A clear website redesign project plan turns chaos into predictable progress. Start by breaking the work into defined project phases with owners, deliverables, and approval gates. Our web design agency in London has designed a web redesign timeline you can use so nothing surprises the build. This keeps scope under control, protects launch timing, and makes accountability visible throughout the project.
Why website redesign projects drift off track
Projects drift when decision paths blur, and scope expands without formal control. Common causes include unclear roles, missing deliverables, and late work.
Approvals slow progress when multiple stakeholders review the same assets without a designated approver. Dependencies such as integrations or legal checks often appear too late, and force rushed work. Teams also underestimate content and SEO migration efforts, as well as optimising for AI search visibility, leading to last-minute fixes.
Prevent drift by documenting dependencies, enforcing checkpoint sign-offs, and maintaining a strict change request process. Regularly update the timeline and use a short, shared checklist to keep everyone aligned on priorities and deadlines.
The 7 phases of a well-run redesign
Break your website redesign project plan into seven practical phases. Each phase has concise objectives, a short list of deliverables, and clear approval steps. Treat these phases as the backbone of your website redesign timeline.
Discovery
Objective: Confirm goals, audience, KPIs, and constraints. Deliverables: brief, analytics audit, stakeholder map, and inventory.
Start with a content and technical inventory. Map high traffic pages and conversion flows. Use analytics and search data to spot what must retain priority in migration and SEO work. Capture stakeholder expectations and agree on success metrics before any design work begins.
Scope
Objective: Translate discovery into what will be built and what will be deferred. Deliverables: scope document, prioritised backlog, high-level estimate.
Define minimum viable scope for launch. Use a RACI to name who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each item. Call out dependencies such as integrations, legal approvals, or backend development. This stage prevents scope creep by requiring formal change requests for additions.
UX
Objective: Design functional pathways and test assumptions. Deliverables: wireframes, user journeys, usability test notes.
Create UX wireframes for priority templates and run quick usability tests with real users or internal stakeholders. Confirm content requirements and data capture points. UX should lock the structure, so design and content teams can work in parallel.
Design
Objective: Create a visual system and accessible templates. Deliverables: design system, responsive mockups, component library.
Design must reflect brand and conversion goals. Deliver a pattern library or design system that developers can implement. Document accessibility and responsive behaviour so QA can measure against clear standards.
Build
Objective: Convert designs into working pages and components. Deliverables: functional site in staging, integration points, and developer documentation.
Use feature branches and regular demos. Track dependencies such as API access and third-party scripts. Keep the backlog trimmed to the agreed scope and use sprint reviews to validate progress.
Migration
Objective: Move content, preserve SEO, and verify tracking. Deliverables: content migration plan, SEO migration checklist, redirects, QA logs.
Content migration and SEO migration should be planned early. Create a content migration spreadsheet mapping old URLs to new ones and log metadata, canonical tags, and schema. Test redirects in staging and verify analytics and tag management are in place.
Launch
Objective: Release with confidence and a rollback plan. Deliverables: launch plan, final QA checklist, communication plan, post-launch dashboard.
Agree on the go-live window and freeze policies for late changes. Run a full pre-launch QA pass and, if possible, a staged release. Prepare a communications plan for stakeholders and customer-facing teams.
Roles and responsibilities by stage
Clear roles keep decisions fast. Below is a practical approach to assigning roles for each phase.
Marketing
Marketing leads strategy, messaging, and performance goals. They own content migration decisions and the acceptance criteria for conversion tracking. Marketing should designate a project lead as the single point of contact for approvals and stakeholder updates.
Leadership
Senior leadership approves goals, budget, and final launch readiness. Their involvement should be limited to milestone approvals to keep them aligned without blocking day-to-day work.
Agency
If you use an external agency, treat them as execution partners. Agencies typically lead discovery, UX, design, and build, but they must operate to the timetable and scope set by marketing. Use a written agreement that defines deliverables, acceptance criteria, and escalation paths.
Developers
Developers own technical decisions, integrations, and deployment. They should document dependencies early and provide estimates for blockers such as API changes, single sign-on, or back-office systems.
Content owners
Content owners deliver page copy, assets, and approvals on time. Assign owners for each content cluster and use a migration spreadsheet to track status. Make late content changes a formal change request with time and budget impacts explained.
Deliverables and checkpoints that keep the project moving
The project succeeds when deliverables match expectations and stakeholders approve at the right times. Create a short list of checkpoints with required artefacts and named approvers.
Key checkpoints
- Discovery sign off: Deliver brief and analytics insights. Approver: marketing lead.
- Scope approval: Backlog and prioritisation. Approver: product owner or marketing director.
- UX freeze: Wireframes and test results. Approver: marketing lead and product owner.
- Design sign off: Templates and components. Approver: marketing lead and brand owner.
- Build milestones: Sprint demos and integration tests. Approver: technical lead.
- Pre-launch: Full QA, redirects, tracking, and content migration completed. Approver: marketing lead and technical lead.
- Post-launch review: Performance against KPIs. Approver: senior leadership.
Use these checkpoints as gates. No work should proceed past a gate without documented approval. That rule prevents informal changes and keeps people accountable.
The timeline template marketing teams can follow
A good timeline balances speed with risk management. Here is a template for a mid-sized site redesign that you can compress or expand based on complexity.
