A new website can be the best thing you do for your business this year. It can also quietly wipe out rankings you spent years building if it is done wrong. Before you rebuild, go through this checklist.
Before you start
1. Know why you are redesigning
“It looks old” is a fine reason, but the real goal should be more calls, leads or sales. Write down the one or two numbers you want the new site to improve.
2. Back up everything
Save a full copy of your current site, files and database before anyone touches it. If something goes wrong, you can always go back.
3. Record your current numbers
Write down your traffic, calls, form leads and top pages from Google Search Console and Analytics. Without a before, you cannot prove the after worked.
4. List every page and URL
Export a list of every page on your current site, especially the ones that get traffic or rank on Google. These are the pages you must protect.
While you build
5. Keep your URLs, or redirect them
This is the step that saves your rankings. If a page’s address changes, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. Skipping this is the number one reason sites lose traffic after a redesign.
6. Keep the content that ranks
If a page brings in traffic today, do not cut its text down to a few lines just to look clean. Improve it, but keep what Google already likes about it.
7. Put your offer and a call button at the top
Visitors should know what you do, where you do it and how to contact you within a few seconds, especially on a phone.
8. Build for mobile first
Most of your visitors are on their phones. Design for the small screen first, then make it work on desktop.
9. Make it fast
Compress images, cut plugins you do not need and use good hosting. Every extra second of load time costs you visitors.
10. Set up tracking before launch
Connect Google Analytics and Search Console, track form fills and calls, and make sure every lead goes somewhere you will see it right away.
At launch
11. Test everything
Fill out every form, tap every phone number, click every button and check every page on a phone and a computer. Then do it again.
12. Submit your sitemap and watch Search Console
Submit your new sitemap to Google and check Search Console for errors over the next few weeks. Fix any broken pages as soon as they show up.
Want it done right the first time?
Our website redesign service keeps your domain, URLs and rankings, handles every redirect, and launches a faster site built to bring in leads. We work with businesses in St. Louis, Belleville and the Metro East and nationwide. Get a free quote or call or text (618) 593-7175.
