( guide · redesign )
The redesign checklist, before, during, after.
By Aaryaman, founder of EVOKE ·
A redesign should keep what already works and fix what does not. Record your current traffic, top pages and rankings; list every old address and where it will point; design for the phone first; test on real devices; and after launch, submit the new sitemap and watch for broken links. Most redesigns that lose search traffic skipped the redirects.
Why do redesigns lose search traffic?
Because addresses change and nobody tells the search engines. When an old page that ranked now returns "not found", its ranking goes with it. The fix is a permanent (301) redirect from every old address to its closest new page, set up before launch, not after the traffic drops.
What should the new site do better?
Write it down before anyone designs anything: the one thing the site must do (sell, book or enquire), who it is for, and what the current site gets wrong. A redesign without a written purpose becomes a change of colours.
What about AI assistants?
They read pages much as search engines do, but they favour pages that answer a question plainly in the first paragraph, use real headings, and state the same facts everywhere. A redesign is the right moment to add structured data, write answer-first copy and publish a short summary of the business for AI crawlers.
The checklist
Record where you are
Export traffic, top pages, top search queries and conversions from analytics and Search Console, so you can compare after launch.
List every address
Crawl the current site and list every URL, then decide where each one will live on the new site.
Map the redirects
Every old URL that changes gets a permanent 301 redirect to its closest new page. No old page should end in "not found".
Keep what ranks
Pages that bring traffic keep their subject, their key words and, where possible, their address.
Design for the phone first
Most visitors will see the phone version. Design it first, not as a shrunk desktop.
Set a speed budget
Decide how fast the first screen must appear, and keep heavy video and 3D from blocking it.
Write answer-first copy
Each page starts with a plain answer to the question it exists for. Headings are real headings, not pictures of words.
Add structured data
Organisation, services, FAQs and breadcrumbs, marked up so search engines and AI assistants read them correctly.
Test on real devices
Real phones on real connections: forms, bookings, payments and every redirect.
Launch, then watch
Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and watch for broken links, traffic drops and slow pages for the first few weeks.
The work
- Break of Dawna plant-based dairy brand in Mumbai
- Reckona diagnostics manufacturer in Vadodara
- Gathera day-use space in Mumbai
- KP Studiosan industrial designer's portfolio
- Hýdora hotel concept in Santorini
Questions people ask
What should I do before redesigning a website?
Record current traffic, top pages and rankings; list every URL; and write down what the new site must do better. Those three make the redesign measurable.
Will a redesign hurt my SEO?
Only if old addresses break or ranking pages lose their content. Permanent redirects from every old URL, and keeping the subject of pages that rank, protect it.
How often should a website be redesigned?
When it stops doing its job: when it is slow on phones, no longer looks like the brand, or cannot be updated. Age alone is not a reason.
Sources
One call is usually enough to know whether it is a fit.