Redesign a Website

A clean redesign isn’t about making things prettier. It’s about removing friction, clarifying choices, and shipping a site that converts. This guide walks you through when to redesign vs refresh, how to scope the work, and what to watch during launch so you don’t blow up SEO in the process. If you only need incremental improvements, start with the How to Update a Website checklist at How to Update a Website checklist and reserve a full website revamp for when the structure truly holds you back.

Think in small bets before big bets. Prototype ideas quickly, put them in front of people, and only then widen scope. You’ll ship sooner and keep your rankings intact. When you’re ready to add tasteful movement without the rebuild, our walkthrough on animate on‑scroll effects is a safe, low‑risk upgrade.

Overview: redesign vs refresh

Different projects wear the same label. Let’s separate them so scope creep doesn’t sneak in.

A full redo website project is warranted when navigation, templates, and conversion paths are the constraint. If your content is dated but the scaffolding holds, a refresh beats a rebuild.

Two sanity checks:

• If you can’t articulate the conversion problem you’re fixing, you’re not ready to redesign.
• If 20% of pages drive 80% of traffic, treat those pages like glass. Preserve their URLs and on‑page signals.

For content-heavy teams, a structured content pass can move mountains. See the update website content guide to tune your message before you rewire the house.

Prototype design changes with MicroEdits

Before you commit to sprints and templates, try the idea live. MicroEdits lets you edit any existing website by describing changes in plain English. Tell it to add a slim announcement bar across the top with a free‑shipping message or replace the hero with a bolder headline and a primary CTA. It makes the change on your real page, instantly.

Use it to:

• Mock headers and navigation: Try a compact header, swap menu labels, or surface a secondary CTA.
• Test sections: Insert a trust strip, reorder features, or add social proof blocks.
• Explore components: Try card grids vs. lists, adjust spacing and typography, or introduce a new hero layout.
• Integrate essentials: Drop in calendars, maps, chat, or analytics snippets from tools like Calendly, Google Maps, or Hotjar—no code copy‑paste marathons.

Why this matters: you can share a preview link, collect feedback, and roll back if it misses. No staging setup, no deploy, no waiting on tickets. It works on any platform—WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, you name it.

To get started, enter your site’s URL and describe the change. MicroEdits generates and applies what’s needed behind the scenes. It feels like magic because it removes the chores between idea and result.

A few practical plays:

• Prototype two hero variations and show them to sales for gut checks before you brief design.
• Add a “Book a demo” pop‑up with a Calendly embed on the pricing page and see if completion rises.
• Try a slimmer header to lift LCP and focus the fold (Core Web Vitals matter; see Google’s overview at Core Web Vitals).

Audit and goals

Redesigns fail when they start with taste, not truth. Start with a baseline.

• Traffic & conversions: Pull 90 days from analytics (sessions, top landing pages, conversion rate, assisted conversions). GA4’s enhanced measurement can help you track scrolls and clicks; see GA4 events.
• Search: From Search Console, export top queries, landing URLs, CTR, and impressions. Note pages with featured snippets or rich results.
• Behavior: Review heatmaps and key session replays. Look for rage‑clicks, dead zones, and scroll drop‑offs.
• Performance: Check LCP, CLS, INP on real‑user data if available. Lab test with Lighthouse. Aim for < 2.5s LCP, < 0.1 CLS.
• Qualitative: Talk to sales/support. Ask where prospects get confused. Gather 10–20 user quotes; highlight blockers in their own words.

Set 3–5 targets tied to business outcomes, for example:

• Increase demo requests by 25% on the pricing template.
• Lift documentation search success rate to 70%.
• Reduce time‑to‑interactive on product pages by 20%.

Write them down. Share them. Let them say in or out when scope debates start.

Scope, timeline, and roles

Keep the team small. Keep ownership clear.

• Owner (PM/Marketing Lead): Decides scope, trades, and launch timing.
• Design: System, templates, states, and accessibility.
• Content: Messaging, information hierarchy, and migration.
• Implementation: Applies changes, connects tools, ensures performance.

A simple 8‑week plan:

Guardrails:

• Timebox decisions. If two options tie after 48 hours, pick one.
• Freeze scope two weeks before launch except for defects.
• Make checklists public. Visibility beats status meetings.

Information architecture

IA is your conversion engine. It guides people to clarity.

• Map your world: List all current templates and key pages. Note owners and performance.
• Navigation: Keep labels short and literal. Prefer verbs (Pricing, Docs, Contact) over clever.
• URL integrity: Preserve strong URLs. If you must move, plan 301s one‑to‑one.
• Templates: Define the smallest set of page types that covers 80% of needs (e.g., Home, Product, Pricing, Docs, Blog index, Blog post).
• Content migration: Create a content matrix: source URL, target URL, template, status, owner.

