As an SEO professional, website redesigns are one of the biggest challenges. There are so many factors to keep in mind to ensure your new site ranks just as well or better than the previous one. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll walk you through the essential SEO checklist items you need to address before, during, and after your website redesign. Follow these best practices and you’ll transition smoothly without compromising your rankings or traffic.
Let’s get started! Your SEO rankings depend on it.
Conduct a Website Audit to Identify SEO Issues
A website redesign can negatively impact your search rankings if you're not careful. The first step is conducting an SEO audit to identify any issues with your current site. Look for:
Broken links or redirects: Check that all links point to live pages and redirects actually redirect to the right place. Broken links hurt user experience and search ranking.
Thin or duplicate content: Ensure all pages have unique, high-quality content of at least 300 words. Duplicate content confuses search engines and lowers rankings.
Keyword cannibalization: If multiple pages target the same main keyword, search engines have trouble determining which page to rank highest. Consolidate pages or differentiate content and keywords.
Mobile-friendliness: With mobile searches surpassing desktop, a mobile-optimized site is essential. Check that your site displays properly on phones and tablets. If not, make it responsive or build a mobile version.
Page speed: Fast loading pages improve user experience and search ranking. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix to check your site speed and make optimizations.
XML sitemaps: Sitemaps help search engines discover all your site pages. Make sure you have a sitemap (or sitemaps for large sites) and submit them to Google Search Console.
Robots.txt files: Check that your robots.txt file is directing search engines to all site pages you want indexed. Block any pages you don't want indexed.
By identifying and fixing any issues before your redesign, you'll ensure your new site is in the best shape for strong search rankings. Stay on top of best practices and your SEO should thrive through the transition!
Develop a Content Migration Strategy
A website redesign can negatively impact your search rankings if not done properly. To avoid losing ground, develop a thoughtful content migration strategy.
First, audit your existing content and identify pages that rank well and drive traffic. Focus on migrating these high-value pages first. Look for ways to refresh content by adding details or examples, or reorganizing sections to improve flow and readability.
Next, check for orphaned pages - those not linked to from your site's main navigation. See if any are worth keeping and add internal links to them from relevant pages. For pages you discard, set up 301 redirects to send visitors and search engines to the most relevant live pages.
As you build new content, include synonyms, related phrases, and semantically similar terms for important keywords to help search engines understand your content's relevance for those search terms. Publish cornerstone content on high-traffic topics to become an authority in your industry.
Once your new site launches, resubmit your XML sitemap to search engines and check for any 404 errors. Set up redirects as needed. Monitor rankings and traffic to important pages to ensure your migration was successful. Make tweaks to content or internal linking as needed.
With some TLC for your existing content and a well-executed migration and relaunch process, you can retain or even improve your search rankings following a website redesign. Your hard work will pay off with happy visitors and customers.
Use 301 Redirects for Changed URLs
When redesigning your website, it’s critical to retain your existing search rankings. One of the best ways to do this is by using 301 redirects to point changed or old URLs to their new locations.
What is a 301 redirect?
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from an old web page URL to a new URL. It passes on the SEO authority of the old page to the new page. This means search engines will recognize the new page as a replacement for the old one, and your rankings and other SEO metrics should remain intact after the switch.
Why are 301 redirects important for redesigns?
During a website redesign, URLs often change. Pages may be reorganized or restructured, and URLs have to change to match the new site architecture. Without 301 redirects in place, search engines would see the old URLs as 404 errors (page not found) and the new pages as completely new, unrelated content. Your search rankings would drop dramatically.
301 redirects allow you to:
Retain search rankings for pages that have changed URLS
Pass on link equity from old content to related new content
Avoid 404 errors for old URLs that have been removed
Best practices for implementing 301 redirects
Redirect old URLs to the most relevant new URL. Don’t just redirect everything to the homepage.
Use a redirect mapping document to keep track of old to new URLs. This makes debugging easier.
