6 Ways to Avoid an SEO Disaster During a Website Redesign

Companies often redesign their websites to enhance user experience, refresh their brand, and stay competitive. However, a website redesign poses a significant risk to SEO if not handled carefully. Without proper planning and execution, a business may experience decreased traffic, lost rankings, and diminished online visibility. Trust The Web Guys to avoid an SEO disaster during a website redesign. Our team follows an extensive list of specific guidelines to ensure SEO remains intact during redesign projects. Here are six of those important guidelines.

1. Pre-Redesign SEO Audit

Before the redesign process, our team performs a thorough SEO audit of the existing site, documents all findings, and prioritizes maintaining or improving the SEO value of key pages.

• Crawl the site: Understand the current structure and identify potential issues.

• Analyze traffic and rankings: Review current performance in Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

• Identify high-performing pages: Determine which pages drive the most traffic and have high rankings.

• Review backlinks: Identify which pages have the most valuable backlinks.

2. Detailed URL Mapping Strategy

Changing URLs without proper redirection can lead to a loss of page equity and rankings. 

• Create a URL mapping document: List all current URLs and their corresponding new URLs.

• Set up 301 redirects: Implement 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones to preserve link equity and guide users to the correct pages.

• Update internal links: Ensure all internal links on the new website point to the new URLs.

3. Preserve On-Page SEO Elements

We ensure that essential on-page SEO elements are transferred correctly to the new site.

• Title tags and meta descriptions: Maintain or optimize for each page.

• Header tags (H1, H2, etc.): Ensure headers are logically structured and include relevant keywords.

• Content: Transfer high-quality content, making improvements where necessary but avoiding unnecessary changes.

• Image Alt Text: Retain or optimize alt text for images to improve accessibility and SEO.

4. Site Structure and Navigation

A well-organized site structure is crucial for user experience and search engine crawling. 

• Keep the structure intuitive: Ensure the hierarchy of pages is logical and user-friendly.

• Use breadcrumbs: Implement breadcrumb navigation to improve user experience and help search engines understand your site structure.

• Avoid orphan pages: Ensure every page is accessible through the navigation menu or internal links.

5. Pre-Launch Test

Before launching the redesigned site, our team performs extensive testing.

• Crawl the new site: Use crawling tools to check for errors, broken links, and missing elements.

• Check redirects: Verify all 301 redirects are working correctly.

• Test functionality: Ensure all forms, buttons, and interactive elements function correctly.

6. Monitor and Adjust Post-Launch

After the redesigned site goes live, we closely monitor its performance.

• Track rankings and traffic: Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor changes in traffic and rankings.

• Identify issues: Watch for any unexpected drops in performance and investigate potential causes.

• Fix problems: Address any issues as soon as they arise.

A website redesign offers a valuable opportunity to improve your online presence but also comes with SEO risks. To ensure your SEO remains intact during a website redesign, contact The Web Guys in Carmel, Indiana. Our skilled team can steer your business through the transition of a website redesign and other digital marketing techniques. Contact us at (317) 805-4933 to avoid the SEO pitfalls of a website redesign. Our team proudly serves businesses throughout the United States.

Helmer, Harley. “How to Avoid an SEO Disaster During a Website Redesign,” Search Engine Land (blog), Third Door Media, Inc., May 6, 2024, https://searchengineland.com/website-redesign-avoid-seo-disaster-440169