Hi guys, if you’re approached by a prospect to redesign their website and include SEO as part of the revamp, it’s essential to follow a strategic approach to ensure you maintain (and ideally, improve) the website’s search engine performance. Below, I’ll share an ideal process, from auditing the existing website to execution, along with some best practices for SEO in redesign projects.
Phase 1: SEO Audit & Planning
Before diving into redesigning a website, an SEO audit is crucial. This phase helps you assess the current state of the website’s performance, identify which elements are working, and highlight areas that need improvement.
1.1 Conduct an SEO Audit
An SEO audit is the backbone of any redesign project that includes SEO. Here’s how to approach it:
- Identify high-priority pages: Some pages may be driving most of the traffic, have strong backlinks, or are ranking well for target keywords. These pages should be treated with care during the redesign.
- Review current rankings: Use tools like Google Analytics or SEMrush to identify which keywords are currently driving traffic.
- Backlinks analysis: Pages with high-quality backlinks should retain their URL structures, as changing URLs can cause a loss in link equity.
- Assess on-page SEO: Evaluate elements like meta tags, header tags, keyword use, and content structure.
1.2 Avoid Changing Important URL Structures
One of the most common mistakes in a website redesign is changing the URL structure of pages that have established rankings, backlinks, or high traffic.
- Preserve key URLs: If a page is ranking well and has strong backlinks, ensure that its URL remains the same.
- If a change in URL is unavoidable, make sure you set up 301 redirects from the old URL to the new one to retain the SEO value.
1.3 Plan for Additional Pages
If you’re adding new pages during the redesign, plan the SEO strategy for those pages:
- Keyword research: Find target keywords for the new pages and plan the on-page optimization.
- Internal linking strategy: Ensure the new pages are interlinked effectively to distribute SEO value.
Phase 2: Website Redesign with SEO in Mind
Once you’ve completed the audit and planning, it’s time to work on the actual redesign. Here, the challenge is ensuring that while the website looks modern and user-friendly, it also adheres to SEO best practices.
2.1 SEO-Focused Redesign
When you’re working on the redesign, here are some key SEO considerations:
- Mobile-friendliness: Google uses mobile-first indexing, so the redesigned site must be fully responsive.
- Page speed optimization: A slow website can hurt your rankings. Ensure that the new design is lightweight, with optimized images and code.
- On-page SEO elements: Meta tags, H1 tags, image alt texts, and internal linking must be properly handled to retain or improve rankings.
- Structured data: Use schema markup where necessary to help search engines better understand the website’s content.
2.2 Ensure a Smooth Transition
If you’re making significant design changes, keep an eye on the transition:
- Set up a staging environment: Test the redesigned site in a staging environment to catch any SEO issues before going live.
- Monitor for issues: After launching the new design, closely monitor Google Search Console for any crawl errors or ranking drops. This allows you to fix issues quickly.
Phase 3: SEO Execution Post-Redesign
Once the redesign is complete, your job isn’t over. The next step is to ensure the website is optimized and ready for long-term SEO growth.
3.1 Content Creation
Content is one of the most important aspects of SEO. After the redesign, work on building valuable content:
- Start with a blog: Create a content plan for consistent blog posts or articles that target keywords relevant to the business.
- Content clusters: Build topic clusters to target a variety of search queries around a specific topic, which helps in establishing authority in that niche.
3.2 Link Building
After the redesign, it’s essential to boost the website’s authority through link building:
- Reach out for backlinks: You can engage in outreach to obtain more backlinks, ensuring that they are from relevant, high-authority websites.
- Internal linking: Strengthen your internal linking structure so that your new and existing pages are easily navigable by both users and search engines.
3.3 Ongoing SEO Monitoring
SEO is an ongoing effort, so post-launch, keep monitoring the website:
- Regular audits: Continue performing regular SEO audits to ensure the site is in good shape.
- Performance tracking: Use tools like Google Analytics, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to monitor traffic, rankings, and backlink profile.
- Adapt strategies: SEO evolves over time, and so should your strategy. Stay updated on Google algorithm changes and adapt your tactics accordingly.
Key Takeaways
When redesigning a website with SEO in mind, think of it as a three-phase approach:
- SEO Audit & Planning: Identify critical SEO factors before making any changes.
- Redesign: Ensure that the redesign aligns with SEO best practices, such as preserving important URLs, improving mobile-friendliness, and optimizing page speed.
- Execution Post-Redesign: Implement ongoing SEO strategies such as content creation, link building, and regular audits to maintain and improve search engine rankings.
By following this approach, you ensure that your redesign project not only delivers a modern website but also maintains and enhances SEO performance, setting the stage for long-term success.