Before you redesign your website, read this

Redesigning a local business website can go very well or very wrong depending on what you plan for in advance. This checklist covers everything worth thinking through before you start.

Pre-redesign checklist

Content and brand

Gather all current copy worth keeping

Collect high-quality photos of your work, team, or location

Define your brand colors, fonts, and tone

Write down your top 3 services and who they are for

List your most common customer questions

SEO preservation

Export a list of all current URLs

Note which pages rank well in Google Search Console

Plan 301 redirects for any URLs that will change

Keep your existing title tags and meta descriptions as a reference

Note any backlinks pointing to specific pages

Performance targets

Set a target load time of under 2 seconds on mobile

Plan to compress all images before upload

Decide whether to keep or change your hosting

Conversion goals

Identify the primary action you want visitors to take

Plan where that CTA will appear on every main page

Plan your contact form fields

Decide how you want to receive leads (email, CRM, phone)

Technical setup

Decide on the platform (custom, WordPress, Webflow, etc.)

Plan for SSL certificate (HTTPS)

Set up Google Analytics 4 and Search Console

Plan for a sitemap and robots.txt

During the build

Review every page on mobile before approving

Check all forms actually send

Confirm all phone numbers and emails are correct and clickable

Verify all social media links go to the right profiles

Test page speed before launch

Proofread every page

After launch

Submit new sitemap to Google Search Console

Set up uptime monitoring

Check Google Search Console for crawl errors after 1 week

Test the contact form one more time from a real device

The bottom line

A redesign is an opportunity, not just a cosmetic change. Use it to fix what was not working - the unclear messaging, the buried contact forms, the slow load times.

If you want a free review of your current site before committing to a redesign, request a free website audit. We will tell you exactly what is worth keeping and what needs to change.

Why Your Local Business Website Is Not Getting Leads

What Should a Small Business Website Include?

Website Redesign Checklist for Local Businesses