1. Decide what a successful visit looks like

Not every customer is ready to check out. Some want to confirm a showroom has the right style. Others need a specification, a quote or help choosing several fixtures for a renovation.

List the actions you want the website to support: online purchases, product enquiries, calls, showroom visits or appointments. Give each important journey an obvious next step. A single oversized contact form is rarely the answer to every question.

2. Audit the catalogue before designing around it

Check a representative selection of products across your brands and categories. Do you have reliable images, dimensions, finish names, lamp information and identifiers? Are variants grouped consistently? Can your current data support the filters you want?

A polished template cannot fix missing product information by itself. Decide which information is essential, where it will come from and who will keep it current. Confirm the rights to use manufacturer images and documents.

3. Separate stock from availability

An item displayed in the showroom may not be available to take home. A manufacturer quantity may not mean an order can ship today. A special-order product may need a confirmed lead time.

Agree the language customers should see for each situation. Review how pickup, shipping and enquiries work with those promises. Accuracy here matters more than a reassuring label that the team cannot support.

4. Protect useful search traffic

Record the existing pages that bring relevant search traffic, enquiries and orders. Map old URLs to the most appropriate new pages, retain useful content and plan redirects before launch.

Use the redesign to improve navigation and internal links. Avoid creating a separate thin page for every keyword variation; create useful pages that answer a distinct customer need.

5. Plan the handover and the measurement

Test the site with realistic tasks on a phone and with a keyboard: find a fixture, compare dimensions, ask a question and complete a purchase where enabled. Include out-of-stock products and delivery exceptions.

Agree how the team edits products and content, who handles integrations and what support is available. Then establish the baseline and conversion events so the launch can be judged by more than its appearance.

Start with the customer decisions and the catalogue. The design will have a stronger foundation, and the scope will be easier to understand.

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