Website redesigns are high-stakes projects. Done right, they revitalize your brand, improve conversions, and strengthen SEO. Done wrong, they tank your traffic, confuse users, and waste significant budget.

This comprehensive checklist guides you through every phase of a successful website redesign, from initial planning to post-launch optimization.

Pre-Redesign: Strategy and Planning

1. Define Clear Goals and Success Metrics

Before touching design or code, establish what success looks like:

**Business Goals:**

→Increase conversion rate by X%

→Improve lead generation

→Support new product/service lines

→Enhance brand perception

→Expand to new markets or languages

**User Experience Goals:**

→Reduce bounce rate

→Increase time on site

→Improve mobile experience

→Simplify navigation and user journeys

**Technical Goals:**

→Improve page load speed

→Enhance security

→Modernize technology stack

→Improve accessibility (WCAG compliance)

2. Audit Your Current Website

Understand what's working and what's not:

**Analytics Review:**

→Top-performing pages (traffic, conversions)

→High-exit pages indicating problems

→User flow analysis

→Device and browser usage patterns

→Geographic distribution of visitors

**SEO Audit:**

→Current rankings for target keywords

→Backlink profile

→Site structure and internal linking

→Technical SEO issues (crawl errors, broken links)

→Top organic landing pages

**Content Audit:**

→Inventory all existing content

→Categorize by quality and relevance

→Identify gaps in content coverage

→Mark content for keep/update/delete/merge

**User Research:**

→Heatmaps showing interaction patterns

→Session recordings of user behavior

→User surveys and feedback

→Customer support ticket analysis

→Competitor website analysis

3. Competitive Analysis

Learn from competitors' strengths and weaknesses:

→What features do competitors offer?

→How do they structure navigation and content?

→What conversion strategies do they use?

→Where are opportunities to differentiate?

4. Technical Requirements Planning

Define the technical foundation:

**Platform Decision:**

→Continue with current CMS or migrate?

→Custom development vs. template/theme?

→Headless CMS architecture?

**Integrations Required:**

→CRM systems

→Marketing automation

→Analytics platforms

→Payment processing

→Third-party services (booking, chat, etc.)

**Performance Requirements:**

→Target page load times

→Core Web Vitals targets

→Traffic capacity planning

Design Phase

5. Information Architecture

Structure your content logically:

→Create site map showing all pages and hierarchy

→Plan navigation structure (primary, secondary, footer)

→Define user journeys for key personas

→Card sorting exercises with users

→URL structure planning (SEO-friendly, logical)

6. Wireframing

Plan layout before visual design:

→Low-fidelity wireframes for key templates

→Mobile and desktop layouts

→Content prioritization on each page

→Interaction patterns and micro-interactions

→Approval from stakeholders before visual design

7. Visual Design

Create the look and feel:

**Design System:**

→Color palette aligned with brand

→Typography scale and font choices

→Spacing and layout grid

→Component library (buttons, forms, cards)

→Iconography style

**High-Fidelity Mockups:**

→Homepage design

→Key landing pages

→Product/service pages

→Blog/content templates

→Forms and interactive elements

**Responsive Design:**

→Mobile, tablet, and desktop variations

→Breakpoint decisions

→Mobile-first approach

8. Content Strategy and Creation

Plan and produce content:

→Content templates for different page types

→Copywriting (focus on user benefits, SEO keywords)

→Image sourcing (photography, illustrations, stock)

→Video and multimedia content

→Metadata (page titles, descriptions)

Development Phase

9. Front-End Development

Build the user interface:

**Standards and Best Practices:**

→Semantic HTML5

→Modern CSS (Grid, Flexbox, CSS custom properties)

→Progressive enhancement

→Accessibility (ARIA labels, keyboard navigation)

→Cross-browser compatibility testing

**Performance Optimization:**

→Image optimization and lazy loading

→CSS and JavaScript minification

→Critical CSS inlining

→Font loading optimization

→Resource hints (preconnect, prefetch)

10. Back-End Development

Build the functionality:

→CMS implementation and configuration

→Custom functionality development

→API integrations

→Database optimization

→Security implementation (SSL, security headers, input validation)

11. SEO Migration Planning

**Critical for preserving rankings:**

**URL Mapping:**

→Document all old URLs

→Map to new URL structure

→Implement 301 redirects (NOT 302)

→Set up redirect testing process

**On-Page SEO:**

→Preserve or improve title tags

→Meta descriptions for all pages

→Header tag hierarchy (H1, H2, H3)

→Image alt text

→Internal linking structure

→Schema markup implementation

**Technical SEO:**

→XML sitemap generation

→Robots.txt configuration

→Canonical URLs

→Structured data

→Page speed optimization

12. Content Migration

Transfer content systematically:

