Before rebuilding
- Crawl or inventory the current URLs and identify pages receiving meaningful traffic or links.
- Record current titles, canonical URLs, structured data and important internal links.
- Test forms, navigation, mobile layouts and existing integrations.
- Separate content worth preserving from duplication, outdated claims and genuinely obsolete material.
During architecture and design
Map every important old URL to a new destination before launch. Keep high-value URLs when the topic remains the same. Use redirects when a page has a clear replacement. Avoid sending every retired URL to the homepage.
Design reusable components for recurring content such as service summaries, FAQs, comparisons, calls to action and related resources. Consistency should reduce maintenance effort without making every page look identical.
Before launch
- Check every internal link and navigation state.
- Review page titles, descriptions, H1s and canonical tags.
- Validate structured data where it is used.
- Test forms and conversion paths on real mobile widths.
- Check image dimensions, loading behaviour and obvious layout shifts.
- Verify robots.txt, sitemap.xml, redirects and the custom 404 page.
Common redesign mistake
Replacing a mature website with a beautiful five-page site can be a downgrade if the old site contained dozens of useful service and resource pages. Simplify carefully, not blindly.
After launch
Watch for crawl errors, missing assets, redirect problems, unexpected indexation changes and user friction. A launch is a controlled transition, not the end of website work.