- Week 1 to 3: Discovery and analytics deep dive
Use these first three weeks to build a factual foundation. Deliverables include a complete page inventory, analytics audit, stakeholder interview notes, and KPIs. Map traffic, conversion hotspots, and content that drives organic performance. Log technical constraints and integration dependencies so nothing surprises the build. Assign owners for the inventory and a single marketing lead to approve the discovery brief. This phase sets the scope and informs your website redesign timeline and SEO migration planning.
- Week 4 to 6: Scope and backlog finalised
Turn discovery insights into a prioritised backlog and a concise scope document. Create a RACI that lists roles and responsibilities for each deliverable and call out dependencies such as APIs, legal review, or third-party integrations. Produce high-level estimates and a change request process so that scope changes update the timeline and budget. Approve the backlog in a formal checkpoint with leadership and the marketing approver.
- Week 7 to 9: UX and usability testing
Develop wireframes for priority templates and conversion flows and run quick usability tests with representative users. Deliver user journeys, annotated wireframes, and usability notes that inform content and design. Lock the core UX for key templates so content owners and designers can work in parallel. Confirm acceptance criteria and sign off to avoid late structural changes.
- Week 10 to 14: Design and component library
Translate wireframes into a visual system and responsive mockups. Deliver a component library, design tokens, and accessibility guidelines. Designers and front-end developers should collaborate on implementation-ready assets. Have the brand owner and marketing lead approve the design system before handing it to developers.
- Week 15 to 22: Build sprints, integrations, and staging
Run build sprints with a two-week cadence and demo progress at each sprint review. Deliver a working staging site, integrated APIs, and developer documentation. Track dependencies and blockages, and enforce the backlog priorities to avoid scope creep. The technical lead approves major integration milestones.
- Week 20 to 24: Content migration and SEO migration
Start populating staging with migrated pages. Use a content migration spreadsheet and an SEO migration checklist to map old URLs to new ones, preserve metadata, and prepare redirects. Validate canonical tags, schema, and analytics tracking before launch.
- Week 24 to 26: QA, accessibility testing, and performance tuning
Conduct full QA across devices, automated and manual accessibility checks, and load testing. Produce a QA log with severity ratings and owners for fixes. Complete final performance optimisations and security checks.
- Week 27: Final pre-launch checks and approvals
Run the launch plan and pre-launch checklist: redirects, backups, rollback plan, stakeholder management communications, and final approvals from marketing and technical leads. Freeze changes except for critical fixes.
- Week 28 to 30: Post-launch monitoring, bug fixes, and handover
Monitor analytics, 404s, and error logs. Execute post-launch checks and prioritise bug fixes. Conduct a 30-day review against KPIs, complete handover documentation, and schedule follow-up work or incremental phases.
Adjust this timeline if you have heavy e-commerce, multiple languages, or complex integrations. Build buffer time for scope changes and approval cycles. Use milestone dates in a shared project plan so everyone can see the timeline and dependencies.
Launch readiness and post-launch checks
A launch plan is more than a date. It bundles technical checks, communications, and rollback options.
Pre-launch checklist
- Redirects: mappings are complete and tested.
- SEO migration checklist completed: meta, schema, canonical tags, URL structure.
- Tracking: analytics, tag manager, and conversion goals are verified in staging.
- Performance: page speed and load testing pass essential thresholds.
- Accessibility: automated and manual checks against WCAG basics.
- Backups and rollback: tested rollback procedure and database backups.
- Stakeholder sign-off: marketing lead and technical lead approve go-live.
Post-launch checks for the first 72 hours
- Monitor 404s and fix missing redirects.
- Check analytics for unexpected traffic or drops in goals.
- Review search visibility for major pages.
- Monitor server logs and error reporting.
- Triage user-reported issues and prioritise fixes.
After the initial window, schedule a 30-day review to measure KPIs and course correct. Use that review to decide on incremental improvements or deferred features that need a second phase.
Common project mistakes and how to avoid them
Mistake: Forgetting SEO during planning
Fix: Start SEO migration early and include an SEO migration checklist. Map old URLs to new ones and test redirects in staging before launch.
Mistake: No single content owner
Fix: Assign owners for each cluster and use a migration spreadsheet to track progress. Make late content requests a formal change.
Mistake: Too many approvers
Fix: Use a RACI to keep the approval chain short. Limit final sign-off to one accountable person per checkpoint.
Mistake: Treating QA as last-minute
Fix: Build continuous QA into the build sprints. Include accessibility and performance tests early.
Mistake: Ignoring topical relevance and authority
Fix: Use a content strategy that ties pages into topic clusters and authority building. Our guide to building topical authority explains practical next steps to protect search performance.
Mistake: Not optimising for emerging search formats
Fix: Prepare content and structured data to support featured snippets and AI-driven results.
Bring in our London web design agency for expert help
If you need an experienced partner to keep marketing and stakeholders aligned, Yellowball is here to help. We run redesigns with practical project phases, clear RACI models, and tight launch controls that protect scope and timing. We also support content refresh strategies and SEO focused migration planning.
Ready to start? Contact our team at Yellowball, and we will help you turn a complex redesign into a predictable, measurable program that keeps marketing in control and stakeholders aligned. Chat to us to get the ball rolling!
At Yellowball, we design refresh programmes that turn static libraries into active lead engines. We audit, prioritise, optimise, and measure against commercial outcomes. If you want to turn old pages into new enquiries, speak with our team, and we will map out a refresh plan tailored to your website and growth targets. Let’s get the ball rolling!
