Redesigning your website can be both an exhilarating and nerve-wracking experience. Redesign efforts may provide the chance to build an attractive user-friendly site, yet redesign could cause Google rankings and traffic to decrease as a result of redesign efforts. Don't panic though; with careful planning and execution you can redesign without losing SEO efforts; in this article we'll outline best practices for redesigning without dropping rankings.
Before diving into best practices for redesigning websites, let's first explore why redesign may be necessary. There could be various reasons for doing so, such as:
Your Site Is Outdated:
Although your website might have seemed cutting edge five years ago, today it may appear outdated and unappealing to visitors. A redesign can give your website a modern aesthetic that draws them in.
Your Website Isn't Mobile-Friendly:
As mobile access becomes more prevalent, websites that fail to optimize for these visitors may lose out on significant potential traffic gains.
Your website isn't user-friendly:
If visitors find your website confusing or difficult to use or navigate, they could quickly abandon it in favor of one of your competitors'. A redesign could make your site more user-friendly and improve overall user experience.
Your Business Has Evolved: Perhaps as your company has grown and changed over time, no longer accurately reflecting your brand or goals; redesign may help ensure alignment of your website with current business goals as well as those of the organization.
What are some best practices for redesigning my site without losing its Google rankings?
Now that we understand why redesigning may be necessary, let's talk about how best to approach it without risking our Google rankings.
Prior to undertaking any redesign efforts, a comprehensive SEO audit must first be completed on your site to assess its current strengths and weaknesses in order to identify areas for improvements as well as prevent ranking losses during redesign processes.
Install 301 redirects:
When making any alterations to URLs of pages on your site, always implement 301 redirects so as to route visitors and search engines directly to their new destinations while protecting any existing SEO value and reducing penalties as much as possible. This will keep any penalties at bay.
Maintain a consistent website structure:
Maintaining the same structure is key for protecting current rankings; any major shifts could confuse search engines and result in them eliminating you from search results entirely.
Optimize Your Images:
Large image files can drastically slow the loading speed of your website, and have an adverse effect on its rankings; as a result, compress and optimize these images for use online as often as possible to achieve optimal results.
Utilise Responsive Design:
Mobile-friendliness is paramount if you wish to maintain and increase rankings, so utilize responsive design techniques so your site looks fantastic on all devices.
Make sure your meta tags remain up-to-date:
Be sure to update any changes in content or keywords quickly by making any necessary modifications in meta tags such as title tags and descriptions that quickly reflect these updates.
Monitor Your Analytics: Be sure to closely watch your analytics during and after your redesign project to detect any issues or decreases in traffic as soon as they appear, in order to make any necessary corrections as soon as they appear. This will allow you to detect potential problems or decreases as soon as they arise, providing ample time for any necessary corrections to take place immediately.
Redesigning your website can be an incredible opportunity to enhance its functionality and user experience; just be sure to follow these best practices to avoid jeopardizing any of your hard-won Google rankings.
FAQs
Q: Will redesigning my website cause me to lose Google rankings?
A: While risk does exist, by following best practices outlined here it can be reduced significantly.
Question: Should I change the structure of my site as part of a redesign process?
A: That depends on your specific website redesign project requirements. Alterations to site structures may increase user satisfaction while making indexing faster for search engines; but significant modifications may not be required depending on whether the current structure serves your purposes adequately - consulting both web developer and SEO professional is essential to identify an optimal course of action.
Q: How can I ensure that my new website is mobile-friendly? A:
A: Responsive design could be key in providing visitors with smartphones and tablets a positive experience on your new website, whether on smartphones, tablets, or both devices simultaneously. By automatically adapting layout and content depending on which device the visitor uses it on, responsive designs make the transition between pages seamlessly seamless for each view.
Q: When will my website redesign produce results in terms of SEO? A: In general, search engine optimisation (SEO) results typically become evident three to six months following any website redesign project.
A: That depends on a number of factors, including the scope and size of your site redesign, changes made, industry competitiveness and any recommended best practices that were followed to enhance SEO performance over time. Results usually take weeks or even months before we see significant rankings/traffic changes as a result of redesign efforts; with ongoing monitoring/adjustments over time you should see sustained increases in SEO performance.
Q: What are some key mistakes to be wary of when redesigning websites for SEO purposes? A:
A: Common mistakes include failing to redirect old URLs to their new counterparts - failure could lead to broken links and rankings losses.
Failing to Optimize Site Speed: Slow load times have the power to negatively affect both user experience and search engine rankings, while neglecting keyword research is essential in understanding which terms users are searching for so as to optimize content accordingly.
Mismanagement of on-page optimization:
Title tags, meta descriptions and header tags are essential components to optimizing for search engines.
Misconduct: Failing to Complete an in-Depth Site Audit: Conducting an extensive site audit can uncover any technical or other problems which are inhibiting SEO performance on your site, thus impacting its ranking on search engines.
