Redesigning your website can be an exciting time to refresh your brand identity, improve the user experience, and even increase sales. However, if it’s not done carefully, a website redesign (or a change in URL structure) can cause catastrophic losses in your search engine rankings. In extreme cases, you risk handing over all your hard-earned traffic to your competitors overnight.
In this blog post, we’ll walk through the critical pitfalls of website redesigns and how to avoid them, so you can maintain – or even improve your current SEO positions.
Why a Poorly Planned Redesign Can Harm Your SEO
When you change the structure of your website or alter the URLs of important pages, search engines like Google may assume those pages no longer exist. This can lead to an immediate drop in rankings if the correct technical steps are not taken. Even large companies, with entire IT and web design teams, are not immune to these mistakes.
Key takeaway: A lack of planning and proper SEO considerations can result in losing a significant chunk – sometimes the majority, of your organic traffic in one fell swoop.
1. Implement a Thorough 301 Redirect Strategy
One of the most important steps in any site redesign is to set up 301 redirects. This ensures that any old URLs are properly “pointed” to their new locations, signaling to Google that the page has moved rather than disappeared.
- What is a 301 redirect?
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. It tells search engines, “The content you used to find at this old address is now permanently located at this new one.” - Why do 301 redirects matter?
Without them, Google will think your pages are gone. That means your previously ranked pages essentially vanish from its index, and your competitors will move up a slot in the search results to fill the gap. Traffic once coming to your site will be sent elsewhere. - Don’t forget the smaller pages
Even if you correctly redirect your home page and top-level services, ignoring smaller or “niche” pages can be devastating. These pages might quietly be driving high-value traffic. Make sure every old URL is accounted for in your 301 strategy.
Pro tip: If you’re not comfortable setting up a 301 redirect strategy yourself, have an SEO expert check your site before you launch the redesign.
2. Preserve (or Improve) existing high-value Content
Not all web pages are created equal. Some pages bring in far more traffic, and conversions than others. If you’re drastically changing content (for instance, cutting down a 2,000-word article to just a few paragraphs), your ranking potential can take a hit.
- Identify high-performing pages
Use your analytics to find which pages are already bringing in large amounts of search traffic. Those are the pages you need to handle with extra care during a redesign. - Avoid stripping metadata
Metadata; such as page titles and meta descriptions, helps Google interpret what your page is about. If you remove or fail to re-implement your existing metadata, your rankings can tumble. Make sure your redesign includes porting over (or improving) the metadata. - When it’s okay to change content
If you decide to change page content or restructure it, ensure it still satisfies user intent and meets Google’s guidelines. By making your pages more useful, you can maintain (or even improve) your rankings rather than lose them.
3. Optimize Technical SEO in your Redesign
A site redesign is a perfect time to improve your site’s technical SEO. However, many redesigns focus purely on aesthetics and overlook the factors that influence load speed and user experience – both of which can impact search rankings.
- Site speed matters
Pages should ideally load in under two seconds on a 4G connection. Heavy videos, large image files, or extensive scripts can slow down a page dramatically. Make sure your design team is aware of loading speed best practices, such as compression, lazy loading, and other optimization techniques. - Mobile friendliness
With more users browsing on mobile devices, mobile optimization is crucial for both user experience and search engine visibility. Ensure your redesigned site looks and functions great on smartphones and tablets. - Structured data and crawlability
This is the perfect opportunity to clean up your code, fix broken links, and use structured data where appropriate. These elements help search engines crawl your site more effectively, which can improve your rankings over time.
Post-Redesign best practices
- Double-check your redirects
Use a crawling tool or analytics platform to ensure every important old URL leads to the correct new URL. - Monitor your rankings and traffic
Keep a close eye on your organic traffic after the relaunch. Significant drops could indicate missed redirects, broken pages, or on-page SEO issues. - Consult an SEO expert
If you’re unsure about any steps, consider bringing in a professional to audit your site. Fixing problems early can save you massive losses down the line.
By following these steps, you’ll position your website to thrive in Google’s search results – rather than slipping behind your competitors.
A successful website redesign can be a big win for both user experience and search performance. By implementing a comprehensive 301 redirect strategy, protecting (or enhancing) your high-value content, and optimizing your technical SEO, you can maintain – or even boost your existing rankings.
Remember: It’s far easier (and cheaper) to plan ahead than to try to recover your rankings after a catastrophic drop. If in doubt, hire an SEO professional to oversee the process and validate your approach before you hit “launch.”
Need help with your redesign or recovering lost rankings?
Our agency, Lilac James, specialises in guiding businesses through website redesigns without sacrificing their hard-earned SEO positions. Explore our Organic SEO services to learn more about how we can help ensure your new website not only retains its rankings, but comes back even stronger.