Our redesign process

Short answer

We audit your current site, write a plan with a page list and redirect map, design the key pages, build and test on a staging copy, then launch and check results at two and six weeks. You sign off each stage in writing. The plan is always approved before design, and staging before launch; some work, such as content writing, can run alongside design.

Before Stage 1: quote and deposit

Before any paid work, we review your live site and your answers to a few questions, then send a written, fixed quote in NZD for the scope described. Stage 1 starts once you accept the quote and pay the deposit. For very large sites only, such as stores with thousands of products, we may instead propose a separately priced audit first and quote the redesign once it is done; if so, we say so at the start.

Stage 1: Audit

The audit is where we learn how your current site works and what it does for your business.

We list every live page and record what each one is for. If you have Google Analytics, Search Console or similar tools, we export the figures that show which pages bring in visitors and which lead to enquiries or sales. We note every form, booking tool, payment option, tracking script and integration. We also talk to you about what the site needs to do and where it falls short.

What you get: an audit spreadsheet and a short summary of what we found, including anything urgent such as broken forms or outdated software.

What we need from you: access to the site's admin area, analytics and Search Console if you have them, and an hour or so of your time to talk through the business.

Stage 2: Plan

The plan turns the audit into decisions.

Every page is marked keep, merge, rewrite or retire. We draft the new menu and page list. Every address that will change gets a destination in the redirect map. We agree the goals for the redesign and how each will be measured. The price does not change here: it was fixed in the quote you accepted before paying the deposit, and the audit refines the plan, not the price. The plan is the first paid deliverable.

What you get: a written plan with the page list, redirect map, goals and timeline.

What we need from you: decisions on any pages where the right choice is not obvious, and written approval of the plan.

Stage 3: Design

We design the key page types: usually the home page, a service or product page, a contact page and any page that is unusual for your business. Designs are shown at phone and desktop sizes. We check colour contrast, text size and target sizes against WCAG 2.2 at level AA while designing, not after. The WCAG 2.2 guide explains the checks in plain terms.

You see the designs as images or a clickable prototype and give feedback. The quote says how many rounds of feedback are included.

What you get: approved designs for each key page type.

What we need from you: feedback gathered from everyone who needs a say, so we hear one consolidated view rather than conflicting messages.

Stage 4: Build

We build the site on a staging copy that search engines cannot see and the public cannot reach. Content is brought across or entered. Forms, booking tools and integrations are connected.

Testing happens throughout, not just at the end:

• Every page on real phones and desktop browsers
• Every form sent end to end, including the email that arrives
• Every redirect in the map checked on staging
• Keyboard checks on the main journeys, plus screen reader checks where the project includes them
• Speed checks on the key page types

You get access to the staging site to review it yourself.

What you get: a complete, tested site on staging, ready for your sign-off.

What we need from you: a careful review of the staging site, particularly the content, and written approval to launch.

Stage 5: Launch and follow-up

We launch at a time that suits your business, usually early in the week and outside your busiest hours. On launch day we remove staging restrictions, put the redirects live, test a sample on the live domain, submit the new sitemap and check that key pages can be indexed.

Then we watch. Short-term ranking movement after a move is normal, as Google's own site move guidance says ^[1], so we compare against the baseline at two weeks and again at six weeks, rather than reacting to day-to-day movement. Any broken addresses or forms we find are fixed straight away.

What you get: the live site, handover notes, ownership of all accounts set up in your name and two follow-up reports.

What we need from you: a heads-up if customers mention anything odd in the first few weeks.

How we communicate

You have one main contact throughout the project. We plan to send a short written update at each milestone and answer questions by email. Decisions and approvals are always confirmed in writing, so there is a clear record of what was agreed.

What can slow things down

The most common delays come from content and feedback. If new text or photos are needed, getting them ready early keeps the project moving. If several people need to approve designs, agreeing who has the final say saves time. We build the timeline around realistic feedback times and tell you early if something is at risk.

Process questions

Can stages overlap?

Sometimes. Content writing often runs alongside design, for example. Approval of the plan always comes before design starts, and approval of staging always comes before launch.

What if I do not like the designs?

The included feedback rounds are there for that. If the direction is wrong after the first round, we would rather step back and revisit the brief than keep adjusting details.

Do I need to be involved every week?

Not every week, but you will need to give feedback and approvals at the end of each stage. Expect to set aside a few hours across the project, plus time for any content you write yourself.

Sources

Each source was opened and checked against the sentence it supports on 3 November 2026.

1. Site Moves and Migrations (published by Google Search Central; Last updated 20 August 2026) Platform documentation