A website redesign often takes several months or even longer to prepare. During this time, old pages cannot simply remain with outdated content. You need to maintain a professional image while continuously updating content to avoid being perceived as a 'dead site' by users and search engines. The following steps can help you systematically balance display and updates before the redesign.
1. Inventory Old Pages and Categorize Them as 'Display-Focused' or 'Update-Focused'
Before the redesign, conduct a thorough review of all pages on your site. Based on their function, pages generally fall into two categories: those that rarely change, such as brand introductions, company credentials, and contact information, which primarily serve a display purpose; and those that require regular updates, such as news, industry insights, product specifications, and case studies, which need ongoing maintenance.
Practical approach: Export a list of your website URLs and label each page as 'display' or 'update'. For display pages, focus on checking whether the information is accurate and whether the design is outdated. For update pages, establish an update frequency, such as weekly or monthly posts. This way, during the redesign period, resources can be concentrated on key pages.
2. Set Update Priorities to Avoid Spreading Efforts Too Thin
Not every page deserves frequent updates. High-priority pages include the homepage, product/service listing pages, recently published content, and pages that drive significant traffic. Updating these pages directly benefits user experience and SEO.
How to decide: Review analytics for page views and bounce rates, or use your business focus as a guide. For example, if your company is currently promoting a specific service, prioritize updating the corresponding service page. When updating, ensure accuracy—do not update just for the sake of updating, as incorrect information can harm trust.
3. Establish a Simple Publishing Workflow to Sustain Updates
During the redesign, content updates are often neglected. To avoid this, create a lightweight publishing process: designate someone to collect materials, identify an approver, and set a fixed weekly publishing time. The process does not need to be complex, but it must have clear responsibilities and deadlines.
For instance, check the update plan every Friday afternoon and prepare materials in advance; have a business owner confirm content accuracy before publishing. This ensures that content updates proceed smoothly even when redesign work is hectic.
4. Balance Display and Updates: Use a 'Transitional Version' Approach for Old Pages
For display pages with outdated designs, consider making lightweight visual adjustments, such as updating the header and footer or unifying fonts and colors, without overhauling the structure. This improves the look without interfering with the overall redesign plan.
For update-focused pages, ensure content freshness. For example, for news, commit to publishing weekly industry briefs; for product pages, add new specifications or application cases. These updates do not require redesigning the page—simply replace content within the existing template.
5. Use the Pre-Redesign Transition to Test Content Directions
A redesign is not just a visual upgrade; it is also an opportunity to adjust your content strategy. Experiment with new content sections or writing styles on old pages, and use user feedback and analytics to determine what resonates. This way, by the time the new site launches, your content framework is already validated, reducing redesign risks.
For example, if your old site lacks an FAQ section, try publishing a few Q&A-style articles in the news section and observe traffic and inquiries. However, ensure that test content remains relevant to your site's theme and does not deviate from your core business.
6. Final Pre-Redesign Check: Backup and Synchronization
Before the redesign goes live, make a complete backup of all old website content, including databases and files. Also, ensure that content updated during the transition can be migrated to the new site. Plan a content mapping table in advance, linking old URLs to new pages, to avoid 404 errors after the launch.
These preparations may be tedious, but they prevent content loss or broken links post-redesign. During the transition period before a redesign, with proper scheduling of update tasks, your website can remain active and lay a solid foundation for the new launch.
