Before a website redesign, record the pages that bring search traffic and enquiries. Keep useful URLs and content, map any changed URLs to relevant permanent redirects, and check indexing, internal links, forms and tracking before launch. After launch, monitor Search Console and actual enquiries. A nicer design does not automatically preserve search visibility.
A redesign should improve how the site looks and works without quietly removing the pages customers use to find you. Before changing the design, I want to know which pages matter. Your homepage is only part of that picture. A service page, older article or product category may be doing more useful work than the page everyone talks about.
Record the current site before you replace it
Export your page list and review Search Console landing pages, queries and clicks. Check the pages linked from other websites, your Google Business Profile and active ads. Separately, note which pages lead to genuine enquiries. Save the current titles, headings, important copy and screenshots. This gives you a starting point to compare against rather than relying on memory.
Decide what stays, changes or goes
Keep a useful URL when its purpose is staying the same. If two pages overlap, decide which one gives the visitor the better answer and combine the useful material. When a URL changes, redirect the old page directly to the closest relevant replacement. Sending every old page to the homepage can leave visitors without the information they expected.
Check the launch essentials
| Check | What you want to see |
|---|---|
| Existing URLs | Useful pages kept, changed pages mapped to relevant redirects |
| Indexing | Public pages crawlable, with no accidental noindex directive |
| Canonical and sitemap | Preferred live URLs, not staging addresses |
| Mobile journey | Readable copy, working menus and accessible contact controls |
| Forms and calendar | Successful submission, confirmation and notification |
| Measurement | Existing analytics and enquiry events working on the new site |
Keep the information that helps someone choose
A shorter page is not always a better page. Preserve the service details, product information and answers that help customers make a decision. In the Herauf project, explaining the modular process is part of the website’s job. In the Flooring Superstore project, visitors need product and showroom information. The design should support that information.
Watch what happens after launch
Recheck your most useful landing pages, submit the live sitemap in Search Console and review indexing reports. Compare equivalent periods and account for seasonality, campaigns and tracking changes. Search positions can fluctuate after significant changes. If enquiries fall, inspect the forms and booking path as well as search traffic before deciding that rankings are the cause.
Bring the existing site to the first conversation
You do not need a finished brief. Bring the URL and tell me what is getting in the way: dated design, awkward updates, missing information or weak enquiries. We can work out whether you need a new website, a smaller refresh or a focused technical fix. Book a discovery call if you want to talk it through.
Common questions
Will a website redesign hurt my SEO?
It can if important pages disappear, URLs change without relevant redirects, useful content is removed or indexing is blocked. Planning and testing reduce those risks, but nobody can promise unchanged rankings.
Should I change every URL during a redesign?
No. Keep useful URLs unless there is a clear reason to change them. A visual redesign does not require a new address for every page.
What should I check first if enquiries drop after launch?
Test the form, phone links and booking calendar first. Then check tracking, indexing, redirects and the search landing pages that previously brought enquiries.
Official guidance
For the platform rules and technical guidance behind this topic:
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