Website Redesign Checklist 2026: 40 Things to Do Before You Launch

A website redesign that skips the wrong step can cost you months of SEO recovery, broken functionality, or lost leads. This checklist covers every critical step from the moment you decide to redesign to the moment you flip the DNS switch.

Pre-redesign discovery

• Export full URL list from current site (Screaming Frog or similar)
• Pull top 50 pages by organic traffic from Google Analytics
• Export Search Console data: keywords, impressions, clicks per URL
• Identify all pages with meaningful backlinks (Ahrefs or Semrush)
• Audit current conversion rates per key landing page
• Document all third-party integrations (CRM, forms, chat, analytics)
• Identify all form types and where they route submissions
• Record current Lighthouse scores for key pages (benchmark)

Strategy and architecture

• Define new sitemap with all pages listed
• Build URL mapping: old URL → new URL for every page
• Flag which pages keep same URL (no redirect needed) vs. change
• Identify which existing content to keep, update, or retire
• Define CMS collections and field structures before any design begins
• Confirm platform decision with hosting requirements documented

Design phase

• Design system defined: colors, typography, spacing, component library
• Mobile wireframes created before desktop (mobile-first)
• Accessibility: minimum 4.5:1 color contrast on body text
• Real copy used in designs, not lorem ipsum
• Real images used in designs, not placeholder rectangles
• Interactive states defined (hover, focus, active, disabled) for all UI elements
• Empty states designed for all CMS-driven sections

Development phase

• Class naming system adopted (Client-First, Lumos, or documented internal system)
• All 301 redirects entered before launch
• Custom 404 page designed and built
• All forms tested with submissions routing to correct destinations
• Open Graph images set on every page and CMS template
• Meta titles (50-60 chars) and descriptions (140-160 chars) on every page
• Schema markup implemented: Organization, Article, FAQPage where applicable
• Sitemap.xml enabled and valid
• Robots.txt reviewed (not blocking staging then forgotten on launch)
• Google Analytics 4 and Search Console verified
• Conversion events set up: form submissions, CTA clicks, scroll depth

Pre-launch QA

• Test every page on: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
• Test every page on: iOS Safari, Android Chrome
• Test every form end-to-end including confirmation emails
• Verify all 301 redirects function correctly (tool: Screaming Frog or redirect checker)
• Run Lighthouse on all key pages: Performance 85+, Accessibility 90+
• Test all external links (not broken, open in new tab if appropriate)
• Verify all images have alt text
• Check cookie consent if required for your region

Launch day

• DNS switch during low-traffic window (weekday evening or Sunday)
• Verify SSL certificate active on new domain
• Spot-check 20 old URLs to confirm redirects are live
• Submit new sitemap to Google Search Console
• Request indexing for top 10 most important pages
• Monitor Analytics and Search Console for the first 48 hours

Post-launch (30 days)

• Monitor for 404 errors weekly (catch missed redirects)
• Watch Google Search Console for indexing errors
• Compare conversion rates to pre-launch baseline
• Run Lighthouse audit monthly for first quarter

Need someone to manage this entire process so nothing gets missed? As a Webflow Developer at CubiFlow, I use this exact checklist on every redesign project. Book a free consultation and let's map out your redesign.