1. Agree on the brief and the owner
Name one school contact who can consolidate feedback and approve content. Involve the office, enrolment team and staff who publish news, alongside the person responsible for the domain and email. Agree on the purpose of the redesign before choosing colours or layouts.
- Write down the main tasks: finding term dates, contacting the office, reading news, locating policies and enquiring about enrolment.
- Separate what must be ready at launch from features that can follow later.
- Choose a launch window that leaves time for review, staff training and corrections.
- Send each shortlisted provider the same brief. Use our school website cost guide to compare scope and ongoing costs.
2. Inventory your content and existing URLs
Create a list of current pages and files before moving anything. For each item, record its URL, content owner, whether it stays, changes or is retired, and its new destination. Include documents linked from newsletters and emails, not just pages visible in the main menu.
- Keep a copy of the current content and approved media before the migration begins.
- Check contact details, enrolment information and policies with their school owners.
- Confirm which photographs can be published, using your school’s approval process.
- Map changed URLs to the closest relevant replacement and request permanent redirects. Do not send every old page to the homepage.
- Use Search Console’s page report to identify pages receiving search traffic that need particular care.
Google’s site move guidance explains URL mapping and redirects. A change of platform should not leave families following broken links to the old site.
4. Test the editing and access workflows
Ask a staff member to publish a news item, update a page and replace a document during the demonstration. Check how they preview, approve and publish changes. A design that staff cannot maintain will soon stop reflecting the school.
- Identify who can edit content, who can publish it and who manages accounts.
- Keep public pages separate from staff or family information that requires sign-in.
- Test private files as a signed-out visitor, using the direct file URL as well as the page link.
- Record how support is requested and who maintains the site during staff leave.
5. Check the site before changing the domain
Review the actual pages on a phone and desktop. Walk through navigation with a keyboard, check headings and image descriptions, and confirm that forms have clear labels and readable error messages. Compress large images and test important journeys on a typical mobile connection.
- Submit a test enquiry and verify that the office receives it.
- Check page titles, descriptions and canonical URLs point to the intended live pages.
- Verify that production pages are indexable and that the sitemap and robots file use the live domain.
- Test old-to-new redirects, HTTPS and the preferred www or non-www domain.
- Coordinate DNS changes with your IT contact so website changes preserve email records.
- Assign responsibility for the cutover, monitoring and recovery if a launch check fails.
6. Review search and enquiries after launch
Submit the live sitemap in Google Search Console and inspect the homepage and key enrolment pages. Watch for indexing issues, failed forms and broken links. Review search queries and landing pages against the pre-launch baseline rather than judging the redesign from one day of clicks.
Google advises that search changes can take weeks or months to be reflected. Track useful outcomes alongside rankings: qualified enquiries, completed tour bookings and whether staff can keep information current. See Google’s SEO Starter Guide for the underlying guidance.
For SchoolWeb’s hosting and data arrangements, read Australian school websites and our security information before finalising your requirements.