From initial consultation to go-live: a relaunch step by step, without losing rankings

A relaunch is more than a new design. For years the old website has brought in visitors, built up positions on Google and collected links from other sites. All of that should be preserved while almost everything else is new. That is why we work in fixed steps. You always know what we are working on, what comes next and what you have in hand after each step.

Initial consultation and inventory

It starts with a free initial consultation. We ask what the website should achieve, who you want to reach and what already exists. Then we suggest a first approach, without jargon.

In a relaunch, what already exists covers more than you might think. We record every address of the old website, including old blog posts, PDF downloads and pages that disappeared from the menu long ago. The Google Search Console shows us which of them bring in visitors. This list is the basis for everything that happens at go-live. For each page we decide with you whether it stays, is revised, is merged with another or is removed.

Planning: structure, content and who writes what

In the second step we define the page structure, content, features and schedule. You receive a sitemap, that is the blueprint of all pages, a feature list and a quote in which all costs are stated openly. If your old website, customer data or email accounts are with another provider, we plan the move at the same time.

This is also where we settle the question that most often delays projects: who writes which texts, who supplies photos? In our experience, it is rarely the technology when a deadline slips. Much more often, everyone is waiting for texts or an approval. That is why the schedule states for each page who supplies the content and by when. If you do not want to write the texts yourself, we take this on or bring in experienced partners from our network.

Design as a clickable prototype

Instead of static drafts, you get a clickable first version of your website, on mobile as well as on desktop. You click through the menu, open subpages and see how a form works. This reveals problems that do not stand out in an image: too many menu items, a hidden contact route, a page without a clear purpose.

In a joint workshop we decide what stays and what changes. A feedback round like this is usually more efficient than a long chain of emails with comments.

Development on the test environment

Development takes place on a test environment, which specialists call staging. There we integrate content and features and test every detail. You can follow the progress online at any time. Your old website keeps running unchanged during this period.

On the test environment you check texts and features at your own pace. We collect comments in rounds so that not every small detail goes back and forth separately. For TopMoves we built a CMS setup in this way, in which the team maintains courses, events, coaches and news themselves. We integrated the dance studio's existing booking solution instead of replacing it. We test integrations like this particularly thoroughly before launch.

Go-live: how rankings are preserved

The most delicate moment of a relaunch is the day of the switchover. If page addresses change, Google can no longer find the old ones. Without precautions, visitors and search engines end up on an error page. Positions that have been built up are lost. That is why we go through a fixed checklist at go-live:

• A redirect for every old address: Every URL from the inventory gets a permanent redirect (301) to the matching new page. Not to the home page across the board, but to the content that corresponds best. We avoid chains of multiple redirects.

• Keep titles and descriptions: Pages that rank well keep their page title and meta description, unless we change them deliberately.

• Update internal links: Links within the website point directly to the new addresses and not via a redirect.

• Allow indexing: The test environment is blocked for search engines. Under no circumstances may this block go live with the site.

• Submit the sitemap: We submit the new sitemap in the Google Search Console. This tells Google about the new addresses.

After launch we check the Search Console regularly over the following weeks. We look at whether error pages appear, whether the new pages are being indexed and how clicks develop. Google itself states that rankings can fluctuate after a move and settle over time. Nobody can rule this out completely. But clean redirects keep this phase as short as possible. The redirects stay in place. Google recommends at least a year for this.

Handover, training and support

Before launch we show you how to maintain content yourself. The goal is for you to be able to change texts, images and posts without help. If you would rather not touch anything, we take care of it.

Then support begins. Hosting, daily backups, updates and maintenance are handled by us, and you have a fixed point of contact for changes and new ideas. A website is not finished at go-live. It is only finished when it works in everyday use and brings in enquiries.

How we plan and build websites is described under Web Design & Development.