A website redesign involves more than choosing a new layout. Before design work starts, you need clear business goals, useful content, access to your existing accounts, and a plan for the pages that already bring visitors to your website.
This website redesign checklist explains what to prepare so your designer can build a website that reflects your business and helps visitors take the next step.
Whether you run a local service business, a consultancy, or an online store, preparation helps you avoid missing content, unexpected costs, and rushed decisions before launch.
1. Define what your website needs to achieve
Start with the business problem you want the redesign to solve.
“My website looks outdated” is a useful observation, but it does not explain what the new website needs to do. More specific goals could include:
- Making it easier for visitors to request a quote.
- Explaining services that customers regularly ask about.
- Improving the booking experience on mobile.
- Presenting your work and client feedback more clearly.
- Making products easier to find and purchase.
- Allowing you to update content without depending on a developer.
Choose one main action for each important page. A service page might encourage an enquiry, while a product page should help someone decide whether to buy.
Prepare a short goal statement, such as: “I want local homeowners to understand my services and request a quote through a simple contact form.”
2. Identify your audience and their questions
Your website should reflect what potential customers need to know before contacting you.
Write down who you serve, where you serve them, and the problems they want to solve. Then list the questions you hear during enquiries or sales calls.
A rental business might need to explain availability, delivery areas, deposits, and collection arrangements. A consultant might need to explain their process, experience, and the type of client they work with.
Useful preparation questions include:
- What service or product are visitors looking for?
- What information helps them decide?
- What concerns stop them from getting in touch?
- What makes my business a suitable choice?
These answers guide page content, navigation, and calls to action.
3. Review what already works on your website
Before removing pages or rewriting everything, review your current website.
Look at the pages that receive organic visits, generate enquiries, or support customer decisions. If you have Google Analytics and Google Search Console, arrange access so your designer or SEO specialist can review the available data.
Prepare a baseline of organic clicks, important landing pages, and recorded conversions. If tracking has not been configured properly, identify that gap before treating the numbers as reliable.
Also note practical issues: broken forms, outdated details, confusing menus, and pages that are difficult to use on a phone.
Keep a simple list with three columns: what works, what needs improvement, and what is missing. This gives the redesign a clearer starting point than visual preferences alone.
4. Prepare a clear list of pages and features
A sitemap is the planned structure of your website. It helps you decide what pages you need and how visitors will move between them.
For a service business, your page list might include:
- Home.
- About.
- A main services page.
- Individual pages for key services.
- Portfolio or case studies.
- Contact or booking.
- Relevant policy pages.
Prepare a separate feature list. Booking systems, payments, multilingual content, customer accounts, and CRM connections can affect the scope and cost.
Separate essential features from future ideas. For example, a working enquiry form may be essential at launch, while a customer portal could belong to a later phase.
5. Gather your website content and brand assets
Missing content can delay a redesign even when the layout is ready.
Prepare your logo files, brand colours, photographs, service descriptions, contact details, and approved client testimonials. Include portfolio examples or case studies you have permission to publish.
For each service, explain:
- What the service includes.
- Who it is for.
- How the process works.
- What the customer needs to provide.
- How to request a quote or get started.
Avoid relying on generic statements such as “quality service at affordable prices.” Specific details help visitors understand your offer.
If your content needs rewriting, agree who will write it and who will approve it. Make sure any qualifications, statistics, and client results are accurate before publication.
6. Plan your website redesign SEO before changing URLs
SEO should be part of redesign planning, particularly if your existing website already receives search traffic.
Prepare an inventory of current URLs and identify important pages. Where it makes sense, retain useful URLs and content rather than changing them simply to match a new layout.
If a page moves permanently, map its old URL to the most relevant replacement and implement a permanent server-side redirect, commonly a 301 or 308. Avoid sending every removed page to the homepage.
Google’s site-move guidance recommends URL mapping and redirects when page addresses change. Review the guidance with your developer before launch:
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes
Your redesign SEO plan should also cover:
- Page titles, descriptions, and headings.
- Internal links and navigation.
- Canonical URLs and the XML sitemap.
- Image descriptions where appropriate.
- Relevant structured data.
- Checks for accidental indexing restrictions at launch.
