What should you keep when redesigning a website?

Inventory before deciding

Create a list of public pages, files, templates, forms, features, integrations, tracking, redirects, downloadable assets, structured data, and important system connections. Include pages that are not in navigation and URLs that still receive traffic or links.

An inventory prevents the redesign from treating the visible menu as the whole site. It also exposes duplicate pages, abandoned campaigns, undocumented tools, and content whose owner has left the business.

Evaluate value from more than one signal

Review organic entries, qualified conversions, assisted journeys, backlinks, internal search, support use, sales use, and operational dependence. Low page views do not automatically mean low value: a policy, technical specification, or enterprise resource may serve a small but important audience.

Pair data with expert review. Check whether the information is accurate, distinctive, on-brand, legally required, and aligned with the current offer. The guide to measuring redesign success can help connect keep-or-remove decisions to future outcomes.

Classify each item by action

Use a small set of decisions: keep as is, improve, consolidate, recreate, archive, or remove and redirect. Record a reason and owner for each choice. “We like it” is not a reason; “it answers a recurring pre-sales question and contributes to qualified inquiries” is.

Keep established URLs where they remain accurate and useful. When consolidation or removal is necessary, map each old URL to the closest relevant destination. Do not send every retired page to the homepage or invent a new destination with unrelated intent.

Preserve more than page copy

Capture approved claims, source files, image rights, alt text, product data, form routing, CRM fields, analytics events, consent settings, domain access, and technical credentials. Identify which items can move directly and which must be rebuilt or revalidated.

Brand recognition may live in useful patterns, language, illustrations, or navigation conventions even when the visual system needs change. A redesign can retain familiarity without reproducing the limitations of the old interface.

Create a decision register for launch

• Item: URL, component, asset, feature, or integration.
• Evidence: customer, commercial, search, legal, or operational value.
• Decision: keep, improve, consolidate, recreate, archive, or remove.
• Owner: person responsible for accuracy and approval.
• Destination: new URL, system, or archive location.
• Verification: launch check that proves the decision was implemented.