A website redesign is exciting. New visuals, clearer messaging, better functionality. But there is one uncomfortable question worth asking before launch: what happens to everything your existing website already does well?
This WordPress website redesign checklist helps you protect your search visibility, customer journey and valuable enquiries while improving the experience. It is especially useful when an established business has outgrown an older design or is moving from another website platform to WordPress.
1. Record what is working before changing anything
Take a snapshot of your current site. List important URLs, services, contact forms, top organic landing pages and pages that already generate enquiries.
Export or document current Search Console performance and analytics where available. Check which pages have valuable backlinks. Keep copies of important text and media, and make sure there is a reliable backup before a major change.
If you skip the baseline, it becomes much harder to tell whether the new website improved the business experience or simply looks more modern.
2. Plan the page structure around customers
Before building, map what people need to find. An established company may need separate pages for core services, locations or specialised solutions rather than one crowded “What We Do” page.
For each page, decide on its purpose, audience and next action. Write navigation labels that make sense to customers. Decide where enquiry buttons, trust signals and practical information belong.
A website is not a design gallery. It should explain what you offer and help the right visitor move forward.
3. Preserve URLs where you reasonably can
Changing a design does not require changing every existing URL. If a well-performing page can keep its address and still serve the same purpose, preserving it reduces migration complexity.
When URLs genuinely need to change, create a mapping from each old page to its closest relevant new page. Use permanent server-side redirects, commonly 301s, for moved URLs. Update navigation and internal links to point directly to the final addresses.
Do not send every retired page to the homepage simply to avoid 404 errors. A misleading redirect can be worse for users than a clear explanation that content is no longer available.
4. Protect the SEO foundations during the build
Work on a staging or protected build rather than experimenting on the live site wherever practical. Make sure the staging site is not accidentally competing with the live site in search results.
Before launch, review these essentials:
- Unique and relevant page titles, descriptions and H1s.
- Correct canonical URLs and intentional index/noindex settings.
- A working XML sitemap containing the pages you want discovered.
- Descriptive internal links and sensible navigation.
- Appropriate Article or Service schema where the content warrants it.
Critically, remove any development-only `noindex` instructions from the live site when it launches. A beautiful website hidden from search engines is a painful way to celebrate a launch.
5. Test mobile layouts and real customer actions
Mobile is not a smaller screenshot of desktop. Check headings, spacing, image placement, menus, forms and buttons across common screen widths.
Can a visitor understand the service and find the next step without fighting the layout? Are important details hidden under decorative elements? Does the contact button open the right destination?
Test every important enquiry form. Confirm that successful submissions are delivered, email notifications work and conversion measurement triggers only when an enquiry has genuinely succeeded.
6. Treat plugins, speed and security as part of the project
WordPress makes complex features accessible, but each plugin and optimisation setting needs a purpose. Choose reputable, maintained tools. Limit unnecessary duplication and test updates on a safe copy where possible.
Check HTTPS, backups, appropriate access roles, software updates and basic hardening. Review image sizes, caching and Core Web Vitals, but do not turn every performance option on at once. CSS or JavaScript optimisation can break visual layouts and interactive elements if tested carelessly.
A fast site that cannot submit a form is not a successful website.
7. Run a launch-day checklist
On launch day, verify that:
- The correct domain and live URLs resolve securely.
- Redirects lead to the intended pages without chains.
- Search engines can access the key pages and sitemap.
- Canonicals point to the live version, not staging.
- The menu, enquiry forms and email notifications work.
- Analytics and Search Console receive the expected data.
- Mobile layouts and important page templates display correctly.
After launch, monitor crawl issues and search performance over the following weeks. Rankings may fluctuate after significant URL changes; watch trends and troubleshoot real errors rather than reacting to every daily movement.
A redesign should improve more than appearance
The best result is not simply a fresh homepage. It is a clearer customer journey, a reliable WordPress foundation and a website your team can manage confidently.
Hero Digital Lab’s WordPress website design services bring together practical design, mobile usability, technical setup and SEO foundations for businesses ready for their next stage of growth.
About Hero Digital Lab
Hero Digital Lab is a boutique marketing agency helping ambitious brands in Southern Africa show up in a big way! Supercharge your business growth with big energy marketing. Louder, smarter, unforgettable. From social media and SEO to websites, Google Ads, and PR. Our mission is simple: to make bold, human-centric marketing accessible (and fun) for SMEs.
