If you’re considering a website redesign, you’ve probably asked yourself “how will this affect my SEO and current Google rankings?” We get it – strong SEO rankings are something you want to hold onto, but keeping your website current and modern is also a necessity.
The benefits of a new and updated website can include:
- a better user experience
- improved SEO and website performance
- faster load times
So how can you update your website and get all the benefits without dropping in search engine rankings?
Set up redirects
When you get a new website, some of your page links might change. Setting up 301 redirects ensures that all of your old links will still send users to active pages on your website.
A 301 redirect is set up to forward any of your previous website links to the new URL that content will live on moving forward – it tells Google where the previous page now lives.
For example, your instructor page might have previously been www.website.com/instructors, but now it’s www.website.com/meet-the-team. You’ll forward the previous URL to the new URL, much like forwarding your mail to a new address when you move houses.
Update all of your links
If you’ve added links to any pages on your website in the copy of your site or in blog posts, you’ll want to make sure those links are still active. If any of the links have changed, make sure you update them to the new URLs that those pages now live on.
Create a new sitemap
An XML sitemap is a list of all of the important pages on your website. Google looks for an XML sitemap to understand the architecture of your website. XML sitemaps make it easy for Google to crawl your site (aka browse the content on your site) and see that the pages are active and updated.
Pay attention to your page speed
Google is known to rank fast websites higher in search results, which is why page speed is crucial. Fast load times on a desktop aren’t enough, though – you’ll want to ensure your site is fast on ALL devices (including tablets and mobile devices).
Long story short, if you’re getting a new website and it’s been created with SEO in mind, you don’t have to worry about dropping in rankings. Market Muscles takes care of everything for you, so you can rest assured that your organic search results will stay strong.