Decide what the redesign needs to fix.
Write down the business problem before choosing a new look. You may have changed services, added a team, started taking larger jobs or outgrown a site you built yourself. Each reason needs different changes, and a different budget: compare options in what a website costs in Australia.
Separate those needs from faults that can be fixed directly. A failed form needs a repair and a delivery test. A confusing service list needs clearer content. Neither automatically requires replacing the whole website.
If the main concern is a lack of enquiries, use the enquiry diagnostic first. Keep what you learn in the design brief so the new site addresses the actual problem.
Record what your existing site does well.
List the current page URLs and note which content, photos and downloads should stay. Check which pages receive search clicks and which are linked from your Business Profile, social accounts, directory listings, ads, emails or printed material.
- Save a copy of any text and original images you want to reuse.
- Record contact forms, receiving email addresses and any automatic replies.
- List booking tools, payment links, maps and other outside services.
- Identify current analytics and search accounts, and who can access them.
- Note pages customers regularly mention or use during enquiries.
A redesign is an opportunity to make useful information easier to find. Removing a well-used service page without a replacement can make the site less helpful even when the new homepage looks better.
Find the domain, hosting and email providers.
Write down where each service is managed and who has access. Your domain is the address, hosting delivers the website, and email may be handled by a separate provider. Paying one company does not always mean it runs all three.
Before changing anything, have the person handling the switch record the current domain settings and identify the records used by email. A website move should not accidentally remove those settings.
Agree the access method securely. Avoid pasting account passwords into the content brief. Keep your own recovery details current, and confirm who remains responsible for renewals after the change.
If the existing provider controls everything, resolve access and transfer questions before cancelling the service. Use the provider questions to get the arrangement in writing.
Map each important old page to its new home.
Keep any URL that gets search clicks or is linked from your Google Business Profile, ads or directory listings. When a page address has to change, ask the developer to set up a 301 (permanent) redirect to its replacement. Do not send every old page to the homepage if a more relevant destination exists.
| Existing page | Decision |
|---|---|
| A current service page | Keep the URL and improve the content if it still serves the same purpose. |
| An old URL for a renamed service | Redirect to the relevant new service page. |
| A completed-project page | Retain it, or move its useful content and redirect to the appropriate replacement. |
| A discontinued service | Decide whether a relevant replacement exists; do not force an unrelated redirect. |
Update internal links and the sitemap to use the new addresses. Google’s site-move guidance recommends URL mapping and redirects when addresses change. Expect rankings to move around for a few weeks while Google processes the change.
Use the page-planning guide to agree the new structure and the brief template to document the content that belongs on each page.
Check the preview before you approve launch.
Read the business information.
Check services, working area, hours, contact details, credentials, prices and photo permissions. Test links to bookings and other outside services.
Use it on a phone.
Try menus, tap-to-call links and forms. Check every service page as well as the homepage, opening each from a direct link. Run the 12-point website checklist on the preview homepage.
Test enquiries with the builder.
Before launch, send a test enquiry from the preview and check where it lands. After launch, send another from the live site and make sure it reaches your real inbox.
Check the page map and tracking plan.
Confirm old URLs, new links and any measurement you rely on. Decide who checks the live version after the switch.
Repeat the important checks on the live site.
After launch, open the public website on a separate device or connection. Open your five most-visited old URLs and check each redirects to the right page, send a labelled test enquiry, confirm it arrives and check that business email still sends and receives correctly.
Ask the developer to confirm that production pages intended for search are crawlable and no longer carry a development noindex instruction. The private preview should remain protected from indexing. Inspect your main URLs in Search Console, then check the Page indexing report for new errors each week for the first month.
If the website address or page URLs changed, update the website link in your Google Business Profile; if the listing stops showing, see why a business isn’t showing on Google Maps.
Keep the old hosting running for at least two weeks after launch, until the new site, forms and email are confirmed working. Then cancel it separately, rather than assuming the website move has cancelled the old bill.
Agree who handles problems, content changes and renewals from then on. The website maintenance checklist lists the monthly checks. A successful launch is the beginning of that responsibility, not the end of it.