Instinct Tech

A new website without losing your Google rankings

By Kenan Musa, Instinct Tech ·

Many businesses get a new website and afterwards find they no longer show up on Google. It is rarely because the new site is worse, but because something Google had learned to recognise disappeared along the way.

The short answer

Keep your URLs where you can. Where you change them, redirect every old URL to its matching new one with a permanent redirect. Keep the content that works, and check the site after launch. Expect fluctuations for a few weeks.

Why rankings disappear

Google knows your website by its URLs and content. If a page gets a new URL and the old URL simply shows an error, you lose the visibility that page had. The same happens if the content that performed well is deleted or completely rewritten.

What Google recommends

Google's guidance for sites that change URLs says, among other things:

  • Use permanent server-side redirects (301 or 308) from old to new URLs. Browser-side redirects are only a fallback.
  • Map every old URL to its new equivalent. Use your sitemaps, most visited pages, server logs, your CMS and Search Console to find them.
  • Update internal links, sitemap and canonical tags to the new URLs.
  • Keep the redirects for at least a year, so Google can transfer the signals to the new URLs.
  • Keep redirects short. Point directly at the final URL instead of building chains.
  • Expect fluctuations. For mid-sized sites, the new URLs can take weeks or more to appear gradually.

Before launch

  1. Make a list of all current pages and URLs. That is your starting point.
  2. Find out which pages get traffic or rankings. Google Search Console shows this.
  3. Keep good URLs. If a page is called /services/windows and still makes sense, keep it.
  4. Plan the redirects. Every old URL that changes should point to the best new page, not just the home page.
  5. Keep or improve the content. Do not remove text that works.
  6. Keep titles and descriptions where they work.

At launch

  • Make sure the site is not set to block search engines. It often is during testing, and it is easily forgotten.
  • Update your sitemap and submit it in Google Search Console.
  • Check that the redirects work by opening some old URLs.

After launch

  • Follow Google Search Console for the first few weeks.
  • Check for error pages (404).
  • Check that your Google Business Profile points to the right address.
  • Expect small fluctuations. It takes time before Google has gone through everything again.

Common mistakes

  • All old URLs point to the home page instead of the matching page
  • The test site was never opened to search engines
  • Content was deleted and replaced with less text
  • Nobody checked which pages brought traffic
  • The redirects were removed after a few weeks

Ask, whoever you choose

If you are having a new website made, ask the agency whether redirects and a post-launch check are part of the job. It is one of the points that is easily forgotten, because it is not visible in the design.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Do I always lose rankings with a new website?

No. With good planning you can avoid most of it, but Google itself says you should expect fluctuations while the site is reprocessed.

What is a 301 redirect?

It is a message to browsers and search engines that a page has moved permanently to a new address. Google recommends permanent redirects on the server.

How long should the redirects stay?

Google recommends at least a year. They may stay longer.

How long does it take to recover?

It varies. Think weeks rather than days, and follow along in Search Console.

Next step

If you are planning a new website, talk to us before you start. See Studio or get in touch.