Tips for Preventing an SEO Disaster While Redesigning Your Website
Website redesigns can be exciting and necessary to keep up with the ever-changing digital landscape. However, if not done properly, they can lead to a significant loss in organic visibility and revenue. In this article, we will explore some tips and best practices for preventing an SEO disaster during a website redesign.
One of the most important steps in ensuring a successful website redesign is to consult with an SEO professional who is familiar with site migrations early on in the project. This can help identify potential pitfalls and develop a plan to retain SEO assets throughout the process. A case study from a fertility medicine company serves as a cautionary tale, where they lost an estimated $200,000 in revenue after their organic visibility disappeared following a website redesign. This disaster could have been avoided with proper SEO guidance and planning.
There are several common causes of SEO declines after a website redesign that need to be handled properly. These include domain changes, new URLs without proper 301 redirects, changes in page content, removal of on-site keyword targeting, unintentional website performance changes, and blocking of crawlers. All of these elements can have a significant impact on indexability and keyword relevance, which are crucial for maintaining organic rankings.
When it comes to domain changes, it is recommended to avoid them if possible. Even with the use of Google’s Change of Address Tool, there is still a risk of losing performance if redirects are not set up properly. Changing URLs during a redesign is more common, but it is important to create proper 301 redirects to ensure that Google understands the new destination of your pages.
Content changes during a redesign can also have an impact on keyword rankings. It is important to consider the relevance of your page’s content to specific keyword phrases and how changes in content may affect rankings. While some content changes may be necessary for improving overall effectiveness, it is important to be aware that drastic changes can lead to volatility in keyword rankings.
Metadata considerations are often overlooked during a website redesign. When content changes, metadata such as title tags, meta descriptions, and alt text can unintentionally change as well. These elements play a crucial role in helping Google understand the meaning of your page’s content. It is important to ensure that metadata remains optimized and relevant throughout the redesign process.
Web performance is another important factor to consider during a website redesign. Factors such as CMS choice and design elements can impact website performance. It is important to find the right balance between features and performance to ensure that your website meets Google’s performance metric standards.
Lastly, unintentionally blocking Google’s crawlers can have a detrimental effect on organic search visibility. Many web designers create staging environments to test the new website, but if these environments are not properly blocked from crawlers, the new site may be removed from Google’s results. It is essential to check and remove any blocking protocols before launching the new site.
To identify SEO assets on your website that need to be retained during the redesign, it is important to consider pages that receive backlinks, regular organic traffic, and have top keyword rankings. These pages should be recreated on the new website as close to the original as possible. Tools such as Semrush, Google Search Console, and Screaming Frog can help with auditing and tracking these pages efficiently.
In conclusion, preventing an SEO disaster during a website redesign requires proper planning and consultation with an SEO professional. By addressing common causes of SEO declines, such as domain changes, URL redirects, content changes, metadata considerations, web performance, and crawler blocking, you can ensure that your website maintains its organic visibility and rankings. Identifying and retaining SEO assets throughout the redesign process is crucial for preserving the value of your website’s SEO efforts. With careful planning and execution, a website redesign can be a successful venture that improves user experience while maintaining organic search visibility.
