Website redesign checklist: 17 steps

Use this checklist before launching any new version of your site.

Before you start

• ☐ Define the goal of the redesign: a better look? more leads? more speed? easier content management? A clear goal helps you make the right decisions.
• ☐ Review your current site's performance: keep a record of visits, top pages, conversion rates and important keywords, to compare after launch.
• ☐ Create a list of all current pages using a sitemap or crawling tools.

During design

• ☐ Design for mobile first; most visits in Jordan and the Gulf come from phones.
• ☐ Improve navigation so any important page is just a few clicks away.
• ☐ Review the content: improve copy, update information, and remove pages that are no longer useful.

Before launch

• ☐ Prepare all 301 redirects: every old link must redirect to the right page on the new site.
• ☐ Keep the titles and descriptions of important pages if they perform well.
• ☐ Make sure sitemap.xml, robots.txt, canonical and hreflang (for multilingual sites) are set up.
• ☐ Add the appropriate structured data (Schema).
• ☐ Test all forms: contact, quote requests, registration, email sign-up and others.
• ☐ Review site speed; ideally it should score well on Core Web Vitals.
• ☐ Test the site on phone, tablet, desktop and more than one browser.

After launch

• ☐ Submit the sitemap to Google Search Console.
• ☐ Request indexing of important pages.
• ☐ Monitor 404 errors and fix them quickly.
• ☐ Monitor performance for the first two weeks and compare with the numbers you recorded before the redesign.

Common mistakes

• Deleting old pages without redirecting them.
• Changing all URLs for no reason.
• Forgetting to set up analytics.
• Launching without testing the forms.
• Relying on looks only and neglecting performance.

Conclusion

A successful redesign is not measured by a beautiful homepage alone, but by the site's speed, ease of use, continued visibility in search results, and how well it meets business goals. Using a clear pre-launch checklist reduces errors and ensures a smooth move to the new version.

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