Website redesign
Website Redesign Services That Protect Your SEO
Upgrade an outdated, slow or hard-to-use website without throwing away what already works. We record your existing pages and rankings first, keep valuable URLs, and map redirects before anything changes.
- URL inventory before changes
- 301 redirect map
- Modern, mobile-first design
- Post-launch checks
Redesigning a website without losing what it has earned
A website redesign replaces the look, structure or platform of an existing site. Done carelessly, it can wipe out search visibility the old site built up over years. The most common cause is simple: pages get new addresses, and nobody tells Google where the old ones went.
So we start by recording what you already have: every URL, which pages get search traffic, which pages bring enquiries and which external sites link to you. The new site is planned around that record, and every changed address gets a permanent (301) redirect to its closest new page.
- Before redesign
- URL inventory, Search Console review, content and conversion audit
- During
- New design and structure built on staging, content improved and migrated
- At launch
- 301 redirects, sitemap submitted, forms and tracking tested
- After launch
- Crawl errors and Search Console monitored, issues fixed
- Platform
- Stay on your current platform or move, such as to WordPress
Signs your website needs a redesign
It looks dated next to competitors
What a redesign changes: a current, credible design that reflects the quality of your work today.
Pages are slow, especially on phones
What a redesign changes: lighter pages, optimised images and fewer scripts.
Visitors arrive but don't enquire
What a redesign changes: clearer service pages, visible calls to action and simpler forms.
The content no longer matches your business
What a redesign changes: a structure built around the services you sell now.
Nobody can update it
What a redesign changes: an easy-to-manage CMS and documented logins.
It's built on an unsupported theme or plugin
What a redesign changes: a maintained, secure foundation.
Our redesign checklist
The steps that protect your search visibility and enquiries during a redesign.
Record the current site
Crawl every URL and record titles, headings, status codes and internal links.
Output: URL inventoryFind what performs
Review Search Console for pages with impressions and clicks, and note pages that bring enquiries.
Output: keep, merge or remove listPlan the new structure
Design the new sitemap and decide the new address for every old page.
You approve: sitemap and URL planDesign and build on staging
New design and improved content on a private link, hidden from search engines.
You approve: staging siteRedirect map and pre-launch tests
One-to-one 301 redirects, no redirect chains, forms and tracking tested.
Output: tested redirect mapLaunch and monitor
Go live, submit the sitemap, check for 404 errors and watch Search Console in the weeks after launch.
Output: post-launch report
Doing it yourself? Read our free website redesign checklist.
What we keep, and what we change
Usually kept
- URLs of pages that get search traffic or links
- Content that answers buyer questions well
- Your domain name and email setup
- Contact details that match your Google Business Profile
Usually changed
- Design, layout and navigation
- Thin, duplicated or outdated pages
- Slow themes, sliders and unused plugins
- Weak titles, headings and calls to action
What affects the cost of a redesign
- Number of existing pages to review and migrate
- Whether the platform changes
- How much content needs rewriting
- Custom design versus an adapted theme
- Features that need rebuilding, such as stores or bookings
We can't promise rankings will rise after a redesign. A careful migration protects what you have; growth comes from better content and ongoing SEO.
Website redesign questions
Will I lose my Google rankings if I redesign my website?
Not if the redesign is handled carefully. Rankings drop mainly when URLs change without redirects, valuable content is removed or the new site blocks search engines. We keep important URLs, redirect changed ones and monitor Search Console after launch. Some short-term movement is normal while Google processes the changes.
What is a 301 redirect?
A 301 redirect permanently sends visitors and search engines from an old page address to a new one. It tells Google the page has moved, so the new page can take over the old page's place in search results.
Can you redesign my website and move it to WordPress?
Yes. We rebuild your content in WordPress, keep or redirect every URL and test the move on staging before switching over.
Will my website go offline during the redesign?
No. Your current site stays live while the new one is built on a staging link. The switch happens at launch, which is planned for a quiet time for your business.
Do I need a redesign or just SEO?
If the site is modern, fast and easy to update but doesn't get found, SEO services are usually the better investment. If it's slow, dated or hard to use, a redesign comes first.
Related services
Website design
The design side of your redesign: hierarchy, branding and accessibility.
SEO services
Grow organic visibility once the new site is live.
Website maintenance
Keep the new site updated, backed up and secure.
Thinking about a redesign?
Send us your current website address and what you'd like to change. We'll review it and suggest a sensible scope.