A website redesign without a structured process almost always results in scope creep, missed deliverables, and a launch that feels chaotic. This checklist organizes the full redesign journey into five phases: pre-project strategy, content audit, design requirements, technical requirements, and launch readiness. Use it to keep your team and your agency aligned.
Phase 1: Pre-project strategy
Before anyone opens Figma or writes a line of code, the business requirements need to be clearly defined. Skipping this phase is the single biggest reason redesigns fail to improve results.
- Define the primary conversion goal (call booking, form submission, product purchase, etc.)
- Identify the 2–3 buyer personas the site needs to serve
- Map the current pages that generate the most leads and the most exits
- List the integrations required (CRM, calendar, forms, payments, analytics)
- Agree on the launch date and working milestone schedule
- Assign a primary stakeholder on the client side with final approval authority
Phase 2: Content audit
Content is the most under-resourced part of most redesign projects. Design cannot save bad copy. Run a full audit before design begins.
- List every existing page and rate its current performance (traffic, conversions, bounce rate)
- Identify pages to keep, merge, rewrite, or delete
- Flag all pages with thin content (under 300 words with no real substance)
- Document the new sitemap with page hierarchy and internal linking plan
- Confirm who is responsible for providing final copy for each page
- Review existing case studies, testimonials, and proof assets — update or create new ones
Phase 3: Design requirements
Clear design requirements prevent revision spirals and help your designer deliver faster.
- Define the brand guidelines: colours, fonts, logo usage, and do-not-use examples
- List 3–5 reference sites with designs you admire (note what specifically you like)
- Confirm the primary and secondary call-to-action for each page
- Specify the component types needed: cards, tabs, accordions, galleries, sliders, etc.
- Define the breakpoints to design for: mobile, tablet, and desktop at minimum
- Confirm image assets: who provides photography, whether stock is acceptable, and any brand restrictions
Phase 4: Technical requirements
Technical decisions made early prevent expensive rewrites later.
- Confirm the hosting environment and deployment process
- Set Core Web Vitals targets: LCP under 2.5s, CLS under 0.1, INP under 200ms
- Implement canonical tags, proper meta structure, and Open Graph tags on every page
- Set up 301 redirects for any URLs that are changing
- Configure GA4 or analytics tracking before launch, not after
- Test all forms end-to-end with real submissions before going live
- Run cross-browser and cross-device QA (Chrome, Safari, Firefox; iOS, Android)
- Check accessibility: keyboard navigation, focus states, colour contrast ratios
- Submit the updated sitemap to Google Search Console
Phase 5: Launch checklist
A structured launch day prevents the panic that derails many go-live events.
- Back up the current site before making any DNS changes
- Confirm the DNS propagation window with your hosting team
- Verify SSL is active and all pages load over HTTPS
- Crawl the new site for broken links (404s) immediately after go-live
- Check that all tracking events are firing correctly in GA4 and your tag manager
- Test all forms and CTAs on the live URL
- Share internally and collect immediate team feedback before broad announcement
- Monitor rankings and traffic for the 2 weeks following launch
After launch: what to measure
A redesign is not finished at launch. The first 30 days of data will tell you what is working and what needs iteration. Track: conversion rate on the primary goal page, bounce rate by landing page, Core Web Vitals score, and form completion rate. Set a 30-day review meeting before you launch.