Guide
Plan a website redesign around a specific problem
Redesign a website to fix identified problems: unclear service information, a difficult contact process, outdated presentation or a platform that prevents necessary changes. Record what works before replacing anything. Keep useful URLs and content where possible, define the acceptance checks and separate changes to the design from changes to the domain or platform.
A controlled redesign
Keep the old site available until the replacement passes its checks.
- 1
Diagnose
Identify the visitor or maintenance problem.
- 2
Retain
Preserve useful URLs, content and evidence.
- 3
Review
Check structure, copy and mobile actions.
- 4
Release
Publish, verify and compare outcomes.
State the problem in terms you can test
“The site looks old” is a starting opinion. Translate it into observable requirements: text is hard to read on a phone, visitors cannot distinguish two services, the form fails or the team cannot update an offer. Review a few real customer questions and the pages they concern. Use available search and inquiry data as evidence, without assuming that a low conversion rate is caused by the design alone.
Inventory what should be retained
List existing URLs, their purpose, search visibility and known business value. Record useful copy, links, photographs and working integrations. A page that looks dated may still answer an important question and attract relevant visitors. Decide whether each page will stay, improve, combine with another page or be removed. Keep a reason for the decision.
Write the redesign brief
Illustrative requirement: “The new consulting site must distinguish a one-time strategy project from monthly advisory, retain the existing service URLs and allow a visitor to request a fit call from either page.” That is specific enough to evaluate. Add visual references to explain preferences, but do not use a reference site’s customers, awards or results as your own evidence.
Review in stages
Review the page structure and copy before polishing every visual detail. Then test the main layouts, mobile navigation, contact actions and any external integrations. Keep the current site available until the replacement and a recovery plan are ready. If URLs change, treat the move as a migration with an explicit old-to-new mapping rather than a design-only task.
Measure the outcome fairly
After launch, confirm forms and pages work before interpreting traffic. Compare equivalent periods and note seasonality, campaigns and other changes. Evaluate the original requirements: can the owner edit an offer, can visitors find the right service, and do valid inquiries reach the team? Workroom can support the replacement marketing site; a designer may be appropriate when the project needs original identity work or complex design systems.