How to redesign your website without losing SEO

Making the decision to redesign your website shouldn’t mean you’re starting from scratch, least of all from an SEO perspective. Because your existing website has been around for a while, it’ll have a certain amount of authority in the eyes of Google. And that’s something you definitely don’t want to lose.

So how can you ensure your website keeps this authority while undergoing a makeover? It’s a great question to explore. If done well, your new website can actually boost your Google rankings. This is because your new website will be more on point with things like:

• Who you like to work with
• What services you offer
• Which pain points you regularly solve for your clients
• Targeting new keywords or improving how you’re targeting them.

A website redesign is such a great opportunity to clearly define these things. And the more aligned you are with this message, the more Google and your desired audience will take notice.

How to redesign your website without losing SEO

Following the steps below will help you to redesign your website without losing your SEO authority.

Keep URLs the same if possible.

Ideally, your website will keep the same URLs as much as possible. Just because you’re redesigning your website doesn’t mean the URLs need to change.

Even if you’re moving your website from Squarespace to WordPress, keeping the majority of your URLs the same will make the transition easier in Google’s eyes. Plus there’s also less of a chance for broken links to occur.

Redirect URLs that have changed or you’re no longer using

There are some instances where you’ll want to change URLs. These might be to:

• Incorporate new keywords
• Switch focus on a new service
• Remove a page that’s no longer needed.

Changing URLs isn’t the end of the world. But you do need to keep a log of old URLs versus the new one’s you’re creating. I like to do this in a Google Sheet so I have a list of redirects to make once I launch the website.

Redirecting old URLs is simple to do and makes sure there are no “Error 404 Page Not Found” experiences. Nobody, including Google, likes to see that.

Include keywords in your new content

If the redesign means you’re changing your website content and copy, make sure to include keywords in a similar way (or better than before). Ensure your keywords are used on the page in these places:

• Page title (this is usually the H1 for the page)
• H2 and H3 if applicable
• First paragraph of the page
• Last paragraph of the page.

Test your new website

ALWAYS test your new website before and after launching it. Test all buttons and text links. Test your main menu on both desktop and mobile. Test the loading speed of the website.

Ask a third party, such as your Virtual Assistant or a business friend, to test it too. There’s nothing like fresh eyes to catch something we’ve missed.

The better the experience of your website overall, the more Google will want to show it in search results.

Submit your new sitemap to Google

Once your website has been launched, submit your new sitemap to Google. This can be done via Google Search Console. Doing so means you are inviting Google to actively visit your website in its entirety. This helps new pages to be crawled by the search engine and is a fresh snapshot of your website.

Check in with Google Analytics and Google Search Console regularly

Checking in with these Google tools regularly means you’ll have a better understanding of how your new website is performing. You’ll be able to assess:

• If you have lost (or gained) traffic over time
• If there are any pages that are missing from Google’s perspective – you can get alerted (via Google Search Console) so that you can redirect them
• How your keywords are ranking.

Make it a monthly task to review your website statistics and to make changes accordingly. Remember, your website is never finished and you can always tweak things here and there to improve your SEO.

—
Now you know it’s possible to redesign your website without losing SEO. You can even improve your rankings with a better website. So what are you waiting for? If it’s time for a website redesign for your small business, I’d love to hear from you.