Redesign Your Website Without Losing Google Rankings
By Website in Gurgaon · · 2 min read
A redesign should bring more enquiries, not fewer. Rankings usually drop after a redesign for one reason: pages moved or disappeared and nobody told Google where they went.
Before you start
- Make a list of every page address on the current site
- Note which pages bring the most visitors, using Search Console or analytics
- Save the current page titles and descriptions
- Take a full backup
Keep addresses the same where you can
If a page is staying, keep its address. Changing addresses for the sake of tidiness creates risk with no benefit.
Redirect what changes
When an address must change, set up a permanent (301) redirect from the old address to the closest matching new page. Do not send everything to the homepage; Google treats that much like a missing page.
Keep the content that ranks
If a page ranks well, keep its main topic, headings and substance. Improve the writing by all means, but do not cut a detailed page down to two lines because the new design looks cleaner that way.
Launch checks
- Every old address either loads or redirects in one step
- The new site is not blocked from search engines, a common leftover from development
- Titles, descriptions and headings are in place
- A new sitemap is submitted in Search Console
- Analytics is still recording visits
After launch
Watch Search Console for a few weeks. Look for pages reported as not found and add redirects for any you missed. Small movements in ranking are normal and usually settle.
