So, you decided to launch a new website for your company. Before you do that, there are seven things to remember.
They will help you maintain (or at least regain in a short time) your position in the search engine. Let’s have a look at them.
If you plan everything correctly, your website’s position will not be harmed in any way. The first thing you have to analyze is your current website’s status.
Check all the relevant metrics before the redesign to see what you’re working with. The crucial elements to verify are as follows:
- Top keywords you rank for
- Current domain authority (use an SEO tool like Ahrefs to find that out)
- Website traffic (unique visitors)
- Conversion rates
- Average session length
Once you know that, you can concentrate on the next steps.
Plan Website’s Architecture
You have to design the architecture and structure of the new website. Every piece of content (e.g., a blog post) should also be organized.
This way, Google bots will be able to understand what your new website is about and rank it accordingly.
Today, the most typical structure is the so-called pyramid scheme. Its biggest advantage is that all subpages are linked together.
All subpages should be linked together (internal linking), and navigation should be intuitive.
A blog post describing the benefits of your services should lead the reader directly to the subpage where they can order them.
You will also need a well-thought-out menu with all the major categories. Many websites add navigation elements in the footer so that users have many ways of getting to the desired place.
Redirects Map
If you’re getting rid of some old subpages, you have to make sure there are redirects leading to a new destination.
The redirects map comprises all the old subpages along with the new links that replaced them.
The best way to do that is through a 301 (permanent) redirect. That’s especially important when you’re changing URL addresses.
If you neglect that element, you will end up with 404 errors, which will hurt your Google position and user experience.
Metadata
Title tags, meta descriptions and alt attributes – all these elements are very useful when it comes to SEO.
Ensure your website, along with all the subpages and assets, has its own metadata optimized towards SEO. Here, you can use tools such as HigherVisibility to set proper metadata for your website.
A Sitemap
If you’re planning a large website with many categories and subpages, you ought to consider creating a sitemap.
There are tools and plugins enabling you to create a sitemap almost immediately.
Create a sitemap in the XML format and upload it to Google Search Console to show the new site structure to Google bots.
This way, you will streamline indexing new URL addresses after migrating the website.
We have gathered some of the company strategies for Web Design and SEO that you may use for future plans.
Don’t Forget About RWD And CWV!
Today, responsive web design is simply a must. Every website has to be fully adjusted to mobile devices and their screens.
Without RWD, you won’t be able to reach a high position in Google, as this search engine indexes the mobile version of your website, not the desktop one (like it was in the past).
Moreover, you need to keep the latest Google requirements in mind, specifically – core web vitals. There are three of them:
- LCP: Largest Contentful Paint – how long does it take for the largest piece of content to appear on the screen;
- FID: First Input Delay – how long does it take for the website to respond to the first interaction;
- CLS: Cumulative Layout Shift – how visually stable is your website
You can measure your Core Web Vitals metrics with tools such as Google Lighthouse (you can find it in DevTools in Chrome) or PageSpeed Insights.
Find Out More About Website Redesign
Of course, all the elements we mentioned in this article are essential, but there’s more. Website redesign is always a complex, multi-faceted process.
We encourage you to read the full version of this post, where you can discover many more questions important during website redesign: Website Redesign SEO Checklist
We also want you to read our article about MegaDesign Review 2023 for your upcoming website revamping.
Stay tune at our next article for more tips about your website exploration. Goodluck!
Ella Marcotte
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