Inventory the current site
List important URLs, high-value pages, forms, downloads, booking links and the people responsible for each.
StartSimple websites / PLANNING GUIDE
Website redesign and migration planning
Plan a StartSimple redesign around the pages, enquiries and connections your business already depends on.
Start with the business need.
A redesign is also a change to a working business asset. Existing pages may receive enquiries, customers may use saved links and staff may rely on forms or booking connections. StartSimple can assess what to improve, connect or rebuild. A useful brief identifies what must keep working, what is currently difficult and how the new site will be accepted. Search visibility should be measured through the change rather than assumed to stay identical.
A practical evaluation, step by step.
Agree what changes
Map each existing page to a retained, improved, combined or retired destination. Define content approval and editing responsibilities.
Prepare the transition
Plan redirects for changed URLs, the domain switch, analytics arrangements and checks for connected forms or booking tools.
Check after launch
Verify the agreed URLs and customer journeys, inspect search and enquiry evidence where available, and record issues for follow-up.
Bring a realistic example.
Example brief: a business has ten important service URLs and two enquiry forms. The redesign scope should map those URLs, identify the recipient of each form and define launch checks before any switch takes place.
What to confirm before committing.
- Keep a recoverable copy of the current site and an agreed rollback plan.
- Confirm access to the domain, hosting and analytics before the switch.
- Avoid retiring a useful page without an intentional destination.
- Agree who monitors enquiries and reports launch issues.
Will a redesign preserve our search rankings?
No ranking outcome can be guaranteed. A considered migration records existing URLs, maps changes, uses appropriate redirects and checks indexing and customer journeys after launch. StartSimple scopes the work around the existing site and available evidence.