Start with a page list, not a launch date. A website move can change addresses, forms, content, and the paths that bring buyers to your business. List what you have now and decide where each useful page will go before anyone starts the build.
This checklist helps a small business plan a redesign or platform move. It is a scope tool, not a promise that a move will keep every search ranking.
First, decide what is moving
Write down whether you are changing the design, the content system, the domain, or the page addresses. A new design with the same addresses needs different work from a move to a new domain. Google's site move guide advises changing one major part at a time when possible.
Export a list of current pages. Mark the pages that bring enquiries, explain a service, or answer a frequent buyer question. Record the owner, current address, new address, and action for each page: keep, rewrite, combine, or remove.
Map each old address to the right new page
When an address changes, decide where its visitors should land. Send an old service page to its closest new service page, not to a generic home page. Keep a simple table that your developer and content owner can both check.
Google recommends a URL map and permanent server redirects for pages that have moved for good. Its redirect guidance explains when a permanent redirect is the right signal. Ask your supplier to test a sample of old addresses before launch and the full map after launch.
Check the buying path before launch
Open the new site on a phone and a desktop. Read the main offer, open each key service page, and send a marked test enquiry. Check that the form reaches the right person and that its confirmation is clear. Test phone, email, and quote links too.
Review headings, body text, images, and spacing on both screens. Ask who will move your existing content and who will approve it. Content often takes longer than the page build if those owners are unclear.
Launch with a short check list
- Open the new addresses and confirm each important page loads.
- Test old addresses against the agreed redirect map.
- Check that navigation and links point to the new pages.
- Publish a sitemap with the new canonical addresses, as described in Google's sitemap guide.
- Repeat the quote form test and assign someone to watch enquiries.
Google warns that search positions can move while it recrawls a changed site. Record your current search and enquiry numbers before launch, then compare them with the new site's results over time. A short dip does not, by itself, prove the move failed.
What to send with a website quote request
Send your current domain, the page list, examples of pages you like, and the main action a buyer should take. State which addresses must stay, which content needs rewriting, and which forms or tools need to work on day one. Ask each supplier to price content migration, redirects, form testing, and post-launch support as named parts of the proposal.
CIT offers custom website development for businesses that need a defined build. If you want CIT to review your page list, send it through the quote form. CIT can then discuss a scope and a written price for your project.