Website redesign checklist: how not to lose your Google rankings
, 6 min read
The steps we follow on every website redesign so your Google traffic goes up, not down: URLs, redirects, content, speed and Search Console.
Redesigns are one of the most common reasons websites suddenly lose Google traffic. It’s almost always avoidable.
Before the redesign
- Export every URL on the current site
- Note which pages bring traffic in Google Search Console
- Save current titles, descriptions and headings for important pages
- Record current speed scores to compare later
During the build
- Keep the same URLs wherever possible
- Don’t remove content that ranks; improve it
- Compress and resize images, and use modern formats
- Add structured data for your business, services and FAQs
On launch day
- Set up 301 redirects for every URL that changed
- Submit the new sitemap in Search Console
- Check robots.txt isn’t blocking the site (a common mistake)
- Test key pages on PageSpeed Insights
After launch
Watch Search Console for 404 errors and coverage issues for at least a month, and fix them quickly. Done this way, most redesigns keep their rankings and many improve because the site is faster.
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