A website redesign template is the difference between a project that ships on time and one that drags for nine months. The right templates structure the brief, audit, sitemap, wireframes, content migration, and launch checklist so nothing gets missed. Below are the seven templates we use on every redesign, with what to put in each and how to know when each is done.
Why Templates Matter for Redesigns
Most failed redesigns die from one of three causes: unclear scope, unmanaged content, or no launch plan. Templates fix all three. They force you to write down decisions early, keep stakeholders aligned, and turn a vague “we need a new website” into a sequenced project with deliverables.
You do not need fancy software. A shared document, a spreadsheet, and a project plan are enough. The discipline of filling them out is what matters.
The Seven Templates Every Redesign Needs
1. Project Brief Template
The brief is the contract between everyone involved. It captures the problem the redesign is solving, the audiences, the success metrics, the budget, the timeline, and the scope boundaries. If it is not in the brief, it is not in the project.
Sections:
- Problem statement (one paragraph)
- Primary and secondary audiences
- Business goals (3-5 specific, measurable)
- Success metrics (what will we measure 90 days after launch)
- Scope (what is in, what is out)
- Budget range
- Timeline with key milestones
- Stakeholders and approval authority
- Brand guidelines and constraints
- Technical requirements
Definition of done: Every stakeholder signs off. The CEO, marketing lead, and engineering lead all acknowledge it in writing. If they will not sign, you do not have a project, you have a wish.
2. Content Audit Template
You cannot redesign what you do not understand. The audit is a spreadsheet of every page on your existing site with metadata about each one. It tells you what to keep, kill, combine, and rewrite.
Columns:
- URL
- Page title
- Page type (landing, blog, product, support)
- Last updated
- Pageviews (last 90 days)
- Time on page
- Backlinks
- Search rankings (top 3 keywords)
- Decision (keep, update, merge, delete)
- New URL (if changing)
- Owner
- Notes
Definition of done: Every URL on the existing site has a decision. The audit is reviewed by SEO, content, and engineering leads.
3. Sitemap Template
The sitemap is the architecture of the new site. It defines what pages exist, how they nest, and how they link to each other. Build it before you wireframe anything.
Format: A diagram (Whimsical, Lucidchart, FigJam, Miro, or even a Google Doc with indents) showing every page, organized into primary navigation groups. Mark which pages are net-new, which are migrated, and which are merged.
Definition of done: The marketing lead can read the sitemap and explain how a new visitor would find any page in three clicks or fewer.
4. Page Wireframe Template
Wireframes are low-fidelity layouts of each page type. They show the structure of content blocks without committing to visual design. The point is to align on what each page does before you spend time making it pretty.
What goes in a wireframe:
- Hero (headline, subhead, primary CTA, visual)
- Section blocks with placeholder content (e.g., “Three feature cards: title, copy, icon”)
- Social proof placement
- Form placement
- Footer structure
Definition of done: Each unique page type has a wireframe. Stakeholders agree the structure tells the right story before any visual design happens.
5. Content Migration Plan
Content migration is where most redesigns fall apart. The plan is a spreadsheet that maps every old URL to a new URL, identifies which content is being rewritten, who is writing it, and when it is due.
Columns:
- Old URL
- New URL
- Migration type (move, rewrite, merge, archive)
- Content owner
- Status (not started, in progress, ready, published)
- Due date
- 301 redirect (yes/no)
- SEO impact notes
Definition of done: Every URL has a migration decision. Every rewrite has an owner and a due date. The 301 redirect map is ready before launch.
6. Launch Checklist Template
The launch checklist is the last line of defense between a smooth launch and a disaster. It covers technical, content, SEO, analytics, and post-launch monitoring tasks.
Pre-launch checks:
- 301 redirects in place for every changed URL
- Analytics tracking installed and tested
- Forms tested end-to-end
- Mobile responsive on iOS and Android
- All meta titles and descriptions in place
- Open Graph tags set
- XML sitemap submitted to Search Console
- Robots.txt verified
- SSL certificate confirmed
- Page speed tested (Core Web Vitals all in green)
- Accessibility audit passed (WCAG AA)
- Backup of old site stored
Day-of-launch tasks:
- DNS cutover
- Cache purge
- Smoke test 20 random URLs
- Submit new sitemap to Search Console
- Notify stakeholders
Post-launch monitoring (first 7 days):
- Daily Search Console error report
- Daily organic traffic check
- Form submission monitoring
- Conversion rate monitoring
- 404 monitoring
7. Risk Register Template
The risk register is a one-page document that lists everything that could go wrong, the impact, the likelihood, and the mitigation. Update it weekly through the project.
Common risks:
- SEO traffic drop after URL changes
- Form integrations break during migration
- Stakeholder approvals delayed
- Content not ready by launch
- Performance regression
How to Use the Templates
Run them sequentially. The brief comes first, then the audit, then the sitemap, then wireframes, then content migration, then the launch checklist. Skipping steps creates rework.
The brief and audit are the highest-leverage documents. Spend twice as long on them as you think you should. They prevent every downstream problem.
For the full project methodology, see our website redesign project plan. For the broader strategy, our complete website redesign guide covers everything from kickoff to launch. For the tactical pre-launch step, our website redesign checklist is the more granular version of template 6.
When to Hire vs DIY
The templates work whether you hire an agency or build internally. If you hire, the templates make you a better client (you arrive with the brief, audit, and sitemap, which saves the agency 3-4 weeks of discovery work).
If you build internally, the templates create the structure your team needs. They turn a vague redesign idea into a sequenced project. Most internal redesigns fail because nobody owned the brief.
Need a partner who can run the redesign with you? Our team builds exclusively in Framer and uses every template above. See our pricing or start a project.
Templates Are Not the Project
Filling out templates is not the same as doing the work. The templates are scaffolding. The actual work is making decisions: what to keep, what to change, what to cut, what to launch with. The templates force you to make those decisions early instead of late.
The teams that ship on time treat the templates as living documents, updated weekly through the project. The teams that miss deadlines fill them out once and forget about them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a website redesign take?
For a 20-50 page marketing site with no major technical changes, plan for 8-12 weeks from kickoff to launch. Add 2-4 weeks if you are also migrating CMS platforms. Sites larger than 100 pages or with custom integrations typically take 4-6 months.
Do I need all seven templates?
For any redesign worth doing, yes. The brief, audit, sitemap, and launch checklist are absolutely required. Wireframes can be skipped on tiny sites (under 10 pages). The content migration plan and risk register can be combined into one doc on smaller projects, but the discipline they enforce should not be skipped.
How do I prevent SEO traffic drops during a redesign?
Three things: keep URLs the same wherever possible, set up 301 redirects for every URL that does change, and submit the new sitemap to Search Console on launch day. Most redesign traffic drops come from missing redirects, not from the redesign itself.