At Digital Dogs, we’re getting ready to launch a new website design for our own company. We’re extremely excited about the new look we’ll be pushing live in a few weeks. As we’ve gone through the process of the redesign, it’s forced us to reevaluate our company’s online presence. If you’re considering a website, there are some things you should keep in mind, particularly in regards to maintaining your SEO. Following the below six steps will help you maintain your website’s rankings and traffic even during a time of transition.

Step 1: Establish Goals

• Determine Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Use for Before and After Comparisons
• Capture Data on Your Site’s Pre-Design Performance
• Be Consistent with Comparisons
  • Adjust for Seasonal Spikes
  • Re-Launch during a Month when Traffic Has Stayed Relatively Flat in the Past

Step 2: Re-Evaluate Keyword Strategy

• Assess Current Keywords against Your Business Objectives
  • Which Keywords Currently Drive Traffic to Your Website?
  • Which Keywords Convert Traffic into Business?
• Determine which New Keywords You Should Implement
  • What Keywords Do Your Competitors Show Up for that You Don’t?
  • Have You Expanded Your Services but Not Your Keywords to Include Those Services?

Step 3: Conduct Page Optimization

• Use Your Keywords to Optimize Individual Web Pages
• Make Sure Pages Are Built with the Right Structure for SEO
  • Single <h1> Tags
  • Good Use of <h2> Tags
  • Compelling Meta Descriptions
  • Good Body Text
  • Unique Title Tags
• Follow a Consistent Approach & Messaging with Your Pages

Step 4: Design Infrastructure for SEO

• Keep the URL Structure as Flat as Possible
• Use Descriptive File Names
• Use 301 Redirects for Old URLs to New URLs (if you change the URLs for the new sign)
• Align Title Tags, Meta Descriptions, Headlines, etc., with Your New Keyword Focus
• Include Sitemaps
  • Visible Sitemap
  • XML Sitemap
  • Video XML Sitemap (helpful in highlighting video on your site)

Step 5: Audit Links

• Review Your Current Backlinks
• Determine if Your Links Reflect Your New Keyword Focus
• Adjust Your Link Building Efforts Accordingly

Step 6: Monitor Customer Sentiment

• Set Up a Social Media Campaign for the Site Launch
• Tweet about the Launch
• Monitor Customer Sentiment & Reactions
• Make Adjustments to Content that Confuses Users

By following these steps, you can avoid a drastic fall in rankings and traffic as you transition to your new website.

Have you gone through a redesign recently? What are some tips you found to be helpful during the process? Let us know in the comment section.