You may have noticed that the layout of the website has changed. I wanted to switch to a layout that is new and responsive because the number of mobile users is gradually increasing. I was actually afraid, at first, to switch to a new layout because I was worried that my site would break and I would have to go back and fix everything up. After doing some research about changing layouts (thank you Google), I found out that it is quite easy to make the switch.
However, there are a lot of things that you must do before you even start. The most important thing is to, obviously, back up the current files. You should back up all of the files, and also your database files just in case something fails. In addition, you should make notes on the current layout. For example: you can make notes on the current load time and compare it to the new layout’s load time. A good website to check load times is http://tools.pingdom.com/fpt/. You can also take screenshots of the current layout because you will most likely forget the things that were on it. Another thing you should do before you start is to put a maintenance splash page on your website so that your users won’t see a broken/unfinished website.
After switching layouts you should check to see if all your SEO and tracking codes are in place correctly. You should also check to see if the RSS feed is still working so that you do not lose any current subscribers. Then you should test your new layout on all major browsers (Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) and all mobile devices.
Finally, you can compare the old layout to the new layout and see if you forgot anything.