Website Redesign

Redesigning a website without losing SEO takes four steps. Record the pages that rank, map each old address to a new page, keep the words that earned the rankings, and redirect every old address at launch. A permanent redirect, called a 301, sends visitors and Google from the old address to the new page. After launch, watch Search Console for old addresses that come up missing and redirect each one. Some movement in the first few weeks is normal. Every redesign I do includes all of it.

A website redesign includes a new site plan, rewritten words, a new design, fresh search setup, faster pages, and a redirect from every old page address to its new page. Some things stay on purpose. Those include your web address, the pages that bring in visits, your Google Business Profile, and anything that already works, like a strong photo or a line that sums up your business. A new logo can be part of it if you want one.

A website refresh updates the look of the pages you have, a redesign rebuilds the site around a new plan, and a rebuild replaces the platform and code underneath. A refresh fits a site that still works and ranks but looks dated. A redesign fits a business that has outgrown its site. A rebuild fits a site that's slow, breaks after updates, or can't be edited. On our call, I recommend one of the three, with my reasons.

A website redesign works in six steps, beginning with your request and a short call. Next come discovery and a new site plan, the content draft, design and build on a private test site, and your review and launch. Discovery starts with your current site, including every page, the pages that bring in visits, and the links pointing in. The new plan maps every old address to its new page, and your current site stays live until the new one replaces it.

How it works

A business should redesign its website when the site no longer fits the business. Maybe it lists old services, works poorly on a phone, loads slowly, can't be updated, or doesn't bring in calls and requests. One of these on its own often calls for a smaller fix. Two or three together usually mean the site needs a redesign. A new owner, a new name, or a new focus is a good reason too.

How often you should redesign a website depends on how well it was built. A site built on a solid foundation, with room to add pages, can grow with your business for ten years or more. Some of the sites I built in 2015 still run on the same build today, with new pages and steady updates added along the way. A site that's slow, hard to update, or no longer matches what your business does is a different story, and it may need a redesign every few years. If you're redesigning now, build it so the next ten years bring updates, not another redesign.

Look for a website redesign service with a record of sites that brought their owners more business, and ask to see results, not just screenshots. Make sure you like their design style, because your new site will carry it for years. Ask how they protect the search rankings your current site has earned, since a careless redesign can lose them. And ask what happens after launch. Do they stay with their clients, or move on to the next project? With me, the person on your first call plans, writes, designs, and builds your new site, and I look after it for as long as you want.

The cost of a website redesign depends on whether your site needs a refresh, a redesign, or a rebuild, plus the number of pages and the amount of search work. A refresh costs less than a redesign, and a rebuild usually costs the most, because it replaces the most. On our call, I recommend the one your site needs, and I aim for the right blend of price and quality.

A website redesign takes longer when there are more pages, when the site needs a full rebuild, and when less of the old content can carry over. We set the timeline for your site on our call. The review of your current site comes first and saves time later, because the plan is built on what your site already does.

Traffic usually drops after a redesign for one of four reasons. Redirects are missing, ranking pages were cut, a “hide from search engines” setting was left on, or analytics code never moved over. Each one shows up in Search Console or a check of the site, and each can be fixed. Redirects added months later still help, though some of what was lost takes time to come back. If it's happened to your site, describe it in the form.

Fix my website

No, your site won't go down during the redesign. I build the new site on a private test site, and your current site stays live until launch day. At launch, the new site replaces it on your domain, and I check the pages, the forms, and the redirects right away.

Yes, parts of your current site can be kept. Strong photos, pages that rank, copy that sounds like you, and your logo can all carry over. I write the new pages from our call, your discovery answers, and your old site, and words that still work are edited and kept. You read the draft and mark anything that's out of date or wrong.

Yes, I can redesign a site somebody else built, and I review it the same way I review one of my own, looking at every page, what brings in visits, and what's worth keeping. I'll need the logins for the site, your domain, and your hosting, and if some are missing, finding them is part of discovery. If I built your site, the review goes quickly, because I already know how it was put together.