Redesigning your website can feel like an exciting fresh start. But going into it without a clear plan—or worse, without any data—is like remodeling your storefront with your eyes closed. You risk breaking what’s working, confusing visitors, and wasting time and money.
At Graticle Design, we’ve seen it happen: a sleek new site that looks great but performs worse than the original. That’s why we always recommend one thing before you touch anything: test first.
In this post, we’ll show you how to test your current website before starting a redesign. You’ll learn what to measure, how to gather real insights, and how to use that information to create a website that works better—not just looks better.
Why Testing Before a Redesign Matters
Redesigning a website without testing is like guessing at what your customers want. It often leads to:
- Lower conversions
- Confused repeat visitors
- Dropped SEO rankings
- Poor performance across devices
Most importantly, testing before redesign gives you:
- A clear idea of what’s working now
- Evidence to back up design decisions
- Confidence that your new site will actually perform better
What to Test on Your Current Website
Before redesigning, you need a clear picture of what’s going on under the hood. Here are the top areas to evaluate:
1) User Behavior
Tools like Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) let you track how users interact with your site.
Look for:
- Heatmaps: Where are people clicking—or not clicking?
- Scroll depth: How far down the page do visitors go?
- Session recordings: Watch real users navigate your site.
- Bounce rate: Are users leaving too quickly?
- Conversion paths: Are people completing forms or getting stuck?
These tools show what your users are doing, not just what you think they’re doing.
2) Page Performance
Speed matters—both for SEO and user experience. Run your website through:
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- GTmetrix
- WebPageTest
Key metrics to look for:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
- Time to Interactive (TTI)
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
A new design should never be slower than your current site. If your current site is already struggling, this is your baseline for improvement.
3) SEO Baseline
Use tools like:
- Google Search Console
- Ahrefs, SEMRush, or Ubersuggest
- Screaming Frog (for a local crawl of your site)
Track:
- Your top-performing pages
- Which keywords you rank for
- Backlinks and referring domains
- Internal link structure
- Title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags
Make note of which pages are driving traffic and leads. You don’t want to tank those during the redesign.
4) Conversion Rate
If your website has a contact form, quote request, or online purchase option, you need to know:
- Which pages drive the most conversions
- What the current conversion rate is (visits vs. leads/sales)
- If there are any drop-off points in your forms
Use tools like:
- Google Tag Manager + GA4 for event tracking
- Form analytics tools like Zoho PageSense or HubSpot
- Simple spreadsheets to record lead sources
This tells you what’s actually working to generate business.
5) Accessibility and Mobile Usability
Check:
- Mobile friendliness with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
- Accessibility using WAVE or axe DevTools
Don’t launch a new design only to find it doesn’t work for 30% of your visitors on mobile or violates ADA guidelines.
Talk to Your Users
Yes, the numbers are important—but so are real conversations. Here’s how to gather qualitative data that can shape your redesign in a smarter way:
1) Survey Your Visitors
Ask questions like:
- What’s the biggest frustration you have with our website?
- What’s missing from our site that would be helpful?
- How easy is it to find what you’re looking for?
Use tools like Typeform, Google Forms, or a simple email survey.
2) Interview Your Customers
If you have trusted clients, reach out and ask:
- How do you use our website?
- What do you usually come looking for?
- Is anything confusing or frustrating?
You’ll often hear surprising insights that data alone won’t show.
3) Watch Live Users (Usability Testing)
Tools like UserTesting.com or PlaybookUX let you watch users interact with your site in real time while they narrate what they’re thinking.
Even watching just 5 people can reveal huge design flaws or content gaps.
Map Out What’s Working (And What’s Not)
Once you’ve gathered all the above, create a list that includes:
What to keep:
- Pages with strong SEO rankings
- Content that converts
- Navigation that makes sense
- Any user interface elements that perform well
What to fix or remove:
- Dead pages with high bounce rates
- Confusing CTAs or broken forms
- Outdated design elements
- Technical performance issues
Use this list to guide the redesign—not your personal preferences or current design trends.
Set Measurable Goals Before You Redesign
Now that you know what’s working, it’s time to decide what success looks like.
Here are a few good redesign goals:
- Increase conversions by 20%
- Reduce bounce rate by 15%
- Improve mobile load time under 3 seconds
- Grow organic search traffic by 25%
- Get 5 new leads per week from the contact form
Attach a number to each goal. That way, once the new site launches, you’ll know if it’s doing better—not just looking better.
Build a Wireframe or Prototype First
Before jumping straight to full design or development, create a low-fidelity prototype or wireframe. This helps you test new ideas without committing full resources.
Use tools like:
- Figma
- Adobe XD
- Balsamiq
- Or even simple sketching
Share your prototype with:
- Internal team members
- Key customers
- Partners or vendors
Get their feedback before you start building.
Test Your Messaging and Layouts
If you’re redesigning your homepage or landing pages, now is the perfect time to A/B test messaging and layouts using:
- VWO or Convert.com
- Split test email subject lines and landing pages
You can test:
- Headlines
- Button text
- Page structure
- Image placement
- Offer clarity
This is the stage to experiment before committing anything to code.
Don’t Forget Redirect Mapping
If your redesign will change your URL structure, make sure you set up 301 redirects so your current SEO power isn’t lost.
Use a simple spreadsheet to:
- List old URLs
- Match them to their new counterparts
- Import into your site via an SEO plugin (like Rank Math or Yoast), or set up server-level redirects
Google Search Console can help you monitor for crawl errors after launch.
Prepare for Post-Launch Testing
The work isn’t over once the redesign is live. Plan to test post-launch too.
Here’s a simple checklist:
- Recheck page speed
- Monitor traffic and bounce rates in GA4
- Use Hotjar to see how behavior has changed
- Test all forms on desktop and mobile
- Watch for SEO rank fluctuations (temporary dips are normal)
Compare your performance to your pre-redesign goals.
If something drops, you’ll have the data to act fast.
Bonus: Free Tools to Use Right Now
- Google Analytics 4 – Site traffic, bounce rate, conversions
- Search Console – Keyword rankings, click-through rates
- Hotjar or Clarity – Heatmaps and session recordings
- GTmetrix – Site speed and performance
- WAVE – Accessibility checker
- Typeform – Visitor surveys
- Screaming Frog – SEO crawler for technical insights
Want a Professional Website Audit?
Before you redesign, let us help you get the full picture. At Graticle Design, we offer manual website audits where we personally review your site’s design, SEO, performance, and conversions—and give you a clear action plan.
Don’t redesign blind. Let’s test first.
Be Intentional
A redesign can be a powerful business move—but only if you do it with intention. Testing before redesigning helps protect what’s working and fix what’s not, leading to a better site for your users and better results for your business.
If you’re thinking about redesigning your website, step back and test first. The insights you gain will save you time, money, and mistakes—and lead to a smarter, more successful launch.
