Website Redesign Checklist: Relaunch Without Losing Your Google Rankings
Short answer: to redesign without losing rankings, record what ranks today, keep or redirect every important URL, carry over the content and metadata that work, keep tracking in place, test on a staging site and check Search Console closely after launch. Most traffic drops after a redesign come from missing redirects.
A redesign should improve your website, not reset years of SEO work. Use this checklist with your designer. For costs, read how much a website redesign costs, or see our website redesign and website migration services.
| Stage | Key tasks |
|---|---|
| Before | Crawl site, export rankings and top pages, back up |
| Planning | URL map, content decisions, redirects plan |
| Build | Staging site, metadata, internal links, speed |
| Launch | Redirects live, tracking, sitemap, robots |
| After | Search Console, 404s, rankings, fixes |
Before you start
- Crawl the current site to list every URL.
- Export top pages by traffic and links from Google Analytics and Search Console.
- Record current rankings for your main keywords.
- Take a full backup of files and database.
Planning
- Keep URLs the same where possible.
- Map every old URL to a new one where URLs change.
- Decide what content to keep, improve, merge or drop. Don’t drop pages that bring traffic without a plan.
- Plan the new structure and internal links.
During the build
- Build on a staging site blocked from Google.
- Carry over titles, meta descriptions and headings that work.
- Keep one H1 per page and good heading structure.
- Optimise images and speed. See why a WordPress site is slow.
- Add schema where useful.
- Test on real phones.
Launch day
- Set up 301 redirects for every changed URL.
- Remove the staging “noindex” setting on the live site.
- Install analytics and tag manager and test them.
- Submit the new XML sitemap in Search Console.
- Check forms, payments and emails work.
After launch
- Watch Search Console for 404s and indexing issues daily for the first weeks.
- Fix broken links and missing redirects quickly.
- Compare rankings and traffic with your baseline.
- Update your Google Business Profile link if URLs changed.
Common mistakes
- Launching with the staging site’s “noindex” still on.
- No redirects for old URLs.
- Deleting blog posts that brought traffic.
- Changing every title and heading at once.
- Forgetting analytics tracking.
How we handle redesigns
We treat a redesign as a fresh build from USD 600 (KES 65,000), and protect your rankings with a URL map, redirects and post-launch checks. You get a fixed written quote, pay a 60% deposit and the balance at launch, and you own the site.
We’ve delivered 1,200+ projects since 2012 and are rated 5.0 on Google.
Frequently asked questions
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
Not if URLs are kept or redirected, good content and metadata are carried over and the launch is monitored.
What are 301 redirects?
Permanent redirects that send visitors and Google from an old URL to the new one, passing on most of its ranking value.
Should I change my URLs during a redesign?
Only if there’s a good reason. Keeping URLs the same is the safest option.
How long until rankings settle after a redesign?
Usually a few weeks, as Google re-crawls the site.
What should I check after launch?
Search Console for errors and 404s, redirects, analytics, forms and rankings against your baseline.
Planning a redesign and worried about rankings?
Book a call and we’ll review your current site and what needs protecting before you relaunch. During working hours (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm EAT) we reply within minutes on phone or WhatsApp at +254 705 828 000.
Prefer it in writing? Request a quote.
Written by Vincent Ochieng, founder of Butterfly Prime Solutions (since 2012). Last updated: 9 November 2026.
