Almost every business has gone through a website redesign project and it can be a nightmare if your Detroit website design company does not know how to maintain your SEO profile after launch. Your website has been working to build your SEO profile since inception and in order to keep relevance, your web development company needs to do the following:
1. Audit
Using tools such as SEMRush, Screaming Frog, and a site auditor will allow you to see the inner workings of your website and the current URL structure. This allows you to make sure everything lines up when you launch the new website.
2. Redirects
While we don’t recommend changing any URLs on your website, sometimes it is necessary depending on your new website. If pages change URLs, then you need to create redirects. For WordPress, we recommend Better Redirection. You need to compare your existing URL structure to your new one and create the redirects as needed.
3. Ranking Content
The content on your current website is ranking on Google and you need to use a tool like SEMRush to determine what that ranking content is. Once you do that, make sure you retain that content on the same URL (or a redirected URL) so that Google can still find it. Google has labeled your website as having authority for they keywords, so you need to retain that authority by retaining the content on your website. It’s never a good idea to change your existing content too much. It’s best to redesign and add additional content.
4. Tech Stack
Make sure your new website utilizes the latest technology. This makes sure your website is secure, free of spam, and not subject to server issues.
5. Speed
Also, make sure your website is fast. A new website should be faster than your previous site so Google sees improvement. Going backwards and having a slower site will cause Google to give authority back to your competitors.
You can really create problems if these items are not paid attention to during the build and launch of your new website. As a professional Detroit website development company, we are here to help you during your project. If you still feel unequipped to handle your website redesign or SEO, contact us for a free quote.