Checklist for relaunching websites

If an aging website no longer meets user behavior or current technical standards, it is time for a relaunch. It is also used to refresh content or design, improve visibility in search engines and increase usability. If carried out carefully and in a structured manner, it not only strengthens the online presence, but also helps to attract more leads and new customers. That is exactly the crux of the matter: The redesign of a homepage is certainly a small challenge and involves some pitfalls. In the worst case scenario, you lose your ranking in the search engines and have to start all over again. It is therefore all the more important that you take the right measures and consider some essential aspects. The following checklist provides valuable guidance and support.

1. Preparing for the relaunch

Of course, the redesign takes some time. So that you can revise your website with peace of mind, you need a so-called staging or test page. Here you can experiment, try things out and even make mistakes without your live homepage being permanently affected by the changes. There are several ways to set up a staging page. One of them is the form login. However, keep in mind that not all tools support this solution. It is much safer and more effective to simply block pages using the “Noindex” robot meta tag. However, an HTTP login would also be conceivable and useful. The test page is ready? Then it can continue!

2. Define the goals precisely

During the relaunch process itself, you can quickly get bogged down. It is therefore important that you set yourself clear goals right from the start and keep a precise eye on them. Would you primarily like to improve visitor numbers? In this case, focus on optimal online visibility so that your website can be found more easily and quickly by prospects and potential customers. If you focus on increasing your conversion rate, you should primarily work on increasing the relevance of your content and ensuring the best possible user experience. Typical conversions include subscribing to the newsletter, creating a personal profile, filling out the contact form, but of course also buying products or using services.

3. Preparation for mobile devices

Nowadays, one of the minimum requirements for a website is to be “mobile-friendly.” That's why you need a mobile-first strategy to optimize your homepage for the growing number of mobile users. Functions and content are reduced to the bare essentials, which contributes to maximum usability. Most website operators rely on responsive design for implementation. The mobile version and the desktop version have the same URL. However, you can also set up a separate mobile URL. In principle, both methods are suitable for relaunch. However, responsive design requires less maintenance in the longer term.

4. Check meta title and meta description

Every good website has a meaningful meta title (page title) and a meta description (page description). You have 60 or 160 characters available for this purpose. Both elements have a major impact on both the page's ranking and the click rate. While the meta title is particularly important with the use of relevant keywords, the page description is primarily about arousing interest and a clear call to action.

Meta title: Checklist for website relaunch | Agentur Muster

Meta description: Does your website need an update? With this relaunch checklist, you can avoid mistakes and ensure top rankings. Get started now!

5. Revise the structure

Reviewing the page structure can give you a real boost. So take a good look at the navigation. Can new visitors find their way around right away? Is the structure intuitive and self-explanatory? Ideally, ask outsiders who don't even know your website yet for their opinion. How does navigation affect independent and neutral test subjects? Are there perhaps even suggestions for improvement? Sometimes, as an operator, you are so blind that you don't even come up with the most obvious.

Before: Navigation = homepage, products, information, miscellaneous

‍Afterward: Navigation = products, services, references, blog, contact

6. One of the most important aspects of relaunching websites: content

It can't be emphasized enough: Content should primarily be intended for visitors and readers and less for search engines. Although SEO still plays a major role, the added value of content must come first. It is completely normal that content on a homepage that has existed for a long time is out of date at some point and needs a makeover. For example, you could first see if the site is still attracting traffic at all. You should also check whether backlinks are available. If you answer both questions in the negative, you can think about either deleting the page or merging it with another page. However, there is no generally valid recommendation in this case. Perhaps it is enough to refresh the content or integrate a few internal and external links.

7. Reduce charging time

The shorter a page's load time, the better. In the age of mobile devices, this is more true than ever. To ensure that the data volume does not suffer too much, images should be compressed whenever possible. 200 KB per image is a good guideline here. To be on the safe side and check the loading time yourself, you can use the free Google PageSpeed Insights tool. It also helps you optimize loading time even further.

8. Do the links still work?

After restructuring and refreshing content, links may no longer be correct. This is pretty annoying and not exactly conducive to the relaunch of websites. The unpleasant consequences include reduced length of stay and unnecessarily high bounce rates. That's why you should definitely take a closer look at the links. There are also various tools available for this purpose. 404 errors in particular are not good for business and should be corrected immediately. By the way: Google also likes to punish websites with broken links, with a poorer ranking.

9. And finally: observe and analyze

With analysis tools, you can monitor in detail how the redesign affects your website. If necessary, the finishing touches can also be carried out. After all, a website is not static, but subject to constant change and growth. It can therefore also be flexibly adapted to the respective requirements.

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