A redesign changes the thing search engines have learned about your site. When it goes wrong, it is usually not because of one dramatic error. It is a pile of small things: a changed URL with no redirect, a lost title tag, a noindex left over from staging, internal links pointing at pages that moved. This checklist covers the work that tends to get skipped.
Before design starts
1. Inventory every URL that exists today
Export URLs from your CMS, your sitemap, your analytics and Search Console, then merge them. Old PDFs, landing pages and blog posts count. The pages you forgot about are often the ones with links pointing at them.
2. Mark which pages earn visibility or links
Not every URL deserves equal care. Use Search Console to see which pages appear in search and analytics to see which receive visits. Check which pages have links from other sites. Pages that earn attention need the most careful treatment.
3. Decide what happens to each URL
Every old URL gets one outcome: keep as is, move to a new URL, merge into another page, or retire. Retiring a page with traffic should be a deliberate decision, not an accident.
During the build
4. Build the redirect map
Match each old URL to its closest new equivalent with a permanent redirect. Avoid sending everything to the homepage, which is treated as a weak match. Avoid chains where one redirect leads to another. Test the map on staging with the full list, not a sample.
5. Carry over metadata
Titles and meta descriptions on pages that perform should come across unless you are improving them on purpose. Redesign templates often drop them or replace them with generic text.
6. Keep one clear heading structure
Each page should have one main heading, followed by logical subheadings. Redesigns frequently restyle headings by changing their tags, which breaks the structure.
7. Keep canonical tags correct
Every indexable page should point to its own preferred URL. Check trailing slash rules, protocol and host so that only one version of each page is served.
8. Preserve structured data
If the old site had structured data for organization, articles, breadcrumbs or FAQs, make sure the new templates output it correctly. Validate a sample of each template type.
9. Check internal links
Update links inside content so they point directly to final URLs, not to old addresses that now redirect. Make sure navigation and footer links reach your key pages.
10. Protect staging
Staging must not be indexable. Protect it with a login and keep a note of every setting used, so you remember to remove them on the live site.
Performance and accessibility
11. Check speed on the real templates
A new design can add heavy images, scripts or fonts. Measure the main templates before launch, not just the homepage. Our free PageScore tool gives a first look at performance and technical basics.
12. Check accessibility basics
Keyboard use, visible focus, labels and heading order are part of quality and often affect search-related page experience signals indirectly. For a deeper review see the accessibility audit.
Launch day
13. Remove staging restrictions
Confirm there is no noindex tag, no blocking rule in robots.txt and no password on the live site.
14. Submit an accurate sitemap
The sitemap should list the final, indexable, canonical URLs and nothing else. Submit it in Search Console.
15. Test redirects on the live domain
Run the full old URL list against production. Check status codes, destination pages and the absence of chains.
16. Check the key pages in the browser and in Search Console
Use the URL inspection tool on your most important pages. Look at rendering, canonical selection and indexing status.
17. Keep analytics working
Confirm tracking fires on the new templates and that events and goals still record.
After launch
18. Monitor closely for the first weeks
Watch crawl errors, coverage reports and traffic by page. Expect some movement. Investigate sharp drops on pages that were important, and fix redirect or indexing problems quickly.
19. Fix what the data shows
Broken links, missing metadata and unexpected canonical choices usually show up in the first week. Keep a short list and clear it.
When to bring in help
If your site has years of content, several platforms or a history of migrations, a plan written by someone who has done it before saves time. Our SEO and website migration pages describe how we approach this, and a human-reviewed Website Diagnostic can map the risks before a project starts. If you are still choosing who should run the rebuild, read who to hire to rebuild a financial services website, which covers the questions to ask about search continuity.
Frequently asked
- Will a website redesign hurt my Google rankings?
- It can, when URLs, content, internal links or metadata change without a plan. A redesign that keeps what already works, redirects every changed URL and is checked after launch carries far less risk. No one can promise that rankings will not move.
- What is a redirect map?
- A redirect map is a list that matches every old URL to its new URL, so visitors and search engines arriving at an old address land on the right new page through a permanent redirect.
- Should I block the staging site from search engines?
- Yes. A staging site should be protected, for example with a login, and should never be indexed. Check that any protection or noindex setting used on staging is removed from the live site at launch.
- How long should I monitor a site after a redesign?
- Check daily during the first week for crawl errors, indexing changes and broken pages, then weekly for a couple of months. Search Console is the main free tool for this.