Record what the existing site contributes
Export public URLs, important landing pages and search performance before changing the design. Identify pages that bring qualified enquiries, answer customer questions or have external links. Keep their content, titles and metadata so the team knows what has value.
Pair search evidence with the business problem. Slow mobile pages and abandoned forms deserve attention, but a visual preference alone does not justify deleting useful information. Define what should improve and which customer journeys must keep working.
Keep useful URLs and map changes
Keeping a URL when its purpose is unchanged avoids unnecessary migration work. When it must change, implement a server-side permanent redirect to a relevant final destination. Update internal links directly to that destination to avoid chains.
Do not redirect every removed page to the homepage. A replacement should answer a similar need; absent a relevant replacement, a real not-found response can be appropriate. Record the old URL, destination, reason and check result. Keep permanent redirects for at least a year, following Google's migration guidance.
Preserve content while improving structure
Bring useful explanations into the new design rather than replacing every paragraph with short promotional copy. Service pages still need scope, fit and next steps. Consolidate overlap when the resulting page covers the original purposes clearly.
Check headings, image alternatives, canonicals and dates. Change an update date when the material actually changes. Structured data should describe the new page and use the same preferred URLs as visible links and the sitemap.
Check the release before launch
Keep staging out of search while reviewing it. Confirm those restrictions are removed for production. Use a browser and an HTTP check: a page can look correct while returning the wrong status, and a successful response can contain a broken experience.
- Public pages load; missing pages return a real 404.
- Important content and links appear in the initial page output.
- Changed URLs redirect to relevant final destinations.
- The sitemap lists working preferred URLs rather than redirects.
- Production robots directives allow intended public content.
- Enquiry, booking and purchase journeys work in appropriate test modes.
- Mobile navigation, keyboard focus and media are usable.
- The previous release and a tested rollback path remain available.
Monitor the first weeks
Submit the updated sitemap through verified webmaster accounts and inspect important pages. Look for unexpected not-found URLs, exclusions and canonical mismatches. Compare equivalent reporting periods and account for campaigns and seasonality.
Search visibility can fluctuate during a URL migration. Avoid promising zero traffic loss. Investigate affected pages and queries, then check redirects, content changes and crawler access. A written migration plan makes this easier.
Connect redesign to a business result
Agree useful outcomes before launch: clearer services, more relevant enquiries, easier content updates or a faster customer task. Search is one part of the result; enquiry handling and the team's ability to maintain the website also matter.
A useful WebFreakz redesign brief includes the current site, pages that matter and the problems the new experience must solve. Content, interface, engineering and the release plan belong in the same scope.
Sources & further reading
Published guidance behind the technical recommendations. Planning examples are illustrative.