What I Check Before Taking Over an Existing Website
Taking over an existing website is very different from building a new one.
When you build something from scratch, you know why things were structured a certain way. When you take over someone else's project, you don't always have that context.
There may be old code, unused features, third-party integrations, outdated content or problems that aren't immediately visible.
That's why I prefer to investigate before making major changes.
I Start With the Website Structure
First, I want to understand how the website is organized.
What pages exist? How does the navigation work? What are the important user journeys?
I Look for Obvious Problems
I check for things like:
- Broken links
- Missing pages
- Layout issues
- Forms that don't work
- Mobile problems
- Outdated content
- Inconsistent design
I Check Integrations
A website may depend on several external services.
There could be email systems, analytics, payment providers, booking tools, APIs or other integrations.
Changing one part without understanding these connections can sometimes break something completely unrelated.
I Look at Performance
I also want to understand why the website might feel slow.
Large images, unnecessary scripts, excessive plugins or third-party resources can all contribute to performance problems.
I Understand What the Business Actually Wants
A technically perfect website isn't useful if it doesn't solve the business's actual problem.
I want to know what is currently working, what isn't working, and what the client wants to improve.
Final Thought
Taking over an existing website is partly development and partly investigation.
Before changing something, you need to understand why it exists.
Sometimes the best solution isn't rebuilding everything. It's identifying what actually needs to change and improving it carefully.