A new website should bring in more enquiries, not a drop in traffic. During a redesign we migrate your content, URLs and SEO so the site keeps its search rankings and customers can still find everything they are looking for.
Redesign
When it is time for a new website
An old website rarely fails all at once. It gradually stops reflecting what the company looks like and how people search today. Typical signs:
- The site is hard to read and use on mobile.
- Pages load slowly.
- The design no longer matches your current brand and offer.
- Nobody in the company knows how to edit the content.
- The system has not been updated for years and is a security risk.
- The site brings in no enquiries, even though people visit it.
Risk
Why websites lose traffic after a redesign
A drop after a new website goes live is almost never caused by the new design. It is caused by details that get forgotten at launch.
The most common mistakes
- Old page URLs lead to an error page.
- Texts that used to bring in visitors are shortened or disappear.
- Page titles and meta descriptions are lost in the migration.
- The new site is slower because of heavy graphics.
- The no-index setting from the development version stays on the live site.
How we prevent it
- A map of all old URLs and 301 redirects to the new ones.
- We keep and improve the pages that bring in visitors.
- We migrate and refine page titles, descriptions and headings.
- We measure speed before and after launch.
- We check indexing, the sitemap and Search Console on launch day.
Process
Redesign step by step
The old website stays live until launch day. Visitors only see the new site once it is finished.
- Audit
SEO audit of the old website
We find out which pages bring in visitors and enquiries, which search queries the site appears for and who links to it.
- Structure
Content and menu
We design a structure that keeps the strong pages and adds what customers were missing.
- Development
Design and build
A fast, accessible and easy-to-manage website, designed mobile first.
- Migration
Content and redirects
We migrate texts, images and documents and redirect every old URL to a new one.
- Launch
Launch day checks
We verify indexing, the sitemap, redirects, forms and traffic tracking.
- After launch
Rankings monitoring
For several weeks we monitor rankings, error pages and traffic, and respond to any deviations straight away.
Checks
What we check at launch
- URLs
- 301 redirects
- Canonical URLs
- Sitemap
- robots.txt
- Content
- Page titles
- Meta descriptions
- Headings
- Image alt texts
- Technical
- Loading speed
- Mobile display
- Structured data
- Accessibility
- Tracking
- Search Console
- Analytics
- Submitted enquiries
- Phone clicks
Price and timeline
How much a redesign costs and how long it takes
Price
It depends on the size of the website, the amount of content to migrate and any extra features. After the initial audit you receive an itemised quote, from design and development through content migration to training.
Timeline
A smaller company website takes a matter of weeks. A large website with a lot of content, several languages or integrations with other systems takes a matter of months. You will find the schedule in our proposal.
Frequently asked questions about website redesign
Will we lose our search rankings after the redesign?
Not if the redesign is done properly. We keep the pages that bring in visitors, redirect every old URL and monitor rankings after launch. Short fluctuations in the first few weeks are normal. A long-term drop means there is an error, which we find and fix.
Do the page URLs have to change?
No. Where possible, we keep the URLs. Where a new structure is clearer, we redirect the old URLs to the new ones so that links from other websites and from search engines keep working.
Will you migrate content from our current system?
Yes. We migrate content from WordPress, Joomla and other systems, including texts, images, documents and news. If the system has no export, we find another way.
Will we be able to edit the new website ourselves?
Yes. You can edit texts, images and news and add new pages in the administration without any programming knowledge. We train you at handover.
Will you look after the website after launch?
Yes. We monitor availability, install updates, make backups and keep developing the site. Website maintenance
Planning a new website?
Send us the address of your current website. We will show you which pages bring in visitors and what needs watching during the redesign.
