How to keep your SEO when redesigning a website
Without careful planning, a new website can lose years of Google rankings in a few weeks. Most of the loss comes from old addresses not being redirected to the right new pages.
Why are rankings lost?
Google ties rankings to page addresses. When URLs change on a new site and old ones are not redirected, Google cannot find the old pages, their value is lost and visitors land on error pages. Shorter content, changed titles and technical errors make the loss bigger.
Before launch
Most of the preparation happens before launch:
- List every page URL on the old site (using the sitemap, Search Console and a crawler).
- Identify the pages with the most traffic and links.
- Prepare a redirect table mapping each old URL to its new counterpart.
- Move titles, descriptions and core content to the new pages; do not delete valuable content.
- Keep the new site closed to search engines in the staging environment.
Launch day
A small checklist saves the day:
- Turn on 301 redirects and test them with sample URLs.
- Remove the staging block (noindex, robots.txt).
- Submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster.
- Check that analytics and conversion tracking work.
After launch
Fluctuations in the first weeks are normal. Watch 404 errors, the indexing report and rankings of key pages in Search Console. Add any missed old URLs to the redirect table. With a well-run migration, rankings usually recover quickly.
Keep content and headings
Simplifying pages in a new design is tempting, but cutting the text of a well-ranking page can drop its ranking. Check in Search Console which searches the page appears for and cover those topics on the new page. Carry over title tags, subheadings and image alt text. If content is rewritten, make sure the new page answers the same questions.
Technical checklist
The new site's technical foundation should be checked for:
- Each page has one unique title tag.
- Canonical tags point to the right URL.
- hreflang tags are complete on multilingual sites.
- The site loads fast on mobile with good Core Web Vitals.
- Structured data (Organization, BreadcrumbList) has no errors.
- Internal links point to new URLs, not old ones.
Update internal links
Redirects rescue old URLs, but internal links should point directly to new addresses. If menus, footers, blog links and buttons still use old URLs, every click passes through a redirect and slows the site down. Where possible, also update links on your social profiles and Google profile.
How do you set up a 301 redirect?
A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines that an address has moved permanently to another address. How you implement it depends on the site's infrastructure. On Apache servers, redirects are usually written in the .htaccess file; on Nginx servers, in the server configuration. In content management systems such as WordPress, redirect plugins can be used, and some hosting panels offer built in redirect screens. Whatever the method, the rule is the same: each old address should go in a single step to the new page closest in content. After launch, confirm that redirects return a 301 code by opening sample addresses in a browser and running a bulk check with a crawler.
- Apache: Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page in the .htaccess file
- Nginx: a return 301 rule in the server configuration
- WordPress: a redirect plugin
- Check: confirm the response code is 301 and no chain is formed
How do you prepare a redirect map?
The redirect map is the most important document of the migration and can be prepared in a simple spreadsheet. Write all addresses from the old site in the first column and the new equivalent of each in the second. Match them by content: the old "/our-services/logo-design" page should go to the new "/services/logo-design" page, not to the homepage. For pages with no direct equivalent, choose the closest category or parent page. Adding traffic and backlink information to the map lets you check the most valuable pages first during testing. Once approved, the map is applied on the server and kept up to date after launch.
- Old address
- New address
- Redirect type (301)
- Traffic and backlink information
- Priority and test status
The most common SEO mistakes when redesigning a site
Most ranking losses come not from complex technical problems but from simple details that are overlooked. A noindex tag added in the test environment and forgotten on the live site can cause the site's pages to drop out of the index. Redirecting all old addresses in bulk to the homepage is another common mistake; Google often treats such redirects to irrelevant pages as pages that were not found. Changing the URL structure without need or deleting well ranking pages also throws away accumulated value. Check the list below separately both before launch and on launch day.
- Redirecting all old addresses to the homepage
- Creating redirect chains (A to B, B to C)
- Changing the URL structure unnecessarily
- Deleting well ranking pages as "old"
- Leaving title and description tags empty
- Not testing the analytics setup before launch
Don't forget image and file addresses
Redirect plans often consider only pages. Yet images, PDF catalogs, price lists and downloadable files also appear in search results and earn links from other sites. If the addresses of these files change on the new site, set up redirects for the important ones too. For a site that gets visitors from image search, file names and alt text are also a valuable asset; when moving them to the new system, keep descriptive names rather than renaming them at random. Exporting the files found while crawling the old site as a separate list is the easiest way not to skip this step.
How do you choose the right timing for a site migration?
Because rankings may fluctuate in the first weeks after the switch, do not schedule the launch for your busiest period. The peak sales season or the run up to a major campaign or trade fair are risky times for a new site. Choose a period when the team can monitor the site and fix errors in the days after launch; launching on a weekend or before a holiday delays the discovery of problems. Also, changing the design, the platform and the domain at the same time makes it harder to find the cause when something goes wrong. Splitting these changes into phases lets you see the effect of each step separately.
- Avoid your peak sales season
- Have the team available in the days after launch
- Avoid launching on weekends or before holidays
- Split major changes into phases where possible
Example project: Atabilge İncek web design
For the Atabilge residences in İncek, Ankara, we built the site structure around the information both current residents and new buyers look for. The most common mistake in a redesign is removing old pages without redirecting their addresses. Preparing a redirect map that pairs old and new pages during design is the safest way to keep what the site has earned in search engines.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?
A 301 is permanent and passes the page's value to the new URL. A 302 is temporary; site migrations should use 301s.
What if I change my domain?
The same rules apply. Also use the change of address tool in Search Console and keep the old domain redirecting for a long time.
How long should I keep 301 redirects in place?
Google recommends at least one year, but keeping them as long as possible, ideally permanently, is safest. Old links on other sites may keep being clicked for years.
What should I do if a removed page has no equivalent on the new site?
If there is a page close in content, redirect to it. If there is no equivalent at all, letting the page return a 404 or 410 code is better than redirecting to an irrelevant page.
Should I change the URL structure on the new site?
Not unless you have to. If the current addresses are clear and well organized, keeping them reduces the risk of the migration; if a change is needed, a 301 redirect must be set up for every address.
