How to avoid an SEO nightmare while redesigning your law website
Redesigning a law firm website is a significant undertaking, offering an opportunity to improve user experience, update your brand and attract more clients. However, the process can quickly become an SEO nightmare if not managed carefully. A drop in search engine rankings can lead to a loss of visibility, traffic, and ultimately, clients.
Why website redesigns can ruin SEO
Redesigning a website offers opportunities to enhance user experience and update your brand's image. However, it can be an SEO nightmare if not managed properly.
So, what can go wrong?
Loss of SEO equity
One of the biggest risks in a redesign is losing the SEO equity your current site has built over time (its Google juice). SEO equity encompasses all the factors that contribute to your website’s search engine ranking, such as backlinks, content, and domain authority. If not properly managed, a redesign can disrupt these elements, leading to a significant drop in rankings.
Key factors at risk:
- Backlinks - When URLs change without proper redirects, you lose valuable backlinks pointing to your site.
- Page authority - Pages that previously ranked well might lose their authority if they’re moved or deleted without proper measures.
- Keyword rankings - Changes to content or structure can affect the keywords for which your site ranks, potentially lowering your visibility on search engines.
Improper URL structure changes
Changing the URL structure during a redesign without implementing appropriate 301 redirects can be catastrophic for SEO. Search engines and users rely on consistent URLs to find and navigate your content. Without proper redirects, search engines might treat the new URLs as entirely different pages, leading to a loss of existing rankings.
Common mistakes:
- Not setting up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones.
- Switching from static, keyword-rich URLs to dynamic URLs that are less SEO-friendly.
- Creating unnecessarily complicated URL structures that are hard for both users and search engines to understand.
Content changes and deletions
Content is king in SEO, and any significant changes or deletions can negatively impact your rankings. When redesigning a site, it’s crucial to evaluate existing content and understand its performance before making changes.
Risks involved:
- Removing high-performing content - Deleting pages or posts that generate significant traffic and backlinks.
- Changing content layout - Altering the structure of content can affect how search engines interpret it.
- Keyword dilution: Changing content without considering the targeted keywords can dilute your site’s keyword relevance.
Ignoring technical SEO
Technical SEO involves optimising your site’s backend structure and foundation, which is crucial for maintaining search engine visibility. A redesign often involves changes to the website's code, which can introduce new technical issues if not properly handled.
Potential issues:
- New designs with heavy images or complex coding can slow down your site.
- Changes in structure can lead to broken internal and external links.
- Misconfigurations of robots.txt can accidentally block important pages from being crawled by search engines.
How to handle SEO during your website redesign
So, what steps will professionals take to ensure your SEO is protected?
Pre-redesign SEO audit
Before diving into the redesign, carry out a thorough SEO audit of your current website. This will help you understand what is working well and what needs improvement.
Steps for conducting an SEO audit
- Keyword analysis - Use tools like Google Analytics, Ahrefs and SEMrush to identify high-performing keywords.
- Content review - Evaluate the quality and performance of your existing content.
- Technical SEO - Check for issues like broken links, duplicate content, and slow page load times.
- Backlink profile - Use tools like Ahrefs to analyse your backlinks and identify any toxic links that need disavowing.
Setting clear goals and objectives
Establish clear goals for your website redesign. Whether it's improving user experience, increasing conversion rates, or updating your brand image, your objectives will guide your SEO strategy. Make sure to align your goals with your SEO priorities to ensure a cohesive approach.
Creating an SEO-friendly design
An SEO-friendly design balances aesthetics with functionality. Ensure your new website is mobile-friendly. A responsive design adjusts to different screen sizes, providing a seamless user experience across devices. Google prioritises mobile-friendly sites, so this is crucial for maintaining your rankings.
Site architecture is also key. A well-organised site structure helps search engines crawl and index your pages efficiently. Use a logical hierarchy with clear categories and subcategories. Implement breadcrumbs to enhance navigation and improve user experience.
Maintain a clean and consistent URL structure. Avoid using complex or dynamic URLs. Instead, use descriptive, keyword-rich URLs that clearly indicate the content of each page.
Content migration and preservation
Migrating content from your old site to the new one is a critical step that can impact your SEO. Here's how to do it right:
Content inventory
Create an inventory of all existing content. Identify which pages are performing well and should be preserved, which ones need updating, and which can be removed.
301 redirects
Implement 301 redirects for any URLs that will change in the new design. This permanent redirect tells search engines that the page has moved to a new location, preserving your SEO equity and ensuring users find the content they're looking for.
Meta tags and descriptions
Transfer all existing title tags and meta descriptions to the new site (and update them where necessary). These elements play a crucial role in SEO and should be optimised to reflect the content of each page accurately.
Technical SEO considerations
Technical SEO ensures that search engines can crawl and index your site effectively.
Optimise your site for fast loading times. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify areas for improvement. Compress images, leverage browser caching, and minimise JavaScript and CSS files.
Create and submit an XML sitemap to search engines. This file lists all the pages on your site, helping search engines discover and index your content more efficiently.
Update your robots.txt file to ensure search engines can access all the important pages on your site. Avoid blocking any resources that are necessary for rendering and indexing your content.
Post-launch monitoring and Adjustments
Once your new site is live, ongoing monitoring and adjustments are essential to maintain your SEO performance. Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your website's performance. Monitor vital metrics such as traffic, engagement conversion rates and any issues causing URLs not to index. Analyse these metrics regularly to identify any issues and make necessary adjustments.
Conduct regular SEO audits to ensure your site remains optimised. Check for any broken links, duplicate content, or other issues that could negatively impact your rankings. Also, feedback from users should be collected to identify any usability issues. Use this feedback to make improvements and enhance the overall user experience.
Redesigning your website doesn’t have to be an SEO nightmare
With careful planning and execution, your redesigned website can become a powerful tool for attracting and retaining clients.
Contacting Social Hive
Share this page...