages and blog posts. How it gets skipped: the new platform has its own URL style, so every address changes by default. Ask whether it can be set to your existing pattern. Change a URL only when you have a reason, and write the reason down.
7. Build a redirect map for every URL that changes
Who: web builder. When: before launch. Google advises a mapping of old to new URLs and server-side permanent redirects (301 or 308 status codes), pointing each old URL straight to its final destination without chains. Send a removed page to the closest match, not to the home page. How it gets skipped: a blanket rule sends all old addresses to the home page, which loses what each page offered. Review the map line by line with the owner, who knows what each page was for.
8. Build on a private staging site, then lock it out of search
Who: web builder. When: during build and at launch. Keep the work-in-progress behind a password or a noindex setting, so search engines do not store half-built pages or a duplicate of your site. How it gets skipped: the noindex setting from staging is carried into the live site, and the new pages are told to stay out of search. At launch, check that the setting is off on the live site, and check it again two days later.
9. Carry over titles, headings and body text on protected pages
Who: writer and web builder. When: during build. Copy the existing page title, main heading, and key paragraphs for protected pages first, then improve in later rounds. Keep the service names and town names people search for. How it gets skipped: new templates drop the title field, and the browser tab says "Home" on every page. Compare old and new titles in a spreadsheet before launch.
10. Update internal links, canonical tags and the sitemap
Who: web builder. When: before launch. Google recommends updating canonical tags and internal links to point at the new URLs, and submitting a sitemap that lists them. Make sure menus, footers and blog posts link to final addresses and not to old ones that now redirect. How it gets skipped: links still point to old addresses, creating an extra hop on every click. Crawl the staging site and look for links to old URLs.
11. Check that phone, address and service areas match your Business Profile
Who: office manager. When: before launch. Compare the business name, phone number, address (or service areas) and hours on the new site to your Google Business Profile. If you use call tracking numbers on the site, confirm the main number is still marked up correctly. How it gets skipped: the designer types a placeholder number or an old hours table into the footer. Read every page of the footer and contact page aloud.
12. Carry over structured data and images
Who: web builder. When: during build. If your old site had business or review markup, rebuild it on the new templates and test it. Keep image file names and alt text for photos that appear in image search, and include image addresses in your redirect map. Our guide to schema markup covers the basics. How it gets skipped: the old markup lived in a plugin that was retired, and nobody rebuilt it. Test the key pages before and after.
13. Reinstall analytics, conversions and call tracking
Who: web builder with owner. When: before launch, with proof after. Install the analytics tag, re-create conversion events (calls, form submits, bookings), put the call tracking script back, and re-verify Search Console ownership. Our guide on analytics for a service business lists the events worth tracking. How it gets skipped: the old tag lived in the old theme and vanished with it. Make a real call and a real form submission and watch both show up.
14. Send test messages through every form and button
Who: office manager. When: before launch, then monthly. Fill in each form on a phone and a computer, tap each call button, and try the booking widget. Confirm the message arrives in the right inbox or customer system, and that the customer's confirmation arrives. How it gets skipped: forms look right but send to a former employee's address or to spam. Keep the test as a recurring task.
15. Test on real phones, on cellular, not just a resized browser
Who: owner. When: before launch. Open the staging site on an older phone and a newer one, with Wi-Fi off. Time how long the first screen takes, try the phone button with a thumb, and read the contact page outdoors. How it gets skipped: the designer shows the site on a large monitor, and the owner approves it there. Most of your customers will see it on a phone, often in a hurry.
16. Launch day: switch, then check the old addresses
Who: web builder, with the owner present. When: a quiet part of your week, not before a storm or a holiday. After the switch, test a sample of old addresses (the top ten pages, a blog post, an image) to make sure each lands on the right new page with a permanent redirect. Submit the new sitemap, remove the old one, and inspect key pages in Search Console. How it gets skipped: launch happens late on a Friday, nobody checks, and the problems wait until Monday.
17. Watch Search Console and your calls for weeks
Who: owner and web builder. When: daily for a week, then weekly for two months. Google says visibility may fluctuate temporarily during a move and that a small to medium-sized site can take a few weeks for most pages to move. Compare calls and top pages to your baseline and fix error pages quickly. How it gets skipped: the project is declared done at launch. Put review dates on the calendar and ask for the web builder's time to be included.
18. Keep the redirects, and update every place that links to you
Who: web builder and office manager. When: after launch. Google recommends keeping redirects in place for generally at least one year, and longer if you can. Meanwhile update your Business Profile website link, directory listings, social profiles, email signatures, invoices and QR codes to the new addresses. How it gets skipped: the redirect rules are removed during a later cleanup. Add a note on the site's maintenance list that says when they can be reviewed, and by whom.
Where to start
If you are short on time, do these three before the designer opens a file:
- Item 2, the baseline. You cannot judge the result without it.
- Item 4, mark the pages that earn calls. They set the rules for the rest of the project.
- Item 7, the redirect map. It is the part most likely to cost you traffic when missed.
Before launch, run our website launch checklist as well. For the build itself, our website service covers the build and launch, and WordPress versus custom helps if the platform is part of the decision.
Frequently asked questions
Will a redesign hurt my search rankings?
It can. Google says search visibility may fluctuate temporarily during a site move, and recrawling can take weeks. Keeping URLs, content and redirects intact lowers the risk, and no one can promise a particular result.
Do I need a redirect if my domain name stays the same?
Only for URLs that change. A page that keeps its address needs none. Every changed or removed address should have a permanent redirect to the closest new page.
How long should the redirects stay?
Google says generally at least a year. If you can keep them longer, do, because old links, bookmarks and printed materials can point to them for years.
Should I redesign in the busy season?
Avoid launching in your peak weeks. Plan the launch for a slower stretch when a few days of fixes will cost you less.
General information for service-business owners, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules vary by state; check with a qualified professional for your situation.