What does a website redesign process look like from kickoff to launch?
The real phases: discovery, architecture, design, build, QA, launch, and the first 30 days.
A website redesign runs through seven phases: discovery, information architecture, design, content, build, QA, and launch, followed by a 30 day review. The schedule almost never slips because of design. It slips because content and approvals sit on someone's desk.
The phases, and what you owe at each
- Discovery. We learn the business, the buyers, and the numbers the site has to hit. You owe access to analytics, the CRM, Search Console, and a half hour with whoever talks to customers.
- Information architecture. The page list and navigation get decided here, before anything is designed. You owe one decision maker who can approve the sitemap.
- Design. Wireframes first, then visual design on key templates. You owe consolidated feedback on a schedule, not five separate emails.
- Content. Copy, photography, and any documents that live on the site. This is the phase that delays projects. You owe either the content or a decision that we write it.
- Build. Templates get built, pages get populated, integrations get wired. You owe logins and a technical contact for DNS.
- QA. Cross browser, mobile, forms, speed, accessibility basics, and redirects. You owe a real review by someone other than the project owner.
- Launch. DNS cutover, redirects live, tracking verified.
The launch checklist
Nothing goes live until all of this is confirmed: every old URL has a 301 to its closest new match, SSL is active, the sitemap is submitted, analytics and conversion events fire, every form has been submitted for real and the record arrived in the CRM with the correct owner and notification, and the site has been tested on an actual phone on cellular data.
The first 30 days
Launch is the midpoint, not the finish. In the first month we watch Search Console for crawl errors, compare page by page traffic against the old site, and check the daily lead count in the CRM. If leads drop, we look at form routing before we look at SEO, because routing is the more common culprit and the faster fix.
Related: How long does a website build take?, What happens during discovery, wireframing, and design review?, How do you protect lead flow during a redesign?, and contact us to start a project.