Website redesign checklist.
Before redesigning a website, record what works, define the main visitor action and map the existing URLs. Then agree the new content and functionality, build with mobile and accessibility checks, and verify redirects, forms and analytics before launch. Keep the baseline so you can tell whether the changes helped.
Save the baseline.
Record the important pages, recurring enquiries and known points of confusion. If Search Console is connected, keep the pages and queries bringing relevant visitors. Note the date range and avoid treating a low-traffic snapshot as a stable trend.
Measure representative templates rather than only the home page: a service page, a project and a working form matter too. Record the device and test conditions alongside each result. A cached desktop observation and a first-load slow-4G test answer different questions.
Map the content.
A redesign can simplify the structure without erasing useful information. Do not redirect every removed page to the homepage when a closer replacement exists. Update internal links and the sitemap to point directly to the new canonical addresses.
- List each existing URL and decide whether to keep, rewrite, combine or retire it.
- Give a changed URL a relevant permanent redirect where you control the old address.
- Retain useful business information, image credits and approved project evidence.
- Write the primary next step for every important page.
- Agree who supplies and approves the words, images and integrations.
Make motion earn its place.
On 16 October 2026, Brista’s own site moved desktop GPU background detail behind pointer interaction and idle time. Phones receive lightweight background motion instead. We also removed a hero-description entrance delay and kept optional analytics behind consent.
The final PageSpeed lab run recorded mobile LCP of 1.201 seconds, against 2.102 seconds in the original baseline, and performance 100. This is an observation about this website under the report’s conditions. It is not a promise for every connection or a client conversion result.
Open the dated PageSpeed reportCheck the launch.
| Check | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|
| Navigation and errors | Working internal links, redirects and a real custom 404 |
| Mobile and keyboard | No horizontal overflow, visible focus and usable controls |
| Forms | Validation, reviewed handoff and truthful success states |
| Discovery | Unique metadata, canonicals, sitemap and crawler access |
| Consent | Analytics off before permission and after withdrawal |
Review after release.
Keep the prior deployment recoverable and revisit critical visitor paths on the live domain. Search reports take time to update. Compare appropriate periods and investigate a changed URL, missing form action or indexing exclusion before assuming a redesign helped or harmed demand.
The Brista checklist protects a useful baseline and a clear customer journey. If you need help applying it, bring the old site, your priorities and the features your business depends on.
Explore website design and developmentPut it into practice.
Bring your priorities into the free Launch Planner, then discuss the scope that fits your business.
Make a first brief