Keep what works when you redesign your contractor website.

Before design: take an inventory.

• Confirm account ownership. Record who controls the domain, DNS, hosting, website administration and business email. Keep access in an agreed secure channel.
• List useful pages and URLs. Include service pages, location information, project galleries, forms and downloads. Identify pages that already bring visits or enquiries using any analytics or Search Console data you have.
• Record working contact routes. Check the phone number, enquiry destination, booking links and any form integrations. Decide who will test and receive enquiries after launch.
• Gather approved content. Confirm your real services, coverage, hours, photos and any license or warranty details. Remove outdated offers or services you no longer provide.

During the build: agree the priorities.

Start with the actions customers need to take: find the right service, confirm the area you cover and contact the business. A clearer five-page structure can be more useful than a larger collection of repetitive pages.

• Agree a page list and where existing information will live.
• Keep useful existing URLs where practical. If an important URL changes, plan a relevant permanent redirect rather than sending every old page to the homepage.
• Review headings, page titles and descriptions for the actual services on each page.
• Use real, approved project images and label illustrative content accurately.
• Review the mobile layout, readable text, keyboard access and visible contact options.

Before launch: test the paths customers use.

1. Review the preview. Confirm services, phone numbers, email addresses, prices and coverage. Check every main navigation and contact link.
2. Agree form testing. Send an approved test enquiry and verify that it reaches the right destination. Avoid placing a real order or triggering a customer workflow as an unapproved test.
3. Check old and new URLs. Review planned redirects and important external links to the old site. Confirm the sitemap contains the intended public pages and the new site can be indexed.
4. Plan the hosting and DNS change. Confirm backups, SSL, email records and the transition plan. A redesign does not automatically require moving your registrar or email provider.
5. Approve launch and follow-up checks. Name the person approving the final site and the person checking the public pages, forms and email after it goes live.

After launch: keep the website current.

Recheck the main contact paths and important redirects on the live site. Monitor actual visits and enquiries where measurement is configured, and use Search Console to review indexing and search visibility. A redesign is not a guarantee of higher rankings.

Agree who will update hours, photos and service details, and who handles software and backup arrangements. If someone else will manage the site, document the included allowance and how to request changes.

Want a hand with the redesign?

See how TradeLaunch reviews an existing contractor site and plans the rebuild.