A redesign can affect search visibility, especially when URLs and content change. Planning reduces avoidable problems, but it does not guarantee unchanged rankings.
7. Set a budget and agree on the scope
Website redesign costs depend on the amount of work involved. A small business website and a customised online store have different requirements.
Ask for a proposal that explains what is included and what costs extra. Clarify content writing, SEO work, premium themes or plugins, hosting, integrations, and ongoing support.
Also agree on:
- The number of pages.
- The number of design revisions.
- Who uploads products or existing content.
- Who provides paid software licences.
- What happens when you request additional features.
- What maintenance is needed after launch.
A clear scope helps you compare proposals and make realistic decisions.
8. Organise account access securely
Your designer may need access to WordPress, hosting, domain settings, analytics, and connected services.
Prepare an access checklist, but share credentials through a secure method rather than putting passwords into a general project document. Where possible, create individual user accounts with the permissions needed for the work.
Confirm that your business controls its domain, hosting account, and important licences. If a previous developer set everything up, resolve ownership and access before the project starts.
Agree who will create the backup, where the redesign will be built, and how the live website will be restored if launch problems occur.
9. Choose a realistic timeline and one decision-maker
A redesign timeline depends on page count, content readiness, integrations, and feedback.
Tell your designer about any fixed deadlines, such as an event or a business launch. Discuss whether the full scope can be delivered by that date or whether a smaller first launch makes more sense.
Choose one person to collect feedback and approve decisions. If multiple stakeholders send conflicting comments, it becomes difficult to move the project forward.
Agree on milestones for the page structure, design, development, testing, and launch. Reserve time for reviewing real content instead of approving layouts filled with placeholder text.
10. Prepare a launch and maintenance checklist
Before launch, confirm that the website works with your actual content and business processes.
Test enquiry forms, booking steps, email delivery, payment flows where relevant, and navigation on mobile and desktop. Check contact details, buttons, downloadable files, and key service pages.
For a WordPress website redesign, also discuss software updates, backups, security, licences, and ongoing maintenance.
After launch, check redirects and important pages, confirm tracking works, and monitor search performance. Test the website again as a customer would, including submitting a real test enquiry.
Define who will handle problems and content updates once the initial project is complete.
Quick website redesign preparation checklist
Before your first project meeting, gather:
- A written business goal and the main customer action.
- A description of your audience and common questions.
- A review of current pages and available performance data.
- A proposed page list and essential features.
- Approved copy, images, logo files, and testimonials.
- An inventory of existing URLs and an SEO migration plan.
- Your budget, deadline, and scope priorities.
- A secure account-access plan.
- One person responsible for approvals.
- A launch testing and maintenance plan.
You do not need every decision finalised before speaking with a designer. The aim is to make your priorities clear and identify what still needs work.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do first before a website redesign?
Define the business goal and review your current website. Identify what works, what frustrates visitors, and what you want customers to do on the new website. This helps you plan the structure before choosing a design.
Do I need to write all the content before hiring a website designer?
No, but you should know who will prepare it. Gather accurate service information, brand assets, photographs, and approved proof of your work. If you need copywriting, include it in the agreed scope.
Can a website redesign affect SEO?
Yes. Changes to URLs, content, internal links, and indexing settings can affect search visibility. Review important pages before development, prepare redirects where necessary, and monitor performance after launch.
Should I change every URL during a redesign?
No. A new visual design does not require new page addresses. Keep useful existing URLs where possible, and plan relevant redirects when a change is needed.
How long does a business website redesign take?
There is no fixed timeline. It depends on the size of the website, content readiness, required features, and the speed of approvals. Ask for a schedule based on your actual scope.
Can I keep using WordPress for my redesigned website?
Yes. A redesign can retain WordPress while improving the layout, content, navigation, and functionality. The right approach depends on your current setup and business requirements.
Planning a website redesign for your business?
A clear plan gives your redesign a stronger foundation. It helps you decide what visitors need, what the website should achieve, and what needs protecting during the change.
I help business owners with WordPress website design, development, and SEO, with attention to clear content, usable layouts, and enquiry journeys.
Explore my WordPress website design and development services or book a consultation to discuss your current website and redesign priorities.