Tip: Don’t bury money pages. Surface the top path to action on every high‑intent template. If content is the blocker, handle that first with the update website content guide.

Design system and components

Design systems cut decisions down to size.

• Tokens: Color, type scale, spacing, radii, shadows. Keep them few and reusable.
• Components: Buttons, inputs, cards, modals, sections. Document hover/focus/disabled states.
• Accessibility: Respect focus order, color contrast, and semantics. MDN’s guidance on ARIA and roles is a great reference: ARIA roles.
• Performance budgets: Set limits per template (e.g., hero images < 200 KB, total JS < 160 KB). Hold the line.

Core Web Vitals guardrails:

• LCP under 2.5 s on mobile.
• CLS under 0.1; reserve space for media and late‑loading UI.
• INP under 200 ms; keep interactivity crisp. See Google’s guidance at Interaction to Next Paint.

Migration and launch

Migrations are where rankings go to die—or endure. Use a checklist and stick to it.

SEO migration checklist

• Redirect mapping (301): Map every changed URL to its closest equivalent. For site moves, follow Google’s guidance: site move with URL changes.
• Metadata parity: Title, meta description, headings, and canonical URLs preserved or improved.
• Structured data: Move schema over and validate in the Rich Results Test.
• Robots & sitemaps: Robots.txt allows crawling; XML sitemaps updated and submitted.
• Internal links: Update nav, footer, and body links to final URLs.
• Images & alt text: Keep filenames and alt attributes where they carry search value.

Launch runbook

Preflight
- Freeze scope. Final QA on priority templates (home, product, pricing, blog post).
- Validate redirects in batches with a crawler.
- Compare key page titles/descriptions pre/post.

Go live
- Deploy during low-traffic hours.
- Verify 200/301/404 distribution looks normal.
- Check Core Web Vitals signals on live pages.

Post-launch (Day 1–14)
- Watch Search Console for coverage errors.
- Fix orphaned pages and broken internal links.
- Track conversions daily; annotate the launch.

Have an owner on call. Fix fast, brag later.

Measure impact

Redesign success is measured, not felt.

• Conversions: Compare against baseline with seasonality in mind. Annotate the launch in GA4.
• Engagement: Scroll depth, time on key sections, click‑through on CTAs.
• Search: Track rankings and CTR for top queries/URLs in Search Console. Expect a short wobble; look for stability within 2–4 weeks if redirects and parity were solid.
• CWV: Re‑measure LCP/CLS/INP on real traffic; file follow‑ups for regressions.
• A/B tests: On key templates (pricing, signup), test headlines, CTA copy, and friction reducers.

Keep a simple scorecard and review weekly for the first month. If one KPI lags, treat it as a mini‑project—not a referendum on the whole redesign.

FAQ

How do I decide between a refresh, reskin, or full redesign?

Start with goals. If structure works and messaging lags, do a refresh. If brand look is dated but IA is fine, choose a reskin. If navigation, templates, and flows block conversions, redesign. Preserve strong URLs whichever path you pick, and prototype changes first to prove the upside.

How long does a redesign take?

A focused team can ship in 6–12 weeks. The spread depends on content readiness, number of templates, and how quickly you make decisions. Timebox choices, freeze scope two weeks before launch, and use lightweight live prototypes to avoid rework.

Will a redesign hurt SEO?

It doesn’t have to. Keep winning URLs stable, map one‑to‑one 301s for changes, maintain metadata and structured data, and launch with clean internal links. Monitor Search Console after go‑live and fix errors quickly. Expect brief fluctuations, then recovery.

What should I tackle first?

Fix clarity and conversion friction on high‑intent pages (home, product, pricing) before polishing brand pages. Remove dead sections, clarify headlines, and tighten CTAs. For quick wins, see the How to Update a Website checklist before committing to a broader website revamp.

Do I need a staging site to test ideas?

Not for early design trials. Use MicroEdits to try changes on live pages safely, share previews, and roll back in seconds. When you finalize scope, a staging environment still helps for integrated testing, redirects, and content migration before launch day.

How do I keep performance and accessibility on track?

Set explicit budgets (hero image size, total JS) and test often. Reserve space for media to avoid CLS, and use proper semantics and focus states. MDN’s accessibility references are a reliable compass: MDN Accessibility.

Can I A/B test the redesign?

Yes. Treat the new design as a hypothesis. Test headline and layout variants on key templates. Use GA4 events to measure micro‑conversions and watch Core Web Vitals so tests don’t slow the experience. Keep tests focused; ship the winner, not the loudest opinion.