How to redesign a website and maintain SEO

“We updated the site, and the traffic has halved!”

We hear such complaints quite often. The reason is simple: in addition to updating the design, the site structure was changed, new functions were added, URLs were changed, but redirects were not configured. As time passed, it became more difficult to restore lost traffic. To avoid such problems, it is important to think through all the redesign steps and their impact on SEO in advance.

If we are talking only about a visual update, then the risk for SEO is minimal. However, if during the redesign process the site structure changes, new elements are added, user paths change, or the site switches to a new CMS, then there is a real risk of losing positions in search engines.

In this article, we will look at how to redesign a website without losing SEO traffic. You will find out what points you should pay attention to, what is important to do before the redesign, and what to do during and after.

Assess how necessary a redesign is

Before embarking on a redesign, it is important to make sure that it is really needed. Avoid the following reasons for change:

  • “My friend doesn’t like it” - improve the site for the sake of user convenience, and not to please the environment.
  • “We haven’t changed anything for a long time, let’s update it” - changes should be aimed at improving the operation of the site, and not at creating the appearance of progress.
  • “Competitors have updated their sites” - Focus on solving your own problems rather than copying competitors' ideas.

If your site works well, don't rush to redesign it. Instead, turn to experts to help you audit your current design, identify areas for growth, and suggest real improvements.

Preparing for redesign

To avoid unexpected problems after a redesign, it is important to take several key steps ahead of time.

1. Measure your starting positions

Before starting a redesign, it is important to record the current metrics: site visibility, average position in search engines, CTR and keywords that drive traffic. This data will help you track changes after the update.

2. Conduct a technical audit

Use tools to check the technical condition of the site to identify errors and fix them before redesign. This will help avoid new problems.

3. Conduct a UX analysis

It's important to understand how users interact with your site. Study which interface elements are in demand and try to preserve the functions that users are familiar with.

4. Collect links to high traffic pages

Identify the pages that drive the most traffic. They should be under special control, and changes to them should be minimal.

5. Make backups

Backups will help you avoid disasters if something goes wrong. Make copies of your entire site and database before redesigning.

What to control during redesign to save traffic?

Provide a user experience

With significant design changes, users may experience inconvenience. To avoid negative impacts on attendance, consider the following steps:

  • Make updates in stages to avoid overwhelming users. Introduce new elements gradually.
  • Provide tooltips to help users get used to new features.

Leave a choice

  • You can launch a new design on a subdomain and invite users to test it with bonuses. This will help track behavior and collect feedback.
  • Allow users to return to the old version of the site if they are not used to the new interface.
  • Conduct A/B testing to determine which design elements perform best.

How to transfer content

It is very important that all texts, meta tags, headings (title and description) and images are transferred correctly. If you miss even one element, you can lose positions in the search.

Consider JavaScript and dynamic elements

  • Slow scripts can negatively impact a site's loading speed, which will impact its SEO results.
  • Dynamic elements such as animations should not disturb the user. Make sure they work correctly on all devices.

How to make the transition to a new structure painless

Changing the site structure may lead to changes in page addresses and their deletion. To avoid traffic loss, it is important to minimize such changes.

  • Don't radically change user paths or the location of interface elements.
  • Save the addresses of pages that bring traffic and set up redirects from outdated addresses.
  • Create a redirect map to redirect traffic from outdated pages to relevant ones.

If pages are deleted, set up redirects to similar pages so that users do not lose access to important information.

Customize your 404 page

The 404 error page should be informative and direct users to popular areas of the site so that they don't leave.

Don't forget about adaptability

When redesigning, it is important that the site remains mobile-friendly. If this is not taken into account, you may lose mobile traffic.

When the redesign is almost complete

  • Check the site's loading speed and make sure there are no broken links, duplicate pages, or errors in meta tags.
  • Check indexing - make sure that the site is open for indexing and that there are no blocks in robots.txt.
  • Check if you forgot to update your sitemaps and set up goals in your analytics systems.

If the site has moved to a new domain:

  • Add a new domain in the webmasters panel and configure Google Analytics and Yandex.Metrica counters for the new domain.
  • Remove links to the old domain from the site structure and update the robots.txt file.

After redesign

Collect feedback

It is important to get user feedback to quickly fix errors and improve the site. To do this, you can use forms on the website or services to collect feedback.

Conduct a repeat technical audit

After updating your site, re-audit to look for possible problems with meta tags, duplicate pages, or other errors.

Monitor changes in Google Search Console and Yandex.Webmaster

Regularly monitor site visibility, traffic, and user behavior to spot and correct potential problems early.

Results

  • Before redesigning, make sure it's really necessary.
  • Prepare for change: capture current metrics and conduct an audit.
  • Make changes gradually and monitor user reactions.
  • Set up redirects and 404 information page.
  • Make sure the content and metadata have been migrated correctly.
  • Track changes after the redesign to quickly respond to possible problems.

For any questions, you can contact the SEO studio “SEO COMPUTER” by email info@seo.computer.

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