Website Redesign SEO Checklist: Avoid Losing Ranking

SEO and Website Redesign: How to Avoid Losing Rankings When You Rebuild

Redesigning your website can be a smart move - faster pages, better layout, smoother UX.

But if you get it wrong, the fallout can be painful: tanked rankings, broken links, and a steep drop in organic traffic.

This article explains how to handle a website redesign without damaging your SEO.

You’ll learn which parts of your site carry SEO weight, what mistakes to avoid, and how to manage redirects, content, and performance tracking as you go.

Outline

1. Why does a website redesign affect SEO?

2. What should a website redesign SEO checklist include?

3. Can you redesign a website without losing rankings?

4. What are the most common SEO errors during a redesign?

5. Should you change your URL structure?

6. How to handle redirects properly during a site redesign

7. What is the role of technical SEO in a redesign?

8. Should you rewrite or keep existing content?

9. When to involve your SEO team in the redesign process

10. What tools help track SEO performance post-launch?

1. Why does a website redesign affect SEO?

A redesign changes how your site appears and functions. But it also affects how search engines read and understand your pages. That’s the bit many people overlook.

Search engines build a picture of your site over time. They associate URLs, content, internal links, and user behaviour with your rankings. When you change layouts, restructure pages, or shift content, that picture gets blurry.

Even small tweaks - like updating your navigation or moving a few high-performing pages - can affect SEO.

A few of the key reasons SEO takes a hit during a redesign:

• Changed or deleted URLs without redirects

• New site layout that disrupts crawl paths

• Slower performance due to larger media files or code

• Missing metadata or on-page SEO

• New templates that confuse users or search engines

2. What should a website redesign SEO checklist include?

You need a process. Going live without a checklist is a guaranteed way to miss things.

Here’s what your website redesign SEO checklist should cover:

• Export your current site structure: List of URLs, title tags, meta descriptions, H1s.

• Identify key traffic pages: Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

• Plan redirect mapping: Every changed or removed URL needs a proper 301 redirect.

• Review URL structure: Are you keeping or changing it? Document everything.

• Create a staging site: Run technical SEO checks before pushing the new site live.

• Test redirects: Check that nothing ends in 404 errors.

• Resubmit sitemap: Update it in Google Search Console after launch.

• Monitor rankings and traffic: Keep an eye on key pages daily for at least two weeks.

If you're working with a dev team, involve them early. They’ll need to understand which changes will affect SEO.

3. Can you redesign a website without losing rankings?

Yes, but you need to be methodical. You can't just flip the switch and hope for the best.

The safest route is to redesign around your existing SEO structure. That means:

• Keeping high-performing pages and URLs intact

• Avoiding major changes to navigation or site architecture unless there's a plan

• Preserving content that performs well in search

• Checking that new page templates still include essential on-page SEO elements

If you must make big changes, stagger them. Test each step. That way, if something tanks your traffic, you’ll know exactly what did it.

4. What are the most common SEO errors during a redesign?

Some SEO issues come up over and over again during redesign projects. Most are avoidable.

Here are the big ones:

• Forgetting redirects: This is the number one mistake. When old URLs disappear and don’t point to new ones, you lose rankings and confuse both users and search engines.

• Overwriting good content: Teams sometimes replace strong content with weaker copy. It might look nicer, but it won’t perform.

• Removing key pages: Getting rid of blog posts, product pages, or category pages with backlinks and rankings will damage SEO.

• Changing url structure blindly: Even slight changes can have a big impact on SEO value.

• Failing to check mobile performance: A redesign that slows down or breaks mobile usability will affect SEO immediately.

5. Should you change your URL structure?

In most cases, you’re better off leaving URLs alone. Search engines tie rankings to URLs. Change them, and you risk breaking that link.

But if the structure is a mess and needs an overhaul, you can change it - carefully.

Before you do:

• List every current URL and map it to its future destination.

• Use permanent 301 redirects. No 302s. No redirect chains.

• Test every new URL and redirect using tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb.

If you get this part wrong, expect a drop in search engine rankings and organic traffic.

6. How to handle redirects properly during a site redesign

Redirects preserve the SEO value of your old content. Think of them as a signpost for search engines and users alike.

During a redesign:

• Redirect every deleted or renamed page to its new version.

• Avoid sending traffic to generic pages like the homepage. Use one-to-one mapping wherever possible.

• Never leave broken links live. If a page has no replacement, consider a custom 410 response.

• Review internal links on your new website. They should point directly to new URLs - not old ones that then redirect.

Done right, redirects help search engines crawl the new site and pass authority from your old URLs.

7. What is the role of technical SEO in a redesign?

A redesigned website might look good, but if the technical SEO’s broken, your search visibility will suffer.

Keep an eye on:

• Page speed: Big images, third-party scripts, or unoptimised code can slow down your website.

• Core Web Vitals: Google uses these to measure user experience.

• Mobile usability: Responsive design is non-negotiable.

• Robots.txt and meta tags: Make sure you’re not accidentally blocking important content.

• Crawl errors: After launch, use Google Search Console to catch problems.

Technical SEO is what helps search engines crawl and index your site. If it breaks, your rankings go with it.

8. Should you rewrite or keep existing content?

If your current content is performing, don’t mess with it. Rewrite only if it’s outdated or thin.

Here’s how to approach content during a redesign:

• Keep top-performing pages intact: If they bring in traffic, leave them alone.

• Improve weaker pages: Add structure, internal links, or better headings.

• Avoid duplicate content: Don’t republish the same copy across multiple pages.

• Update where needed: If you’ve changed services or focus, bring content up to date - but preserve what’s working.

Review your content before you push the redesign live. It’s easier to fix problems now than recover rankings later.

9. When to involve your SEO team in the redesign process

Your SEO team should be involved from the first planning meeting - not after things go wrong.

They should:

• Identify pages that matter to your SEO

• Help shape the new architecture

• Create the redirect map

• Test the new site before launch

• Monitor performance using analytics and Google Search Console

If you only bring SEO in at the end, you’re going to miss things. SEO isn’t a bolt-on; it’s part of the core design process.

10. What tools help track SEO performance post-launch?

Tracking is essential. You need to know what’s working and what isn’t.

Use:

• Google Analytics: Monitor organic traffic to key pages on your website.

• Google Search Console: Spot crawl errors, index issues, and ranking drops.

• Screaming Frog: Audit your site’s internal linking, metadata, and redirects.

• Ahrefs / SEMrush: Track keyword performance and backlink changes.

Check your performance daily in the first week after launch, then weekly for the next month. If traffic drops, you’ll want to catch it fast.