Website Redesign & SEO: The Critical Role of URLs
Are you planning a website redesign? Before diving into new visuals and features, there is one critical aspect that can make or break your success: your URLs. At Socialway, we know how exciting it is to refresh your site, but it is essential not to overlook the impact your URLs have on traffic from organic rankings and user experience.
Don’t Lose Your SEO Power
Your existing URLs have likely built up SEO value over time. When there is a need to change them during a redesign, search engines like Google need to be notified by implementing proper redirects. Skipping this important step will lead to a drop in search rankings and a loss of traffic—something no business wants to deal with. For example, if your top-ranking page yourwebsite.com/blog/post-title changes to yourwebsite.com/articles/post-title during the redesign, search engines will treat it as a completely new page, causing you to lose the SEO authority you have built. A 301 redirect, which is a permanent redirection from one URL to another, informs search engines and users that the content has moved to a new location. This ensures your organic rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs) and visibility remain intact. By setting up these redirects, you can avoid losing traffic and maintain your online presence throughout the redesign process.
Keep Your Users Happy
Imagine a visitor clicking on a link to your site, only to find a dreaded 404 error. That is a frustrating experience for any user and can drive potential customers away. By properly managing your URLs during a redesign, you can avoid broken links and maintain a smooth, uninterrupted user journey. When visitors can easily navigate your site without hitting dead ends, they are more likely to stay engaged—and that’s a win for your business.
Create a Clear, User-Friendly Structure
A redesign is also the perfect time to improve your website’s structure. Clean, descriptive URLs help both users and search engines understand your site’s hierarchy and content. A well-organized URL strategy can boost your SEO and make your site easier to navigate, giving visitors a better overall experience.
So, before you start your redesign, make sure your URL strategy is solid!
At Socialway eServices, we specialize in website redesign, development, and SEO optimization. Let us help you ensure that your redesign not only looks great but also performs at its best.
Contact us today and let’s make your redesign a success—without losing what matters most!