Record a baseline before replacing the site
Review Google Search Console for the pages and search queries already bringing visitors. Note the reporting period and distinguish impressions from clicks. A page that looks dated may still answer a useful question and attract relevant customers.
Review the enquiries received during the same period. Separate real prospects from tests, duplicates and spam. Low enquiry numbers with very few visitors are a different problem from a busy site whose visitors cannot find the contact form.
Make a page-by-page migration plan
- Keep useful existing URLs when there is no reason to change them.
- For a changed URL, identify the closest relevant replacement and set a permanent redirect.
- Do not send every removed page to the homepage; that rarely answers the original visitor’s question.
- Keep important service details, genuine project evidence and contact information accessible.
- Update internal links, canonical URLs and the sitemap to match the final pages.
- Check that the live site is indexable and that private dashboards remain excluded.
Test the whole enquiry journey on a phone
Test form labels, validation, keyboard behaviour and the confirmation message. Confirm that the record reaches the right team and that failed email notifications can be spotted and retried. A successful-looking form is not enough if nobody receives the enquiry.
Make telephone and email options easy to find. Explain what happens after submission and only ask for information that helps the first conversation. If an assistant prepares a brief, let the visitor review it before sending.
Check speed without sacrificing useful evidence
Large decorative videos and images compete with the content a visitor came to read. Use appropriately sized images and avoid loading a background video on a small screen when a still or simple background communicates the same design.
Keep real project screenshots and readable service information. A fast empty page is not a useful replacement for a page that answers customer questions.
After launch, check discovery and outcomes
Open the sitemap and a sample of new and redirected pages. Inspect important URLs in Search Console and request recrawling when appropriate. Submission is a request, not a guarantee that Google will index or rank a page.
Compare search impressions, clicks and qualified enquiries over consistent periods. Check which service pages attract the right visitors and which enquiries become useful conversations. Keep improving the pages and promotion rather than treating launch day as the end of the work.
Turn the brief into a conversation.
Tell us about your business, the problem and what you want to change. We’ll discuss the requirements before recommending a build.
Discuss your project