Before
An inventory of every URL
Pulled from your sitemaps, Search Console, analytics and a full crawl, so pages you forgot about are not forgotten.
Websites · Redesign
Website redesign and migration that protects your rankings
The short answer
How to redesign a website without losing Google traffic
A redesign keeps its search traffic when every old page address either still works or sends visitors, with a permanent 301 redirect, to the one new page that replaces it. Stewart Code builds that redirect map before launch, and checks every redirect after launch, added to a Launch Site or Growth Site build.
Most traffic lost in a redesign is lost to pages that were deleted or renamed with nowhere to point. It is a planning problem, so it can be planned away.
The redirect map
What a redirect map looks like
One row for every address your old site has ever used that still gets visits or links. This is a short example of the format we deliver.
| Old URL | New URL | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| /services.html | /services/ | 301 | Same page, new address |
| /roof-repair-yourtown | /roof-repair/ | 301 | Same topic, cleaner address |
| /blog/2019/hurricane-prep | /guides/hurricane-roof-prep/ | 301 | Old article updated and moved |
| /specials-summer | /services/ | 301 | Expired offer; closest relevant page |
| /test-page-2 | none | 410 | Never meant to be public; removed on purpose |
| /about-us/ | /about-us/ | Keep | Address unchanged, nothing to do |
Google's own guidance for site moves says to use server-side permanent redirects, map each old URL to the most relevant new one rather than sending everything to the home page, and keep redirects in place for at least a year (Google Search Central, "Site moves with URL changes", updated 2026-08-20). The same page says rankings can move around for a few weeks while Google recrawls. Our map follows that guidance row by row.
What you get
Included in Redesign & Migration
During
A schema superset
Any structured data your old site had is carried over or improved, never dropped, and checked for zero errors.
Launch day
Every redirect tested
A script requests every old URL on the live domain and confirms it lands on the right page in one hop.
After
30, 60 and 90-day reports
Rankings and traffic for your important pages compared with before the move, with anything that slipped investigated.
How we work
How we move your site
Careful migration
When we rebuild your existing site, every old URL either still works or redirects to its new home, and we check every redirect after launch.
Fixed price
The price we quote is the price you pay. Any change to the scope is quoted in writing before we do the work.
How we build and test is on the build standard page.
Do this first
Pre-redesign checklist, whoever builds your new site
- Export your top pages by clicks from Google Search Console for the last 12 months.
- Download your current sitemap and save a copy.
- Write down who controls your domain registrar and DNS, and make sure you can log in.
- List every form on the site and where its emails go today.
- Note any tracking codes and pixels you rely on, and who set them up.
- Ask your designer, in writing, who builds the redirect map and when it is tested.
- Agree on a launch day away from your busiest week of the year.
If your current site is slow but its content and rankings are fine, you may not need a redesign at all. A Speed Sprint fixes speed on the site you have.
Prices
Redesign pricing
Redesign & Migration is an add-on to a Launch Site or Growth Site. A Deep Audit is a good first step if you're not sure what to keep.
Redesign & Migration add-on
Added to a Launch or Growth Site when we rebuild an existing site.
$750
- Every old URL kept or redirected (301)
- Schema superset of the old site
- 30/60/90-day ranking report
- Every redirect checked after launch
Launch Site
A custom site of up to 5 pages, written from an intake call and built to 100 on all four Lighthouse scores.
$3,500
- Up to 5 pages, mockup first
- Copy written from an intake call
- Technical SEO, schema, sitemaps and llms.txt
- Form, booking and analytics
- Domain, email and DNS (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- Google Business Profile setup, if eligible
- Tested to 100 on all four Lighthouse scores at launch
Growth Site
Everything in the Launch Site, up to 15 pages, with a keyword map and real service pages.
$6,900
- Up to 15 pages
- Keyword map and a brief per page
- 2 service hubs and up to 3 service or location pages
- FAQ and insights section
- Review-request flow
- 90-day content plan
Speed Sprint
Your existing site's top 10 templates brought to good Core Web Vitals.
$1,200
- Top 10 page templates
- Core Web Vitals to good; Lighthouse 95+ on mobile (100 where the platform allows)
- Scoped from your X-ray
- A written target, with the measured result reported against it
Deep Audit
A person reviews up to 25 of your pages and gives you a prioritized fix list.
$490
- Up to 25 URLs: technical, schema, Core Web Vitals, content, local and AI visibility
- 3-competitor scorecard
- 30-minute call
- Credited in full to any build within 60 days
Questions
Website redesign questions
Will I lose my Google rankings if I redesign my website?
Some movement for a few weeks is normal while Google recrawls. Lasting losses usually come from missing redirects, dropped content or broken markup, which is what the redirect map and launch-day tests exist to prevent.
Can I change my domain name during a redesign?
Yes, but it adds risk, so we plan it as its own step: redirects from every old address, the Search Console change-of-address tool, and keeping the old domain renewed. Ask us whether the change is worth it for you.
Should I keep my old blog posts?
Keep and update the ones that get visits or links, merge thin ones into a stronger page, and redirect anything you remove to its closest match. The URL inventory shows which is which.
How long do redirects need to stay in place?
Google recommends at least a year. We set them up to stay permanently, since they cost nothing to keep and old links to your site live on for years.
Do I need a redesign or just a faster site?
If the content, structure and look still work for you, a Speed Sprint may be enough. Run the X-ray on your current site and we can tell you which on a short call.
Next step
Find out what your current site is costing you.
Run the free X-ray for your site's speed and search scores, then book a scoping call about a rebuild or a redesign.