Website relaunch: a checklist so Google does not forget you

A new website is supposed to bring more enquiries. A careless relaunch sometimes does the opposite: pages that ranked well on Google are suddenly gone. This checklist helps you avoid that.

Before the relaunch

• Take stock: list all addresses of your old site. An existing sitemap.xml or Search Console helps with this.
• Identify important pages: under "Performance" in Google Search Console you can see which pages bring clicks. This content must not disappear.
• Back up content: texts, photos, reviews, references. Even what you do not want to keep, at least as a copy.
• Clarify access: domain, hosting, email, Google Business Profile, Search Console. Who has which login?

Redirects: the most important point

If addresses change, for example from /services.html to /services, set up a permanent redirect (status code 301) from every old address to the matching new page. Google explicitly recommends this for moves with URL changes (source: developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes). Without redirects, visitors and Google end up on an error page.

Do not redirect everything to the home page. Every old page should point to the new page with matching content.

On the day of the switch

• Do not forget email: if you change host, the records for your mailbox (MX records) must stay correct. Otherwise emails stop arriving.
• HTTPS is active, and all variants (http, with and without www) redirect to one main address.
• The new site is no longer set to "noindex". This is often set on test versions and forgotten at launch.
• Fill in the contact form yourself and check that the message arrives.

After the relaunch

• Submit the new sitemap.xml in Search Console.
• In the following weeks, watch the "Pages" report for errors such as "Not found (404)".
• Check your Google Business Profile and directory listings to make sure the link is still correct.
• Watch rankings and enquiries for a few weeks. According to Google, slight fluctuations right after a move are normal.

Frequently asked questions

How long until Google knows the new site?

Small sites are often recrawled within a few days. Google writes that for medium-sized websites it can take a few weeks for most pages to move.

How long do I have to keep the redirects?

Google recommends keeping them as long as possible, generally at least one year. Ideally they stay permanently, they cost hardly anything.