Plain-English guide
Website redesign checklist: 12 checks before you rebuild
Most redesigns start with "it looks dated" and end with a prettier version of the same problems — sometimes with the Google rankings burned on the way. Run these twelve checks first and the project pays for itself before a pixel moves.
By Matt Rooney · 23/08/2026 · T19 Digital · 2 min read
Before you brief anyone
One: pull the numbers — which pages earn enquiries now, because those must survive. Two: list every search phrase you currently rank for; redirects will protect them. Three: read your last twenty enquiries for the words customers actually use. Four: time your site on a phone on mobile data, not office wifi. Five: try to change a sentence yourself; how that feels is your maintenance reality. Six: write down what the site is for in one sentence — most cannot.
During the rebuild
Seven: every old URL gets a redirect to its successor — this is the step that protects rankings, and the one skipped most. Eight: the phone version is the version; design there first. Nine: put prices on it; silence reads as expensive. Ten: one obvious next step per page, not six competing buttons.
After launch
Eleven: resubmit the sitemap and watch Search Console for a fortnight — dips should recover; cliffs mean a missed redirect. Twelve: book the first content review for ninety days out, because a site that never changes after launch is a brochure with a hosting bill.
When not to redesign
If the site is fast, findable and earning, and the complaint is only aesthetic — spend the money on photography and words instead. We say this while selling websites, because the fastest way to lose a customer for life is to sell them a rebuild they did not need.
Questions we get on this
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
Only if URLs change without redirects or the new site is slower. Handle both — as any competent rebuild should — and rankings usually improve.
How often should a small business redesign its website?
When it stops doing its job, not on a calendar. Three to five years is typical, but a fast, earning site can run longer with content care.
How long does a redesign take?
Six to eight weeks with us for most sites, faster if your content is ready — and the fixed price is agreed before we start.
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