Granthos

Resource

Website Redesign Project Plan Template

A free, copy-and-use plan for running a website redesign without the chaos. Six phases, clear owners, real deliverables. It's the same structure we use on client projects, written so you can run it yourself if you'd rather.

Structure first. Design second. That order is the whole trick.

Before you start

  • Write down the one thing the new site must do better than the old one.
  • Screenshot your current traffic and enquiry numbers so you have a baseline.
  • Name one decision-maker. Redesigns die by committee.
  • Block out six weeks. Most small-business redesigns land inside that.

The six-phase plan

Phase 1 — Discovery

Week 1

Agree what the redesign is actually for before anyone opens a design tool.

  • Write one sentence on what the new site must achieve
  • List the top three actions a visitor should take
  • Audit the current site: best pages, worst pages, dead pages
  • Pull baseline numbers (traffic, enquiries, conversion rate)
  • Agree budget, deadline and who signs things off
Owner
Business owner + consultant
Deliverable
One-page brief with goals, audience and success measures

Phase 2 — Structure

Week 1–2

Decide what pages exist and what each one is for. This is where most redesigns are won or lost.

  • Draft the sitemap and navigation
  • Give every page a single purpose and a single primary call to action
  • Map old URLs to new URLs for redirects
  • Agree the keyword each page is meant to earn
  • Sketch wireframes for the templates, not every page
Owner
Consultant
Deliverable
Sitemap, URL redirect map and page-purpose table

Phase 3 — Content

Week 2–3

Get the words and assets ready. Content is the usual reason redesigns slip.

  • Write page copy against the agreed structure
  • Collect photos, logos, testimonials and accreditations
  • Confirm legal pages: privacy, terms, cookies
  • Set a hard content deadline with a named owner per page
Owner
Client + copywriter
Deliverable
Signed-off copy document and asset folder

Phase 4 — Design

Week 3–4

Design the templates that everything else inherits from.

  • Set type, colour and spacing rules
  • Design home, service and contact templates
  • Check mobile first, then desktop
  • Run one consolidated feedback round, not five scattered ones
Owner
Designer
Deliverable
Approved designs for each template

Phase 5 — Build & QA

Week 4–5

Build it properly and test it before anyone else sees it.

  • Build responsive pages from the approved templates
  • Wire up forms, booking and any integrations
  • Add analytics, titles, descriptions and structured data
  • Test on real phones, tablets and older browsers
  • Check page speed and accessibility basics
Owner
Developer
Deliverable
Staging site plus a completed QA checklist

Phase 6 — Launch & aftercare

Week 5–6

Go live without losing the rankings you already have.

  • Apply the 301 redirects from the URL map
  • Submit the sitemap in Google Search Console
  • Check forms, tracking and emails from a real device
  • Announce the launch to your list and socials
  • Review the numbers against baseline after 30 days
Owner
Developer + owner
Deliverable
Live site, redirect log and a 30-day review

Five mistakes that derail a redesign

  • Starting with design before the structure is agreed. You end up decorating the wrong pages.
  • No named owner for content. The project stalls waiting on copy nobody was asked to write.
  • Forgetting redirects. Old URLs 404, and the rankings you paid for quietly disappear.
  • Endless review rounds. Two structured rounds beats six casual ones.
  • No baseline numbers. Without them you can't prove the redesign worked.

Would rather not run it yourself?

We run this plan for clients week by week, from the first brief to the 30-day review. Basic websites start at £450, bespoke builds from £1,200.

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