08 Jul 4 Tips to Avoid Destroying Your SEO When Redesigning Websites

There are tons of articles out there about improving your website’s SEO. 

But this gets tricky when it comes to redesigning websites. Since these sites are already in place, you don’t want to erase any preexisting SEO rankings.  

And no designer wants to be the cause of their client’s SEO dropping due to completely avoidable mistakes. 

So where should you start? 

Here are four tips to help you improve SEO when redesigning websites. 

Factor in Site Speed

Today’s internet users want their content fast, fast, fast. 

According to MachMetrics, the optimum loading site speed is three seconds. Any longer and over half of your potential customers will bounce, and your SEO will drop. 

But all of those shiny new features that are so important to your client’s new website will only slow you down. 

And the last thing you need is a disappointed client or bad review.

So how can you add maximum website effects for minimum page weight?

First, reduce basic website features like duplicate coding or excessive image size. 

Then, tackle the behind-the-scenes features that could slow your website down.

Moz.com features a comprehensive article of in-depth fixes you can implement to speed your site-and your SEO-up. 

Your website can and should look the best it possibly can, even if the price is spending extra time minifying your page elements to run as smoothly and quickly as possible. 

Don’t Oversimplify Your Content. 

Users want great content. They want to be thrilled to learn something new or moved at the way you tell a story. 

So don’t sacrifice content delivery for better SEO. You don’t need to reduce your website to basic text and a few small images. 

Instead, make your existing content more accessible. 

YouTube’s FAQ page is an excellent example of this. 

Instead of forcing the user to read an overload of random information, they implemented a collapsible menu that allows the user to pick and choose what content they want to see. 

This gives the user freedom of control while allowing you to incorporate as much SEO-boosting content as you want on your website. 

Design for Mobile

Everyone has a cell phone now-and we’re using them. Since 2017, the majority of users access the internet through mobile devices, not desktops. 

Google now uses the information from mobile device searches to determine what content it shows, not desktop searches. 

That means that mobile is the way to go when redesigning a website, especially if you want to grow your SEO. 

The creators at cio.com have an excellent article discussing the do’s and don’ts of mobile web design. 

For example, they recommend using icons instead of words, making everything accessible with one hand, and requesting minimal information from the user for speedier access. 

Since most of your users will probably find your website on their mobile device, your SEO ranking might depend on how mobile friendly your website is. 

Incorporate User-Friendly Navigation

One of the fastest ways to get users to bounce is to make it complicated for them to find information on your website. 

They get lost navigating all of the pages, buttons, and menus scattered throughout the site, and then click ‘exit,’ never to return. 

And so does your SEO. 

Okay, that might be a bit dramatic. But making it difficult to find information on your website is an avoidable and costly mistake. 

One of the easiest ways to fix this is to create a categorized menu. 

Porsche.com uses this technique well. Users hover over the menu to reveal subcategories that they may be interested in. 

This design provides users with all of the information they need without overwhelming them. 

So keep it simple. 

You’ve already removed the extra coding and any unnecessary frills. 

Now, rearrange them to make it easy for users to navigate your website. 

Now Go Create

Redesigning a website takes more than sprucing up a dusty old webpage. 

Your clients’ SEO depends on you cutting out extra weight while keeping their website user-friendly. 

Use these four tips to make your clients’ website sparkle and their SEO climb.