Practical guide

A website redesign checklist you can use.

Before you change the design, take a look at what the current website already does for the business. Which pages are useful, where do enquiries come from, and what needs to work better? Use this checklist to plan the replacement, then return to it when you are ready to launch.

Start with the inventory Make a URL map

Prepared by UpOnUp · This guide includes our approach where relevant.

Before the design

Record what exists before it moves.

Start with a simple list of every important URL, what that page is for, and its proposed destination. Include pages reached from search, emails, printed material and other websites. Look at Search Console or analytics if you have access, but do not assume low traffic means a page is worthless.

Keep an export or dated copy of the old content, along with the current form, phone and email links. Note who manages the domain and email too. You and the new provider can then see what needs to survive the move.

Printed website layouts being reviewed beside a page hierarchy sketch — Record the pages and journeys before changing the design.

Swipe sideways to see all columns

Record	Example question	Decision to make
Current URL	Where does this page live today?	Keep the address, change it or retire it.
Purpose	What question does it answer or action does it support?	Keep, rewrite, combine or remove the content.
Evidence	Does it attract visits, links, enquiries or recurring customer questions?	Prioritise the pages that serve a real need.
New destination	If the URL changes, what is the closest relevant replacement?	Plan a direct redirect or leave a real 404 when there is no replacement.

Agree the new site

Give each page a job.

Work out what each page needs to explain and what someone should be able to do next. That gives you a more useful plan than choosing a page count first and trying to fill it.

Content and message

Can a first-time visitor tell what the business does and who it serves?
Does each service have enough detail to support a decision?
Are prices, service areas, opening hours and claims accurate?
Is there real imagery or useful visual evidence where it helps?

Scope and ownership

Have you agreed the page list, forms and any integrations?
Who writes the copy and checks the final business facts?
How many review rounds are included?
Who owns the finished files, domain and content?

If you’re planning a redesign with us, we agree up to 25 pages and bring the planning, writing, design and development together, with two consolidated refinement rounds. Large catalogues, ecommerce, bespoke software and complex integrations need separate scoping. Check the full scope before ordering.

Before publication

Test the journey, not just the homepage.

Walk through the new site as someone unfamiliar with the business. Check the full path from a service page to a working enquiry.

On the page

Read every headline, service detail, address and call to action.
Check phone and desktop layouts, readable text and image crops.
Try menus, buttons, forms, thank-you states and error messages.
Check that imagery has permission for use and useful alternative text.

During the move

Confirm who will update the domain connection and when.
Test important old URLs against their mapped new destinations.
Check that live pages are indexable and canonical URLs are correct.
Keep existing email services working through the cutover.

A URL decision map

Where should each old address lead?

Compare the purpose of the old page with what exists on the new site. These paths are examples; replace them with your own inventory.

OLD ADDRESS/services/repairs/
Same subject, same address
Keep the URL and publish the updated page there.
KEEP200Page loads at the original URL
OLD ADDRESS/repairs/
Moved to a relevant new page
Redirect directly to the closest replacement.
REDIRECT301To /services/repairs/
OLD ADDRESS/retired-offer/
No useful replacement exists
Let the address be missing rather than sending everyone to the homepage.
REMOVE404Or 410 for a deliberately removed page

Free working tool

Make your own URL map.

List the addresses you have now. Decide whether each one stays, moves to a relevant replacement, or has no replacement. Download the map for whoever handles your launch, then reopen it here to continue the work.

1 Add old addresses2 Choose a destination3 Export the plan

Already have a list? Paste one address per line.

Use paths such as /services/, or full URLs if the domain is changing. Leave out tracking links and fragments.

Continue a downloaded map

Choose a website-url-move-plan.csv file, including one edited in a spreadsheet. Keep its five column headings. Up to 250 addresses and 2 MB; the file stays in your browser.

This worksheet saves only in this browser. Nothing you enter or import is sent to UpOnUp. Keep a downloaded copy to reopen on another device. Expected responses are planning hints; manual checks are your own notes, not tests run by this tool.

Google recommends relevant permanent server-side redirects when URLs change and notes that rankings may fluctuate while the new URLs are processed. See Google's site-move guidance.

After launch

Watch the site in the real world.

Once the new site is live, try the things your customers use: send an enquiry, open an old link and check the pages on a phone. Problems after a move can be easy to miss if everyone only looks at the homepage.

FIRST DAY

Send a real enquiry.

Test the form from a phone and confirm it arrives at the right inbox. Follow a few old links and check the new destinations.

FIRST WEEKS

Watch indexing.

Use Search Console, if available, to inspect important pages, sitemap processing and crawl errors. Fix failures based on evidence.

ONGOING

Keep facts current.

Update service details, hours, people and imagery as the business changes. A clear site becomes less useful when its answers go stale.

A redesign cannot guarantee the same search positions or a certain number of enquiries. The checklist helps you reduce avoidable mistakes and spot real problems sooner.