Website redesign is the best way to revamp your digital presence and to offer your audience an entirely fresh experience. Such a redesign can be a partial one, which may include updating content, images, or specific sections, or can be a complete website redesign for an entire fresh appeal. A new look for your website can be exciting for you, your marketing team, and even your audience, but it can be frustrating if it results in losing potential customers.
Further, a more frustrating part can be when you have no clue what exactly went wrong. Hence, if you are also among those who are looking for potential reasons for what might have gone wrong, then this blog is for you. We will discuss common errors and issues that you might have made unintentionally while redesigning your website. So let’s proceed and discuss in detail.
Common Reasons for Traffic Loss After Website Redesign
Errors in Redirection
The most common error that occurs in the website redesign process is the incorrect redirection of the webpages. It is common for the website URL structure to get changed during a website redesign. Hence, if after redesigning the new webpages have not been correctly redirected to the website, then in such a case, the Google bots won’t be able to find the page and will show a “404” error.
For instance; before redesigning, the URL might have ……/products/name…, but after redesigning it might become …/collections/name….. Hence, failing to update such URLs can result in a traffic loss.
Loss of SEO Friendly Content
As part of the website redesign process, if any changes have been made to SEO content, then it can also lead to a decline in website visibility and traffic. However, associated with this, there can be two possible scenarios.
- During restructuring, several content parts were eliminated as per the new structure, resulting in the elimination of keywords, relevant content, headings, meta tags, and other relevant SEO factors. These aspects can significantly impact your website’s SEO friendliness and, hence, the ranking and traffic.
- Another situation can be where the entire webpage content has been rewritten along with the website redesign process. Hence, such a change can be a reason for a drop in ranking or traffic. Even Google bots take time to re-crawl the webpages with such changes, and during this time period, you can experience a decline in your website traffic.
Increased Website Load Time
Another commonly ignored reason that results in a decline in website traffic after redesigning is the increase in page load time. It is possible that high-resolution images and a complex coding structure will be used to make the website more visually appealing and interactive. Such might be loading fast or effectively on your PC, but not every potential user has a device with the same configurations as yours. Hence, Google has its parameter based on which it justifies the website load time.
Following this, it is recommended that you monitor your website load speed and optimise it. A website with a high load time faces challenges in getting ranked and even has a higher bounce rate.
Structural Changes
As mentioned, you need to focus on the URL structuring of the webpages and optimise it for better performance. But it’s not all, along with the URL, you must also focus on the overall website structure. Such can include defining the website navigation and ensuring it is user-friendly. Such is important not only for Google bots, but also to maintain the user-friendliness of your website and to keep them engaged.
For instance, during your website restructuring, you might have made changes to the website navigation as a result of which some pages might get buried deep down in the layout. The result of such a practice can be a significant drop in traffic on the specific webpage.
Technical Changes
Apart from the above-mentioned issues and reasons, there can be several other technical aspects that might be leading to a decline in website traffic. It includes failing to optimise the website for mobile, poor page performance, and any bugs or issues with the code. Not every technical aspect is visible at the front end, but it significantly impacts the overall user experience. Hence, such a technical aspect needs to be evaluated with the help of relevant tools, such as Core Web Vitals, that can indicate any such issues, and they can be optimised.
How To Avoid Such Traffic Loss
These traffic losses in the website redesign can be minimised and even avoided if proper care is taken. These can be done with the help of relevant tools and techniques. Such can be:
Using Google Search Console
After the website redesign, you can use Google Search Console to evaluate the impact of such redesign practices on your website. It can help evaluate your website performance, the change in traffic, bounce rates, and other relevant indicators of your website performance.
Google Core Web Vitals
Another commonly used tool is to make use of Google Core Web Vitals to look for key tips to optimise the website, including the largest painful content, the need for image optimisation, and more. Based on such, you can plan for relevant optimisations during the development phase and can improve any website technicalities.
Conduct an SEO Audit After Website Redesign
You can plan a detailed SEO audit by an experienced SEO company in Jaipur after your website redesign. Such an audit can help you check for any loopholes and issues with the SEO performance of your website, and can be improved.
Evaluate User Feedback and Reaction
You can further check for the user feedback and reaction post your website redesign. Such feedback and redesign can allow you to point out common errors that users have noticed, but your developers might have missed out. Hence, focusing on such feedback and scenarios can help you make relevant optimisations.
Final Words
While the website redesign process can be a considerable approach to reintroduce your brand to the market, it can also be a threat to your SEO performance and website traffic. So, if you are facing the same issue of traffic drop due to website redesign or planning for such a redesign, you should connect with a professional SEO company in Jaipur, i.e., VerveOnlineMarketing.
VerveOnlineMarketing is a leading and professional Digital Marketing Company in India, offering a portfolio of digital marketing services to brands. So, whether you are looking for an SEO company, traffic optimisation, and ranking boost, the experts at VerveOnlineMarketing can offer you a customised quote.
FAQs
Does Redesigning a Website Impact SEO?
Website redesign can impact your website’s SEO performance if it is poorly planned. It is recommended that during your website redesign process, along with a developer, you should also consult with an experienced SEO professional for a detailed understanding.
How Long Does It Take A Redesigned Website To Get Back The Traffic?
The period depends mainly on the changes that have been made to the website. As minor adjustments might not have any significant impact on your website traffic. Whereas, a major shift or changes in website design might take up to 4–6 months to regain its momentum. Further, for a detailed understanding, you can reach out to experienced SEO professionals at the best SEO company in Jaipur.
Can A SEO Professional Redesign My Website?
An SEO professional can surely guide you with the optimisation process and the key factors to be taken care of when redesigning your website. But you need a dedicated website designer or developer to get your website redesigned. Further, to ease your journey, you can reach out to professionals at VerveOnlineMarketing. They have a team of dedicated website designers and SEO professionals who can help you with your website requirements.
How Often Should I Update My Website?
No standard or criteria are defined to indicate when you should update your website. But it is important to keep your website updated and relevant as per the industry trends and competition levels. However, while making changes to your website, you should consider the associated SEO factors.
Does Changing Website Domain Impact SEO Performance?
Changing domain names has a significant impact on your website’s SEO performance, as your old domain authority and reputation can’t easily be transferred to your new domain. Hence, you need to plan for your SEO impact and strategy in advance before proceeding with the domain change.
