How to Review Redirect Performance Before and After a Site Redesign

A redesign is exactly the moment existing redirects get forgotten, buried under decisions about layout and color, until traffic drops afterward and nobody can say whether the redesign or the URL changes caused it. Reviewing redirect performance on both sides of the project turns that mystery into a measured before-and-after.

This guide is for merchants planning a site redesign who want redirect performance measured before the project starts and verified after it ships, so the redesign's SEO impact is understood rather than guessed at.

Quick Answer

Yes, redirect performance should be reviewed on both sides of a redesign. Before the project starts, use SC Easy Redirects statistics to establish a baseline of what is currently redirecting and earning traffic. After the redesign ships, compare the same redirects' performance, verify any new URL changes are mapped, and use 404 tracking to catch anything the redesign broke that the pre-project audit did not anticipate.

What This Involves

Reviewing redirect performance around a redesign means establishing a baseline of existing redirect statistics before the project begins, ensuring any redesign-driven URL changes are mapped into new redirects, and comparing performance afterward to confirm the redesign preserved rather than damaged existing SEO equity.

Who Needs This

• Merchants planning a full site or theme redesign
• Stores wanting redirect performance measured, not assumed
• Teams who have seen past redesigns hurt rankings unexpectedly
• Brands treating a redesign as an SEO risk to be managed
• Anyone who wants before-and-after proof a redesign was clean

Why It Matters for Your Business

• Redesigns often change URLs even when that was not the intent
• A pre-project baseline is the only way to measure impact honestly
• New URL changes need their own redirect mapping, not just old ones preserved
• Post-launch comparison catches problems while still fixable
• Measured redesigns build the case for how to run the next one
• Without a baseline, a traffic dip has no clear cause

How to Review Redirect Performance Before and After a Site Redesign on Shopify

Step 1: Prepare Your Store

Start the baseline review well before the redesign launches.

• Export the current redirect list and its statistics
• Note top-traffic pages and their current URLs
• Record current search rankings for key pages as a reference point

Step 2: Install and Configure SC Easy Redirects

Use SC Easy Redirects to plan for redesign-driven URL changes.

• Confirm with the design team which URLs the redesign will change
• Prepare new redirect mappings for every URL genuinely changing
• Keep existing working redirects intact through the transition

Step 3: Create Your Logic

Deploy the redesign with redirects verified, not assumed.

• Apply new redirect mappings at the moment the redesign goes live
• Confirm pre-existing redirects still function on the new site
• Enable 404 tracking closely around the launch window

Step 4: Test

Review performance in the days immediately following launch.

• Compare post-launch redirect statistics against the baseline
• Check 404 tracking for any newly broken paths
• Spot-check top-traffic pages resolve exactly as before

Step 5: Go Live

Confirm the redesign's SEO impact over the following weeks.

• Track search rankings against the pre-redesign baseline
• Compare organic traffic trends before and after
• Document findings to inform how the next redesign is run

Examples & Use Cases

Home Decor Brand
Industry: Home goods
Problem: A previous redesign caused an unexplained traffic dip with no baseline to diagnose what happened
Setup: Established a full redirect and ranking baseline through SC Easy Redirects before the next redesign, then compared closely after launch
Result: The team could show the redesign was clean and any minor traffic movement was unrelated to redirects

Electronics Retailer
Industry: Electronics
Problem: A redesign quietly changed collection URLs that nobody had flagged for redirect mapping
Setup: The pre-launch review caught the change against the baseline plan, and mappings were added before launch
Result: No 404 spike occurred at launch because the gap was caught in review rather than in production

Read more case studies for our apps here.

Best Practices

• Establish a redirect and ranking baseline before the redesign starts
• Confirm with designers exactly which URLs will change
• Prepare new redirect mappings ahead of launch, not after
• Keep pre-existing working redirects untouched through the transition
• Monitor 404 tracking closely in the launch window
• Compare rankings and traffic against the baseline for weeks after
• Document the comparison to improve the next redesign's process

Summary

A redesign's SEO impact is only knowable with a before-and-after comparison, a redirect and ranking baseline established ahead of the project and checked against performance afterward. The core steps are baselining current redirects and rankings, mapping every redesign-driven URL change ahead of launch, and comparing performance closely once the new site is live.

If a redesign is coming, SC Easy Redirects gives you the baseline and the tracking to prove it went cleanly.