Skip to content
Scott Carr Web Design

Do it yourself

Redesign it yourself.
Here's the checklist.

If you're hands-on and comfortable with a little setup, AI tools can take you a long way. This is the checklist I'd follow, plus the mistakes I see most. If you get stuck, or you'd rather hand it off, I'm here.

The checklist

  1. 1Draft it with an AI builder
  2. 2Move it to your own domain
  3. 3Pick hosting and forms
  4. 4Redirect your old URLs
  5. 5Do the SEO basics
  6. 6Get ready for AI search
  7. 7Plan for upkeep

Pick a tool

Lovable

Describe your business and it builds a polished first draft you can refine by chatting. Easy to start; you still handle hosting, SEO and fixes.

Replit

An AI agent and a code editor in one, with hosting built in. More control, and a little more technical.

Claude

Great for planning pages, writing and tightening copy, and generating or fixing site code you can host anywhere.

The checklist

  1. 1Draft it with an AI builderGive the tool your real text, photos and a short description of your business and customers. Real content produces a far better first draft than placeholders.
  2. 2Move it to your own domainConnect a domain you own, kept in your own registrar account, not the builder's. Turn on HTTPS.
  3. 3Pick hosting and formsNetlify, Cloudflare or Vercel host simple sites well. Make sure your contact form actually emails you, and send yourself a test.
  4. 4Redirect your old URLsList every page on your old site and point each one to its new page with a permanent (301) redirect. Skipping this is the fastest way to lose rankings.
  5. 5Do the SEO basicsA unique title and description on every page, one main heading, image descriptions, and a sitemap submitted in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
  6. 6Get ready for AI searchAdd LocalBusiness structured data, an FAQ with clear answers, and an llms.txt file.
  7. 7Plan for upkeepSomeone has to keep forms working, fix what breaks and make changes. Decide now who that is.

Where DIY redesigns go wrong

No redirects

Old URLs return errors, and the rankings they earned disappear.

Forms that never arrive

The form says "thanks", but nothing reaches your inbox.

Giant images

Uncompressed photos make the site crawl on phones, and phones are most of your visitors.

Invisible to AI search

No structured data or clear answers, so AI assistants recommend someone else.

Stuck on the builder

The site only works on the builder's subdomain or plan, so leaving means starting over.

Rather hand it off?

I'll do the redesign with AI, and handle everything on this list.

From $2,500, then $99/month for hosting, forms and up to an hour of changes. You own your site, without the setup and the risk.

See the redesign

Ready when you are

Let's redesign your site.

Describe your site in the project planner and get a plan in about a minute, or email me and I'll reply within one business day.