Inventory the old site before designing the new one

Export the URLs you know about and review the existing sitemap. Add search landing pages from Search Console when access is available. Mark which pages remain useful, which should be improved and which overlap. Record a reason for removing a page; a new design alone is not a reason to discard information customers use.

Map old URLs to the closest relevant destination

Keep a working URL when there is no reason to change it. For moved or combined content, record a permanent redirect to the most relevant replacement. Avoid sending every removed page to the homepage. A page with no replacement may correctly return 404 or 410. Preserve useful query parameters where the application needs them, and check redirect chains.

Review content in its actual layout

Read the mobile page with the real headings, specifications and calls to action in place. Check that the offer is understandable without animation and that navigation works with a keyboard. Assign business approval for prices, policies, client claims and contact details. Placeholder testimonials or invented metrics should never become launch content.

Test the release before switching traffic

Check forms, canonical URLs, indexing directives, sitemap entries and analytics configuration in a production-like build. Verify the domain and hosting changes with the person responsible for DNS. Keep a backup and a rollback plan. If email uses the same domain, preserve its provider records when changing web hosting.

Review the launch as a release, not a finish line

After switching traffic, test the most important public URLs, redirects and contact methods from outside the development environment. Submit the sitemap and inspect priority pages in Search Console. Watch errors and enquiries, then compare search trends over a meaningful period. Record the deployment date so later changes can be interpreted in context.

Your practical checklist

  • Old URL inventory and search baseline saved
  • Redirect map approved and tested
  • Real content and contact details approved
  • Forms, metadata and sitemap checked
  • DNS ownership, backup and rollback ready
  • Post-launch checks and review owner assigned

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