If you are like most business owners, you likely devote a lot of time and effort to optimizing your website for search engines. But what happens when you need to redesign your website? Will all of that hard work be undone, or can you successfully redesign your website while still maintaining your SEO ranking? In this post, we’ll explore some tips for ensuring that your SEO efforts aren’t adversely affected by a website redesign. Stay tuned!
What Is Website Redesign?
A website redesign is exactly what it sounds like – a complete overhaul of your website’s design. This can involve anything from changing the site’s color scheme to completely revamping the layout and structure. Redesigning your website can be a big undertaking, but it can also be well worth it if done correctly. A successful redesign can not only improve your website’s aesthetics but also make it more user-friendly and functional.
How a Website Redesign Can Affect Your SEO
However, a website redesign can also have some unintended consequences – namely, a negative impact on your SEO ranking. This is because search engines rely on certain elements of your website (like your site’s structure and code) to index and rank your pages. If your redesign alters these elements in a way that search engines don’t like, your ranking could suffer as a result.
That’s why it’s so important to approach a website redesign with SEO in mind. With a little planning and care, you can ensure that your SEO ranking is not affected (or even improved!) by your redesigned website. Let’s take a look at some tips for doing just that.
Don’t forget to check: Building Your Website to Meet a Global Audience
Issues That Come Up in Redesign and How to Address Them
There are a few common issues that can arise during a website redesign that can impact your SEO ranking. Here are some of the most common problems, along with tips for how to address them:
1. Site structure changes
One of the most common (and potentially damaging) changes that can occur during a website redesign is a change to the site’s structure. This includes anything from changing the URL of your website to altering the hierarchy of your pages. If not done carefully, these changes can cause search engines to have difficulty indexing and ranking your pages.
To avoid this problem, be sure to plan out any changes to your site’s structure in advance. If possible, try to maintain the same URL structure as your existing website. And if you do need to make changes to the hierarchy of your pages, be sure to use 301 redirects to ensure that search engines and users are directed to the correct page.
2. Navigation changes
Another common change that occurs during a redesign is a change to the website’s navigation. This can include anything from adding or removing menu items to changing the way that users navigate between pages. As with site structure changes, navigation changes can have a negative impact on your SEO if not done carefully.
To avoid this issue, be sure to plan out your website’s new navigation in advance. Consider how users will move around your site and what changes will need to be made to accommodate the new design. Also, be sure to use proper redirects when making any changes to your website’s navigation.
3. Content changes
Another common issue that can arise during a website redesign is a change to the website’s content. This can include anything from adding or removing pages to changing the way that content is organized on your site. As with the other issues we’ve discussed, content changes can have a negative impact on your SEO if not done carefully.
To avoid this issue, be sure to plan out any changes to your website’s content in advance. Consider what changes will need to be made to accommodate the new design and what impact those changes will have on your existing content. Also, be sure to use proper redirects when making any changes to your website’s content.
4. Code changes
Finally, another common issue that can occur during a website redesign is a change to the website’s code. This can include anything from adding or removing code to changing the way that code is organized on your site. As with the other issues we’ve discussed, code changes can have a negative impact on your SEO if not done carefully.
To avoid this issue, be sure to plan out any changes to your website’s code in advance. Consider what changes will need to be made to accommodate the new design and what impact those changes will have on your existing code. Also, be sure to use proper redirects when making any changes to your website’s code.
Very Helpful Article: Website Migration SEO Checklist: Don’t lose Traffic & Ranking
By following these tips, you can ensure that your website redesign does not negatively impact your SEO ranking. With a little planning and care, you can even improve your ranking as a result of your redesign.