← All guides

Website Redesign Project Timeline Template

Use this website redesign project timeline template to manage design, development, content migration, and launch. Build a visual Gantt chart free online.

Website Redesign Project Timeline Template

The Problem: Website Redesigns Take Twice as Long as Planned

Website redesigns routinely double in scope and timeline. The original estimate was "three months" but it's now month six and the site still isn't live. The culprit is almost always one of three things: content migration takes far longer than expected, stakeholder feedback rounds multiply, or the development environment setup eats the first three weeks.

A website redesign project timeline built as a Gantt chart prevents these common failures. It forces you to schedule the content audit before development starts, limits feedback rounds to scheduled windows, and shows everyone—leadership, marketing, developers, the agency—the actual path from kickoff to launch. gantt-chart.io is free, browser-based, and shareable with no account required.

Prerequisites

  • Scope clarity: Full redesign, specific section, or new CMS migration?
  • Content inventory: How many pages? Any content that needs to be migrated?
  • Tech stack decision: Keeping current CMS or switching? (This is a major timeline driver.)
  • Design ownership: In-house design team, agency, or freelancer?
  • Stakeholder approval process: How many rounds of review? Who has final sign-off?
  • Launch constraints: Any hard deadlines? (Product launch, event, fiscal year?)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Set Up the Timeline

  1. Open gantt-chart.io
  2. Title the chart: [Company] Website Redesign - [Year]
  3. Set start date to project kickoff meeting
  4. Plan for 12–16 weeks for a standard B2B website redesign
  5. Add a Launch milestone at the end

Step 2: Define the Six Phases

  1. Discovery — strategy, audit, stakeholder alignment
  2. Design — wireframes, visual design, design system
  3. Content — copy, SEO, content migration plan
  4. Development — build, CMS setup, integrations
  5. QA — testing, accessibility, performance
  6. Launch — go-live, redirects, monitoring

Step 3: Build the Discovery Phase (Week 1-2)

  1. Kickoff meeting with all stakeholders — Day 1
  2. Current site analytics audit — Week 1
  3. Content inventory and audit — Week 1-2
  4. Competitor and inspiration review — Week 1
  5. Brand and messaging alignment — Week 2
  6. Sitemap v1 approved — Week 2 (milestone)

Step 4: Build the Design Phase (Week 2-6)

  1. Information architecture and wireframes — Week 2-3
  2. Wireframe review and approval — Week 3 (milestone)
  3. Visual design: homepage and core templates — Week 3-5
  4. Design review round 1 — Week 5
  5. Design revisions — Week 5-6
  6. Design review round 2 and final approval — Week 6 (milestone)
  7. Design handoff to development — Week 6

Limit to two review rounds. More rounds are a scope change—add them as tasks with extended timeline implications.

Step 5: Build the Content Phase (Week 2-8, parallel)

  1. SEO keyword research — Week 2-3
  2. Copy brief for all pages — Week 3
  3. Copy draft: homepage and hero pages — Week 3-5
  4. Copy draft: product/service pages — Week 4-6
  5. Copy draft: about, team, case studies — Week 5-7
  6. Copy reviews and approvals — Week 6-7
  7. Final copy delivered to dev — Week 8

Content almost always runs long. Build in a one-week buffer between copy approval and development integration.

Step 6: Build the Development Phase (Week 6-11)

  1. Dev environment and CMS setup — Week 6
  2. Global components: header, footer, navigation — Week 6-7
  3. Homepage build — Week 7-8
  4. Interior page templates — Week 8-9
  5. Content integration — Week 9-10
  6. Forms, CRM, and analytics integrations — Week 9-10
  7. Redirect mapping and SEO implementation — Week 10
  8. Staging site ready for QA — Week 11 (milestone)

Step 7: Build QA Phase (Week 11-12)

  1. Cross-browser testing — Week 11
  2. Mobile responsiveness testing — Week 11
  3. Performance audit (Core Web Vitals) — Week 11
  4. Accessibility audit (WCAG 2.1) — Week 11
  5. All links and forms tested — Week 11
  6. Stakeholder UAT review — Week 12
  7. Bug fixes — Week 12
  8. Launch sign-off — Week 12 (milestone)

Step 8: Build Launch Phase

  1. DNS cutover planned — Day before launch
  2. Launch: DNS cutover and go-live — Launch day (milestone)
  3. Redirect verification — Launch day
  4. Analytics verification (GA4, tracking) — Launch day
  5. 24-hour monitoring — Day 1
  6. Post-launch bug fixes — Week 1 post-launch
  7. Search Console submit — Day 1

Common Mistakes

No content timeline. Developers sit idle waiting for approved copy. Content work should start in parallel with design, not after design is approved.

Unlimited stakeholder rounds. Every additional feedback round adds 1–2 weeks. Lock in two rounds per phase during kickoff and enforce it.

No redirect plan. Every URL that changes needs a 301 redirect. Missing redirects destroy SEO value built over years. Schedule this explicitly in Week 10.

Template: 12-Week Website Redesign

PhaseTimeline
DiscoveryWeek 1-2
DesignWeek 2-6
Content (parallel)Week 2-8
DevelopmentWeek 6-11
QAWeek 11-12
LaunchWeek 12

Build this at gantt-chart.io—free, no account required.