Website redesign: how not to lose your Google positions

After a redesign, traffic sometimes drops: a new structure, different URLs, lost headings. It is not inevitable. If you follow a plan, search positions usually hold, and sometimes even grow. Below is the checklist I use.

Why positions drop

The search engine has indexed the old page URLs, their headings, content and links. Positions fall if, after a redesign:

• the URLs changed and there are no redirects, so old pages return an error;
• headings and descriptions got lost or changed;
• content that brought visitors was removed;
• the site became slower;
• the site was closed to indexing and nobody opened it again.

All of this can be anticipated.

Checklist before launch

1. Record what you have

• Export a list of all pages on the site.
• Note which pages bring the most traffic (data from Google Search Console and analytics).
• Save the titles and descriptions of the key pages.
• Record the current positions for the main queries.

2. Keep the URLs

It is best if page URLs don't change. Where changes are unavoidable, prepare an "old URL → new URL" table for every page.

3. Set up redirects

Every old URL must lead to the new one with a permanent redirect (the so-called 301). It tells the search engine that the page has moved and keeps its link equity. Important: redirect to the matching page, not everything to the home page.

4. Move the content and headings

Keep the texts that bring traffic. Move or improve the titles and descriptions of key pages, but don't lose them. Keep the heading structure inside the text.

5. Check on a test site

Build the new site at a closed test address. There you check redirects, speed and how the site works on a phone. Always block the test copy from search, otherwise it will end up in the results.

6. Take care of speed

The new design must not be slower. Check the figures in PageSpeed Insights before launch. See also website speed-up.

On launch day

1. Switch on the new site and the redirects.
2. Check that the site is open to indexing (no noindex tag and no block in robots.txt).
3. Upload the new sitemap to Google Search Console.
4. Check the key pages: they open, redirects work, forms submit.

After launch

• For a few weeks, watch the indexing report and errors in Search Console.
• Compare traffic and positions with the data from before launch.
• Fix the broken links and 404 errors you find.
• Don't change everything that can be changed right away: let the site settle.

Small fluctuations in the first weeks after launch are normal: the search engine needs time to re-read the site. A serious drop usually means a step from the list above was missed somewhere.

Common mistakes

• Forgot the redirects: The most frequent cause of losses.
• Redirected all old URLs to the home page: It doesn't pass on the pages' link equity.
• Left the test copy open to search, or, the other way round, left the indexing block on the live site.
• Removed pages that brought traffic because they "didn't fit" the new design.
• Changed everything at once: URLs, structure, texts and design. Then it is impossible to tell what caused the drop.

How much it costs

The price of the redesign itself depends on the scope. Write what the site is and what you want to change, and I'll estimate the work.

Website redesign: terms and what is included. If the site doesn't need changing, only maintaining, see website support and rework.