A new website is a chance to start fresh, but it is also the most common moment when companies lose their search traffic. Rankings take years to build and a single launch can undo them. This is the checklist we follow on every redesign.
1. List every existing URL first
Export the pages that currently get traffic from Google Search Console (Performance, Pages tab) and from your sitemap. Without this list you cannot know what to redirect.
2. Keep URLs or set up 301 redirects
If the new site uses a different URL structure, every old URL must 301-redirect to its closest equivalent. Redirecting everything to the home page is a mistake: Google treats it like deleting the page.
3. Do not cut content that ranks
A „cleaner” design often means shorter copy. If a page ranks for a phrase and loses that phrase from its title, heading and body, the ranking will drop. Check which queries a page earns impressions for before you shorten it.
4. Carry over titles, descriptions and headings
Page titles, meta descriptions and H1 headings are core signals. Keep the ones that work and improve the rest deliberately.
5. Check indexing and the sitemap
After launch, submit the new sitemap in Search Console and make sure no pages carry a leftover noindex tag. Request indexing for your most important URLs.
6. Watch speed and mobile
The new site should be at least as fast as the old one, and it must work well on phones.
7. Monitor the first weeks
Check Search Console every few days: the Pages report (404 errors, discovered but not indexed) and Performance (positions for key queries). Small fluctuations are normal. A sharp drop usually means missing redirects or changed content.
Common mistakes
- no redirects from old URLs,
- changing the URL structure without a plan,
- noindex left over from staging,
- deleting pages that had traffic,
- a new home page title without the phrase you used to rank for.
Summary
A redesign does not have to mean a traffic loss. With a URL list, 301 redirects, preserved key content and post-launch monitoring, you keep what you have built. If you are planning a new site, get in touch or read about our website development and the cost of a business website.