9 Website Redesign Mistakes that Destroy SEO

Not getting enough traffic, conversions, or other online digital results you’re expecting? 

A fresh new look can do wonders for your brand’s online presence, the user experience, and even SEO. However, while you’re working on that fresh new look, be sure to avoid common mistakes that could negatively impact your search engine rankings.

In this article, we’ll discuss some common website redesign missteps that can damage SEO objectives. We’ll provide you with valuable insights and guidance to navigate these challenges, so your redesign process can be successful in boosting SEO performance. 

So, let’s dive in and explore how to make your website redesign a winning endeavor.

#1 Not Conducting an SEO Audit Before the Redesign

An SEO audit is an essential step in the redesign process, as it helps identify the strengths and weaknesses of your current website. By analyzing aspects such as keyword usage, site structure, and backlinks, you can develop an informed strategy for your redesign.

Skipping this step may lead to implementing changes that harm your website’s SEO performance, resulting in reduced organic traffic and lost opportunities for growth.

#2 Changing URLs Without Proper Redirects

During a website redesign, you may decide to restructure or rename certain URLs. 

It’s crucial to implement proper redirects (such as 301 redirects) when changing URLs to ensure search engines and users can easily find the new pages.

When you don’t, it can lead to broken links, loss of backlink value, and decreased user experience, ultimately hurting your website’s search engine rankings. You also lose out on potential conversion, and leads.

#3 Ignoring the Website’s Current Ranking

When you’re redesigning your website, it’s important to keep an eye on the keywords and pages that are already doing well. Be sure keywords remain optimized as you work on your redesign.

If you don’t pay attention to your website’s current ranking, you might accidentally make changes that hurt your SEO. You could end up removing or altering elements that were actually helping your website rank higher in search results. Always prioritize your site’s performance while making updates.

#4 Not Updating Content

Fresh, relevant, and engaging content plays a significant role in attracting and retaining website visitors.

If you don’t update your content during the redesign, you risk providing outdated or inaccurate information to your users, which could harm your credibility. Search engines, like Google, prioritize websites that consistently offer valuable and up-to-date content, which means not updating your content could result in lower search engine rankings.

To make the most of your website redesign, take the time to review and update your existing content. Be sure it remains accurate, informative, and aligned with your target audience’s needs and preferences.

#5 Failing to Optimize Images

One aspect that is often overlooked during website redesigns is image optimization. 

Ensuring that images are properly optimized for SEO is essential, as this process involves compressing file sizes, using descriptive names, and adding relevant alt text. By doing so, you not only improve your website’s loading speed but also enable search engines to better understand and rank your content.

Overlooking image optimization can lead to slow-loading pages that negatively impact the user experience. Your search engine rankings could also suffer as a result. To maintain a professional and high-performing website, it’s vital to prioritize image optimization throughout the redesign process.

#6 Not Considering Mobile Optimization

With a significant number of users accessing the internet via smartphones and tablets, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly has become increasingly important.

Search engines like Google understand this trend and prioritize mobile-optimized websites in their search results. If you don’t take mobile optimization into account during your redesign, you risk losing out on improved search rankings and potential customers.

#7 Not Having an Internal Linking Strategy

Internal linking helps search engines understand your website’s structure and determine which content is most important.

If you don’t have a well-planned internal linking strategy in place, search engines may struggle to properly index your website, and users might find it difficult to navigate between different pages. As a result, you could experience a dip in search engine rankings and reduced organic traffic.

Placing internal links within your pages also makes it easier for users to explore your content, ultimately benefiting your search engine rankings and overall user experience.

#8 Failing to Consider Site Speed

It’s easy to get caught up in the visual aspects and functionality improvements. 

However, it’s equally important to consider site speed. Search engines like Google place a high emphasis on page loading times, as slow-loading pages can frustrate users and increase bounce rates.

If you don’t prioritize site speed during your redesign, you might end up with a website that looks great but performs poorly in terms of load times and overall user satisfaction. Ensure that you optimize various elements of your website, such as images, code, and server response times.

#9 Not Testing the Website After Redesign

There’s one more important step before you can call it a day: testing your website after the redesign. 

Testing is the only step that makes certain that all the elements on your site are functioning correctly, and that the changes you’ve made haven’t inadvertently affected your SEO performance.

Skipping the testing phase could lead to undiscovered issues that might impact the user experience or search engine rankings. To avoid this, you’ll want to check for things like broken links, verify that your redirects are working properly, test your site speed, and review the mobile experience.

Ready to Redesign Your Website?

A website redesign is a fantastic opportunity to elevate your online presence and improve your website’s performance. By carefully considering each aspect of the redesign process, including SEO, you set the stage for long-term success.

By honing in on the different elements, you’ll create a website that seamlessly blends aesthetic appeal with outstanding performance, ultimately driving user engagement and improving search engine rankings. If you want professional help for your website redesign, schedule a free consultation with 3.7 Designs.