Redesigning a website is a wonderful feeling! Be it tearing it all down and starting from the scratch or just repairing some bits and pieces, creating something new always feels good. However, redesigning a website is quite challenging, even more than designing a website for the first time. This is because, unlike creating a new website, redesigning an existent website involves considering a variety of factors.
Here are some things that you need to consider while redesigning your website:
Impact of the New Design on old and loyal readers
effect of new Content Structure on Search Engine Rankings of the Website
Effect of the Changes on the Efficiency of the Website
And here are some tips to make sure none of these considerations turn into issues and concerns you:
Try to Retain the Feel of the Old Design
Website redesign is all about changing the look of the website. However, make sure you don't change the feel of the website lest you alienate your established audience and have a negative impact on the returning traffic. Remember, your existent readers are loyal to your website for some reasons and if you kill the very same reasons, they would have no reason to come back.
Don't make your established visitors to wonder that they’ve arrived at the wrong website. Instead, make them feel they have something better now.
Don't Lose the Search Engine Rankings
One of the most crucial concerns while redesigning a website is the effect on search engine rankings. First of all, retain all the title tags and meta descriptions of the old website. In addition, don't change the old URLs of specific web pages. However, if at all you cant avoid changing it, make sure to use 301 redirects that can inform Google that a page has moved permanently, meaning that it should take all of the search engine credibility it had given the old link and transfer it to the new one. Don't forget to use 301 redirect for all the pages that have been removed and point each to a related page on your site. Also, most importantly, send a new site-map to Google as soon as you launch your new website.
Back Up the Old Website
If you don't want to lose your content, make sure your back up your files and databases often. Also, its advisable to set up a development environment for the new website so that you don't break anything or display any debugging information on your live site.
In order to make sure that your website redesign process goes on smoothly and seamlessly, make sure you follow these rules and create a new website that retains the brand image of your business and caters more effectively to your audiences.
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