Website redesign SEO checklist: plan the move before launch

Capture the current site before changing it

Save an inventory of public page URLs, page titles, language, main purpose and destination action. Add useful search queries and landing-page data from Search Console when available. For a new site with no history, record that limitation instead of inventing a performance baseline.

Prioritize pages that lead to relevant inquiries, not just pages with large visit counts. Record whether a visitor can contact you, download a brief or understand a service from each important landing page. Those tasks should survive the redesign.

Make a decision for every old URL

Use a working table with old URL, proposed URL, action, reason, owner and test result. The action might be keep, replace with a relevant page, or remove without a replacement. Avoid changing an address merely to make a new folder structure look cleaner.

Google’s site-move guidance recommends mapping old URLs to their replacements and implementing redirects. For permanent moves, use server-side permanent redirects where possible. A redirect does not guarantee that rankings will stay unchanged.

Hypothetical example: an old /services/erp.html page becomes /en/services/erp-development/. The new page should still answer ERP-related needs. Sending every retired service page to the homepage loses that specific destination for visitors.

Check each language as a separate customer journey

For an English and Spanish site, review both versions from the navigation through the contact step. A translated headline is not enough if a button leads to a form in the wrong language or a download still contains the old business details.

Check that each language switch opens the equivalent page, that each page identifies its preferred URL, and that language alternates agree. Keep commercial details accurate for the market you actually serve; do not add an office location that does not exist.

Prepare a launch acceptance list

Give each check a named owner and a place to record evidence. Run the list against the release that will actually go live, not an earlier design preview. Verify contact actions using test details and ensure a draft email is not described as an already-submitted inquiry.

• Open important pages directly and through navigation on desktop and mobile.
• Test old links, downloads, language switches and relevant redirects.
• Confirm the live pages intended for search are accessible and do not retain staging noindex settings.
• Review headings, descriptions, page-specific content and the sitemap.
• Check the real contact path and the availability of the previous release.

Compare outcomes after launch

Record the launch date and keep the old-to-new URL table. Review indexing, search impressions and inquiries separately: a technically accessible page is not proof that it is indexed, and visibility is not proof of a qualified lead.

Investigate drops by page and query before rewriting the whole site again. Check whether a valuable page disappeared, a destination changed, or a contact action broke. New sites may initially have little data; preserve the baseline and use observations rather than a promised ranking to decide the next change.