A website redesign is a great way to improve the look and feel of your site, but it can also be a major headache for your SEO. If you're not careful, you could lose all of your hard-earned rankings overnight.
But don't worry, there are steps you can take to maintain your SEO ranking when redesigning your website. Here are a few tips:
- Plan ahead. The best way to avoid any SEO problems when redesigning your website is to plan ahead. Before you start making any changes, take some time to analyse your current site's SEO performance. Look at your rankings for important keywords, and identify any areas where you could improve.
- Keep your content consistent. One of the most important things you can do to maintain your SEO ranking is to keep your content consistent. This means using the same keywords and phrases throughout each topic page, and making sure that your content is high-quality and informative.
- Use 301 redirects. When you change the URL of a page on your website, you need to use a 301 redirect. This tells search engines that the page has moved, and helps to ensure that your website doesn't lose any links or traffic. It also transfers the authority from the old URL to the new one.
- Submit your new sitemap to Google. Once your new website is up and running, be sure to submit your sitemap to Google. This will help Google index your new pages more quickly.
- Monitor your results. After your website has been redesigned, be sure to monitor your SEO performance closely. If you see any sudden changes in your rankings, take steps to address the issue.
By following these tips, you can maintain your SEO ranking when redesigning your website. Just remember to plan ahead, keep your content consistent, use 301 redirects, and submit your new sitemap to Google.
Here are some additional tips to help you maintain your SEO ranking when redesigning your website:
- Use a professional web development company that has proven success with minimising ranking loss when redesigning a site.
- Make sure your new website is mobile-friendly.
- Use social media to promote your new website. Get the word out there socially.
- Keep your website up-to-date with fresh content, and review and refresh the existing content.
- Monitor your website's traffic and analytics to track your progress. Review and update lower ranking pages to improve ranking.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your website continues to rank well in search engines even after you've redesigned it.