A website redesign is a chance to modernize your image and improve your customers’ experience. But if it’s poorly planned, it can also make your site vanish from Google overnight. The good news: with a few precautions, you can switch sites without losing your rankings, and often improve them.
Why a redesign can tank your traffic
Google has learned your current site: its addresses (URLs), its titles, its content. If everything changes at once with no transition, Google hits missing pages, and visitors arriving through an old link see a 404 error. The new site starts almost from scratch.
7 steps to a redesign without losses
1. Take inventory
Before touching anything, list every page on the current site and identify the ones that bring in the most visitors (Google Search Console and Google Analytics are perfect for this). Those are the ones to protect first.
2. Keep addresses when possible
If a page keeps the same topic, keep the same URL. It’s the simplest way to hold on to its ranking.
3. Redirect addresses that change (301 redirects)
When a URL has to change, a 301 redirect tells Google and visitors “this page has moved here.” Every important old page should point to the closest new page, not just to the home page.
4. Keep content that performs
A new design shouldn’t wipe out text that ranks well. Improve it, showcase it, but don’t delete it without a reason.
5. Carry over titles and descriptions
Page titles and meta descriptions are what Google shows in its results. Transfer them, then optimize them.
6. Test before launch
Work on a development site that Google can’t see. Check mobile, speed, forms and links. On launch day, make sure the option that blocks search engines is turned off: it’s a more common mistake than you’d think.
7. Monitor after launch
Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console, then watch for 404 errors and traffic for a few weeks. A small temporary dip is normal; a lasting drop signals a problem to fix.
What about bilingual sites?
If your site is in French and English, each language needs its own addresses, and the two versions must be linked so Google shows the right language to the right visitor. Plan for it from the start of the redesign.
How we do it
Our redesigns start at $2,900 and include content migration, the new design and the redirects that protect your rankings. We build the new site separately and only launch it once everything has been checked. Details on the Websites page, or write to us for an assessment of your current site.