Not many companies will undertake their site’s redesign from a search engine optimisation point of view. In most cases, redesign is prompted by a company-wide branding change or a need for a fresh look. Many of the reasons for redesign are aesthetic, rather than practical.

This is strange because some of the most important things to come out of a site redesign are practical matters. A good site redesign will not only enable a smoother function of your site’s SEO, it can make your site easier to use. To include search engine optimisation tactics in the redesign of your website, you need to begin with a review of your existing keywords. Some fresh keyword research may be necessary. This is important because your keywords can provide you with information on what your users are looking for when they come to your site. The top keywords that are relevant for your site can provide you with some of the paths to direct user traffic.

Your existing site data can also provide you with some insights on what you want from your site redesign. The statistics on site entry and exit pages, historical information on keywords and click through rates, and time spent on each page can produce an idea of how your current users behave and how to better serve them. New keywords can be discovered in this process, and these need to be taken into consideration with the changes in your site. You might, for example, find that your site can now compete on some more profitable industry keywords in your central pages. Some of your site structure may be affected by this, particularly the way you weight your internal links to lend favour to important pages.

Whenever you implement major changes on your site, it’s important to have a plan in place to retain your existing traffic. A thorough consideration of your existing site architecture and knowing how your current SEO works is a part of this. Using 301 redirects to transfer the search juice from old pages is another. Talk to your SEO consultant about when and how redirect codes should be used when you’re implementing a site redesign. It is an ideal situation if you can implement a site redesign without having to alter your URL structure, but this may not always be possible. If your site requires complete tearing down and building from scratch, there are ways, such as redirect codes, to retain your old traffic. Rebuilding a URL structure can be a difficult process and it is very worthwhile to discuss the upcoming move with an expert.

You may or may not want to involve a SEO company in the redesign of your site. Not all SEO companies are equipped with the tools needed to produce a slick-looking site. Consulting with your SEO firm, however, is probably essential before you approach a web designer for some site redesign. Talk to our experts at SEO Consult about how your search engine optimisation plan should be taken into account when you’re thinking of redesigning your site.

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