So you have an obsolete website that requires a serious facelift. You think that newly designed web pages will generate traffic, qualified leads, conversions, and sales. Yes, you can redesign your entire website. You introduce new design elements, photos, videos, and graphics, but the surge of traffic you were expecting never really comes. If you have an experience like this, only website redesign will not help. You also need to improve your website’s SEO.
According to an article published on https://www.entrepreneur.com, there are some top-level checklists for your website. Most important is a website analysis that should include the evaluation of search terms or keywords (KWs), code, and visible text to figure out how your site is positioned for Google or Bing. It means understanding how much coding you have on a web page in comparison to text.
You also need to optimize the content including KW-focused page titles and Meta descriptions to that help in click-through. These little things matter when you are contemplating a website redesign. Only adding a few design components and animations will not help you. If you’re looking for a tool that will make your life easier by enabling you to optimize your pages with a few quick steps, click here. Your SEO campaign must be rock solid to boost rankings, traffic, and conversions. Read on to learn more.
Map your redesigned website makeup or structure
When you are into website migration, it gives you an opportunity to optimize and boost all things related to the site. It also means the URL structure of your complete website. For instance, if your blog had a huge update or redesign and it had numerous categories, you need to act. In such a case, reorganizing, renaming, as well as consolidation are all the things you need to consider.
When it comes to URL structures, you will need to set up proper redirects from old URLs to the current ones. You may not need to change all URLs though if you are lucky. Then, you must be prepared if all URLs require redirects.
With every change in your website structure, Google or Bing will need to re-understand how your site is structured. Google will take some time to index your redesigned website with all new details, but then the effort and outcome are worth it.
HTTPS is a ranking factor
Google has clearly stated that HTTPS is a major ranking factor and secure websites manage to occupy the top spots and on the first page of Google. If your old website was HTTP, it is high time to protect your site visitors’ data.
When you move from HTTP to HTTPS, your ranking will improve and users will trust your website while buying your product or just filling out a simple form. Again, Google will help in processing the migration of your HTTPS website more quickly than an HTTP site. The search engine will also scan as well as update your site fast.
What to migrate
If your old website had existed for some time, it is possible to have some unique web pages. Some of these pages have done well and a few did not, which you would like to eliminate. Therefore, you need to figure out what things to migrate. According to the website redesign SEO checklist on bigdroping.com, you cannot ignore this aspect.
Ways to find out which content to migrate
Here are some ways to figure out which content to migrate when redesigning your website:
Traffic: Even if your website does not have backlinks directing at a page, it might still gather adequate organic traffic. You can study the organic landing pages for a year or so and then start organizing it as per sessions.
Pulling out clicks and impressions data would also help in figuring out what elements to move to your newly redesigned website. You can mark those web pages that had insignificant or zero organic traffic and keep those away. All other things you can incorporate to your list of priority pages to migrate to the redesigned site.
Content audit: Not all articles, blogs, and web content could be a winner in the SERPs. You will notice web pages that do not flourish on Google but yet precious for your website. If you have an e-commerce website, you cannot throw your product just because it failed to rank.
If your website has been online for a while, it will have loads of content. You need to make a list of the important web pages and keep the remaining pages aside. Then, you need to do a content audit to determine which content to migrate and which not.
If you had an article on the link building tips for 2008, do you at all need that content? No, you should get rid of such content because link building in 2019 and beyond is different. Many things have changed since 2008. If you had a blog on content marketing for the future, such content should be migrated. That is because there are many evergreen tips in that blog content.
It is not necessary to re-use the entire article but take certain portions of the blog to add to your redesigned blog. You can repurpose your old articles provided they have some evergreen information.
KW rankings: When your web page ranks for a relevant phrase or KW in the top 100 positions, you must add that web page to your redesigned site. If Google or Bing ranks that page for a targeted KW, but it ranks nearer to position 100 instead of one, regard it as the right step and in the right path. Nevertheless, you do not want to eliminate anything that would possibly help you in the future. Consider the web pages with related ranking KWs or search terms and integrate those to your list of redirects.
Use KW trackers to let you keep an eyeonKW fluctuations post-migration. If it does not happen the right way, the tracker would let you recognize where it occurred. Based on the size of your KW rankings collection, opt for the best search phrases that stand for your website’s business goals and start monitoring the migration.
As the addition to everything that was mentioned above, you can check thomasdigital.com and find out the necessary information regarding to B2B website design.
Conclusion
Keep these SEO hacks while doing a website redesign. It will help you to rank your new site better in the SERPs.
