We've seen it many times: a business launches a beautiful new website, and a month later enquiries drop by half. Usually nothing was wrong with the design. Old URLs simply stopped working, content was cut, and Google lost track of the pages it used to rank.
The short answer
List every URL on the old site, map each one to its new address, set up 301 redirects, keep or improve the content on pages that rank, test everything on a staging site, and watch Search Console closely for a few weeks after launch.
Before you start
- Export all URLs from your sitemap and a crawler like Screaming Frog
- Export top pages from Google Search Console and Analytics (last 12 months)
- Note which pages bring enquiries; protect those first
- Save a copy of current titles, descriptions and headings
Map old URLs to new ones
| Old URL | New URL | Action |
|---|---|---|
| /services.php?id=3 | /services/seo-services | 301 redirect |
| /about-us | /about | 301 redirect |
| /blog/old-news-2019 | (none) | Redirect to /blog or let it 410 if worthless |
| /contact | /contact | Keep the same |
Every page that had traffic or links should land somewhere relevant. Redirecting everything to the homepage is almost as bad as no redirect at all.
Don't cut the content that ranks
Designers often want less text. If a page ranks for important searches, keep the useful content, headings and FAQs, even if the layout changes. Improve it if you can; don't throw it away.
Test before launch
- Block the staging site from Google, then remove the block on launch day
- Crawl the staging site for broken links and missing titles
- Test every redirect from your mapping sheet
- Check page speed on mobile
- Make sure analytics and conversion tracking still fire
After launch
- Submit the new sitemap in Search Console
- Watch 404 errors and fix them daily for the first two weeks
- Compare rankings and enquiries week by week
- Update your Google Business Profile, social profiles and directory links
A small dip for a week or two is normal. A drop that lasts longer usually means missing redirects or lost content, and both can be fixed.