Set up redirects before launching the new site. This avoids any downtime where the old URLs are active but the new site is not live yet.
Check for any broken redirects and 404 errors once the new site goes live. Fix these as soon as possible.
Leave 301 redirects in place indefinitely. Even if traffic to the old URLs drops over time, the redirects help maintain your site’s authority.
By diligently setting up 301 redirects, you have the best chance of sailing through a website redesign without negative impact on your search rankings. The time and effort will pay off, allowing you to reap the benefits of an updated site design while still enjoying strong traffic and lead generation from organic search.
Optimize Page Speed and Web Vitals
An important part of an SEO-friendly website redesign is optimizing your page speed and web vitals. Google considers metrics like mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, HTTPS security, and page speed in their rankings. If your new site is slow to load or has a poor user experience, it can hurt your search rankings.
Page Speed Insights
Use Google's PageSpeed Insights tool to analyze your site's performance on both mobile and desktop. Aim for scores of at least 70/100. This tool will show you optimizations you can make to improve page load times. Things like compressing images, minifying CSS and JS files, and reducing redirects can significantly speed up your site.
Web Vitals
Google's Web Vitals are key metrics that measure user experience. The three vitals are:
Aim for under 2.5 seconds.
First Input Delay (FID): Measures the time from when a user first clicks to when the browser is actually able to respond to that click. Target under 100 milliseconds.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures unexpected layout shifts that can disrupt the user experience.
You can test your Web Vitals using the PageSpeed Insights tool, as well as third-party tools like Google's CrUX API and web.dev. Make improvements to optimize your vitals, like avoiding font loading issues, optimizing ad placements, and adding width and height attributes to images.
Optimizing your page speed and web vitals may require re-evaluating your CMS or theme, image optimization workflows, server configurations, and third-party tools. But putting in the effort to improve the user experience will result in happier visitors and better search rankings. Your refreshed SEO will be off to a great start.
Update Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
When redesigning your website, it’s critical to make sure your SEO rankings don’t drop. One of the most important things you can do is update your title tags and meta descriptions.
Title Tags
Your title tag is the text that appears at the top of the browser window and is a major factor in search engine rankings. It should be clear and catchy, using your target keyword near the beginning. Keep your title tag between 50 to 60 characters since it will get cut off after that.
For example, if your page is about “content marketing strategies,” your title tag could be:
Content Marketing Strategies: The Ultimate Guide
Meta Descriptions
The meta description is the snippet of text below your title in search results. It should be short but compelling, around 150 to 160 characters. Use your keyword again and write a call to action to encourage people to click. For example:
Learn the top content marketing strategies to increase traffic and boost conversions.
To optimize your title tags and meta descriptions:
-Focus on your target keyword or phrase for each page. Use it at the beginning of the title tag and meta description.
-Keep them succinct while highlighting your key message or value proposition.
-Update them during your website redesign and audit them regularly to ensure they’re still optimized.
-Check how they appear in search results to make sure the entire description shows up and your message is compelling.
-Use tools like Yoast SEO or Moz Pro to help suggest optimized title tags and meta descriptions.
By optimizing your title tags and meta descriptions, you’ll give your redesigned website the best chance of retaining (or even improving!) its SEO rankings. Follow these best practices and your new site will be off to a great start.
Conclusion
You've put in the work to build your site's SEO and now it's time for a redesign. Don't worry, if you follow this checklist, you'll transition smoothly without tanking your rankings. Focus on optimizing page speed, keeping your URL structure intact, and redirecting old pages properly. Check that your content is still relevant and keyword-optimized. Review your internal linking and add fresh links where needed.
Once the new site is live, monitor your rankings and traffic to ensure everything transferred over correctly. Make any needed tweaks to content or tech issues. Congrats, you made it through the website redesign without sacrificing your SEO! With some ongoing optimization, your refreshed site will be poised to climb higher in the rankings and bring in more qualified traffic. The effort will be well worth it.
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