→Export content from old site

→Clean and update during migration

→Import to new CMS

→Verify formatting and functionality

→Check all images and media files

→Test all internal links

Testing Phase

13. Comprehensive Testing

**Functional Testing:**

→All forms submit correctly

→E-commerce checkout process

→Search functionality

→User registration/login

→Email notifications

**Cross-Browser Testing:**

→Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge

→Different browser versions

→Mobile browsers (iOS Safari, Chrome Android)

**Device Testing:**

→Various screen sizes and resolutions

→Actual mobile devices (not just emulators)

→Tablet testing

→Touch interactions

**Performance Testing:**

→Page load speed (GTmetrix, PageSpeed Insights)

→Core Web Vitals measurement

→Load testing for traffic spikes

**Accessibility Testing:**

→Screen reader compatibility (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver)

→Keyboard navigation

→Color contrast ratios

→WCAG 2.1 AA compliance

**SEO Testing:**

→All redirects working correctly

→Meta tags present and optimized

→XML sitemap accessible

→Structured data validation

→Mobile-friendliness test

14. User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

→Stakeholder review and sign-off

→User testing with target audience

→Feedback collection and prioritization

→Final revisions based on UAT results

Launch Phase

15. Pre-Launch Checklist

**Final Technical Checks:**

→[ ] Backup old website completely

→[ ] DNS settings prepared for switch

→[ ] SSL certificate installed and tested

→[ ] Analytics tracking code implemented

→[ ] Conversion tracking verified

→[ ] Search Console verified

→[ ] 404 error page configured

→[ ] Redirects tested in staging

→[ ] Remove development flags (noindex, password protection)

**Content Checks:**

→[ ] All content migrated and verified

→[ ] No lorem ipsum or placeholder content

→[ ] Contact information updated

→[ ] Legal pages current (privacy policy, terms)

→[ ] Copyright year updated

16. Launch Execution

**Launch Strategy:**

→Choose low-traffic time for launch

→Have development team on standby

→Monitor in real-time during launch

→Have rollback plan ready

**DNS Switch:**

→Update DNS records

→Monitor propagation

→Test from multiple locations

17. Post-Launch Monitoring

**First 24 Hours:**

→Monitor server performance and uptime

→Check analytics for traffic patterns

→Test critical user journeys

→Monitor for broken links and 404 errors

→Review form submissions

**First Week:**

→Daily analytics review

→Search Console monitoring for crawl errors

→User feedback collection

→Bug triage and fixes

**First Month:**

→SEO rankings monitoring

→Conversion rate comparison

→User behavior analysis

→Performance optimization based on real data

Post-Launch: Optimization

18. Continuous Improvement

A website redesign isn't finished at launch:

→A/B testing of key pages and CTAs

→Ongoing SEO optimization

→Content additions and updates

→Performance monitoring and improvements

→User feedback implementation

Common Redesign Mistakes to Avoid

1. Redesigning Without Data

Making design decisions based on opinions rather than analytics and user research leads to solutions that don't address real problems.

2. Ignoring SEO Until Late

SEO should be considered from day one of planning. Waiting until development or launch is too late.

3. Neglecting Mobile Users

With mobile traffic often exceeding 50%, mobile experience must be primary focus, not an afterthought.

4. Poor Communication with Stakeholders

Regular check-ins, clear timelines, and managing expectations prevent last-minute surprises and project derailment.

5. Launching Without Adequate Testing

Rushing to launch without thorough testing creates user-facing bugs that damage credibility and conversions.

6. Forgetting About Content

Content is often the last consideration, but it's what users come for. Plan content strategy early.

Timeline Expectations

Realistic timelines for website redesigns:

**Small Site (5-20 pages):**

→Planning: 2-3 weeks

→Design: 3-4 weeks

→Development: 4-6 weeks

→Testing: 1-2 weeks

→**Total: 10-15 weeks**

**Medium Site (20-100 pages):**

→Planning: 3-4 weeks

→Design: 4-6 weeks

→Development: 8-12 weeks

→Testing: 2-3 weeks

→**Total: 17-25 weeks**

**Large Site (100+ pages, complex functionality):**

→Planning: 4-6 weeks

→Design: 6-8 weeks

→Development: 12-20 weeks

→Testing: 3-4 weeks

→**Total: 25-38 weeks**

Conclusion

Website redesigns are complex undertakings requiring careful planning, execution, and post-launch optimization. This checklist provides a comprehensive framework, but remember that every project is unique.

At SELKANO, we've guided dozens of businesses through successful website redesigns. Our approach emphasizes data-driven decisions, user-centered design, and technical excellence. We handle everything from initial strategy through post-launch optimization.

Planning a website redesign? Let's discuss your goals and create a roadmap for success.

Website Redesign Checklist 2025: Complete Planning Guide