Does a redesign require a new domain?
A redesign does not inherently require a domain change. Decide any actual URL/domain movement from the business and technical constraints, then map and test what moves.
Service detail
A redesign begins by deciding what to keep, what to change and what the business cannot afford to lose.
01 / Service detail
Choose by the actual obstacle and readiness. A different or smaller intervention can be the appropriate result.
| Decision | Condition |
|---|---|
| Explore this scope when | Evidence shows that the existing structure or presentation needs coordinated change. |
| Pause or choose another scope when | One bounded defect is the only blocker, or useful pages/functions have not been inventoried. |
| Before commissioning work | Agree the named output, supported platform, responsible role and a testable finish line. No purchase, account access or live action is authorized by reading this page. |
02 / Service detail
List the customer tasks that fail, the pages that still work and the business changes the site no longer reflects. An isolated defect may need a repair. A structure that no longer supports the offer may need a broader redesign.
03 / Service detail
Inventory the current URLs, useful copy, images, forms and integrations. Give each item a keep, revise, merge or retire decision. Plan destinations for changed URLs instead of leaving redirects until launch day.
04 / Service detail
A redesign does not inherently require a domain change. Decide any actual URL/domain movement from the business and technical constraints, then map and test what moves.
A supported existing platform may remain when it can meet the agreed task. Replatforming needs a reason, its own preservation scope and a rollback plan; it is not an automatic consequence of a visual refresh.
05 / Service detail
Hypothetical planning specimen. It explains the decisions and checks to agree; it is not a completed customer deliverable or a fixed offer.
| Existing item | Decision | Evidence / reason | Owner / acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|
| /services/ | Keep purpose; edit content | Useful landing destination; scope information is incomplete | Content owner approves facts; visitor task and links retested. |
| Duplicate campaign page | Merge only with approval | Same offer and task; preserve useful content and destination | Content/release owners approve URL map and redirect test. |
| Working inquiry form | Preserve behavior unless change justified | Known receiving path should not be lost to a visual update | Intake owner verifies authorized delivery and duplicate handling. |
| Unusable navigation | Rebuild navigation, assess URLs separately | Observed task failure; a menu change need not move every URL | Review representative mobile/keyboard paths. |
06 / Service detail
Hypothetical planning specimen. It explains the decisions and checks to agree; it is not a completed customer deliverable or a fixed offer.
| Checkpoint | Record to prepare | Go/no-go / recovery |
|---|---|---|
| URL map | Old URL → new URL/action → redirect/canonical → internal links | Test priority moved, retained and removed cases. |
| Freeze / backup | Content freeze, files/data checkpoint and restore evidence | Do not cut over without an agreed recoverable baseline. |
| Staging | Representative layouts, forms, links, tracking and redirects | Hold when a critical customer task or data mapping fails. |
| Release | Cutover owner, smoke tests and authorized decision | Rollback owner and trigger named; production verified separately. |
07 / Service detail
Review the revised navigation, representative page and real conversion path before repeating the system. Reused content still needs factual and rights review. Consolidate feedback through a named approver.
08 / Service detail
Rehearse the release where practical, test critical journeys and verify changed URL behavior. Check the approved production domain, canonical URLs, sitemap and intended indexability. Agree monitoring and rollback responsibility.
09 / Service detail
The number of unique templates, content rewrites, legacy systems, integrations and migration risks matter more than a simple page total. Original copy, commerce changes and specialist incident recovery need a separate assessment.
10 / Service detail
Use these work variables to compare a written scope. They are not a price list, payment policy or authorization to purchase tools, media or services.
| Buyer question | Scope answer to agree |
|---|---|
| What will I receive? | An approved keep/change plan, representative layouts and protected launch |
| What do I need to supply? | Current URL/platform, useful/protected pages, observed visitor problems, account and content owners |
| What changes the effort and cost? | Template change, source quality, content reuse, URL movement, integrations, access and cutover risk |
| What needs separate scope or is excluded? | Automatic replatforming, complete new copy, unrelated defects and a ranking/conversion guarantee |
| How will completion and support be defined? | Identify the reviewer, actual test evidence, known limits and handover. Any recurring allowance, fees, cancellation and response arrangement need their own written terms. |
To keep the deliverable and finish line reviewable: Review the acceptance and handover checkpoints
11 / Service detail
An optional public URL, the tasks you want to improve, important existing pages and known constraints are useful. Do not send credentials or private customer records in a brief.