How to Keep Your Rankings When You Rebuild a Website

If you're planning a rebuild, start by making a list of all the pages that matter to you. Before you change anything, make sure every old web address points somewhere useful on the new site. Most avoidable traffic loss is down to missed redirects or getting rid of content that visitors actually use.

Before you rebuild

• Export your current pages and their traffic
• Record your main keywords and rankings
• Identify the pages that bring enquiries
• Keep the useful content from those pages

During the build

Try to keep your web addresses the same if possible. If you do need to change them, set up a 301 redirect from the old address to the closest matching new page. Make sure your page titles, headings and links inside the site still make sense for what each page is about.

On launch day

1. Remove any noindex tags from the staging site
2. Test your redirects
3. Submit your sitemap in Search Console
4. Test forms, phone links and analytics

After launch

Keep an eye on your rankings, traffic and enquiries for a few weeks after launch. If you spot any 404 errors, sort them out as soon as you can. Things can shift after you go live, so look at your numbers before you decide to change anything else.

If you're thinking about a rebuild, have a chat with Sgôr before you make any changes to your live site.