Website redesign: what you need to know

A website redesign is an in-depth overhaul of an online presence. It is not only about design, but also about architecture and structure. The objective is to improve ergonomics and optimize performance thanks to a new organization of the site. The reasons for a redesign can be varied: evolution of classification criteria, changes in user behavior or even new strategic direction of the company.

Website Redesign Checklist

Here is a summary of the essential points to consider when redesigning a website:

✓ Navigation structure: improve ergonomics with clear and intuitive navigation

✓ Redirects (301): ensure that old URLs are correctly redirected to new ones

✓ Backlinks: retain and maintain backlinks quality, even in case of URL modification

✓ Internal links: optimize internal links to ensure complete indexing and efficient transmission of the link juice (page authority)

✓ Indexing: prevent the indexing of test versions and verify that the final pages are properly crawled and indexed after going live

✓ Metadata: review and adapt titles, descriptions and alternative texts

✓ Duplicate content: detect duplicates and use canonical tags to fix them

✓ Sitemap: update the sitemap so that all new URLs are quickly indexed

✓ Tracking tools: integrate tracking codes (e.g. Google Analytics) into the new source code

✓ Loading time: ensuring optimal website loading speed

✓ Monitoring after the redesign: regularly monitor the performance of the website after the redesign

Navigation structure

The basis of a successful online presence is a logical structure. Visitors can only interact optimally with a website if they can easily find their way through all of the subpages.

• Objective : improve ergonomics and simplify user navigation
• Measure : control the length of click paths to key subpages; reduce the number of clicks needed to reach key pages (ideally in less than 5)
• Mobile Optimization : ensure navigation is intuitive and accessible on mobile devices

Redirects (301 Redirects)

As part of a website redesign, it may happen that a change of domain is necessary. Existing subpages are then transferred to new URLs. Permanent 301 redirects should be in place to properly direct visitors.

• Objective : avoid traffic loss caused by incorrect redirects
• Measure : when changing URLs or changing domains, ensure that all old URLs have correctly configured 301 redirects
• Important tools : use SEO tools like Screaming Frog to check the validity of redirects

Backlinks

As a general rule, each web project has a backlink profile, that is, all the links from other websites that point to it. These inbound links play a key role in search engines' assessment of relevance and should absolutely not be lost during a website redesign.

• Objective : preserve the value and power of links
• Measure : analyze the backlinks profile and contact external sites to update URLs in case of modification
• Tools : to use Ahrefs, SEMrush to analyze and manage the backlinks profile

Internal links

If a website redesign results in changes to the page structure, managers must ensure that all subpages are correctly linked together. Internal linking is a powerful SEO lever and plays a crucial role in the complete indexing of a website.

• Objective : ensure that all important pages are linked internally to be fully indexed
• Measure : optimize internal links to allow Google to efficiently crawl all content
• SEO advantage : transmit the authority of the pages thanks to internal networking and thus improve visibility

Indexing

A redesign is usually done in a testing or development environment. Indexing before the site is finally put online should be avoided.

• Objective : prevent indexing of incomplete or under-development pages
• Measure : before redesigning a website, configure the robots.txt file and the meta robots tags to block the crawlers ; then remove these blocks once the site is online.
• Tools : use Google Search Console to control indexing

Metadata

A website redesign is a great opportunity to vet a project online using the fundamentals of optimization on-page.

• Objective : improve on-page SEO optimization and strengthen visibility
• Measure : review titles, descriptions and alternative texts; Each page must have unique and SEO-relevant metadata
• Tools : to use Yoast SEO Or Rank Math to easily manage metadata

Duplicate content

If duplicate content is identified during a website redesign, it should be properly reported to search engines.

• Objective : avoid duplicate content which can penalize ranking
• Measure : add the canonical tag on all pages with similar content to indicate to Google the main version
• Tools : to use Screaming Frog to effectively spot duplicate content

Sitemap

Sitemaps are the digital plans of a website. All new URLs added to an online project as part of a redesign should be listed there.

• Objective : ensure Google quickly finds and indexes all new URLs
• Measure : update the XML sitemap and send it to Google Search Console
• Important information : place the links to the sitemap visibly on the site (HTML sitemap)

Tracking Tools

If you use tracking tools like Google Analytics, be sure to integrate their codes into new pages.

• Objective : avoid any data loss when redesigning a website
• Measure : integrate tracking codes, for example Google Analyticsin the source code of the new pages
• Tools : use Google Tag Manager to manage tracking tags, Google Tag Assistant as a free validation tool offered by Google

Loading time

Loading speed is a determining factor in the usability of a website. Search engines like Google also use it as a ranking criterion.

• Objective : guarantee a fast loading time to preserve user experience and SEO ranking
• Measure : optimize images, scripts and server configuration to improve loading speed
• Tools : to use Google PageSpeed ​​Insights, GTmetrix, WebPageTest to analyze and optimize performance

Follow-up after the redesign

After a redesign, regular monitoring is essential. In the early days, it is crucial to quickly detect and correct errors.

Important measures:

• Monitor website performance to quickly identify issues
• Use tools like Google Analytics And Screaming Frog to analyze possible errors in detail
• Ensure ongoing SEO optimization to maintain long-term results

In summary: our advice for a successful website relaunch

Relaunching a website represents an ideal opportunity to improve both visibility and performance. Careful planning and implementing the right steps during the redesign are essential to avoid ranking losses and ensure lasting results.

Essential points for a successful relaunch:

• Thoroughly analyze and optimize website structure
• Respect SEO standards and apply best practices
• Ensure continuous monitoring and adjust regularly after the redesign

Long-term success relies on regular optimizations and constant monitoring. A well-executed website redesign can provide a lasting competitive advantage.