Our website has been around for about ten years.
I’m thinking of building a new site that looks more fresh and professional. But I’m worried—will this hurt our Google rank? Right now, we’re ranked #5 among twenty shops and sometimes hit the top 3 on Google Maps.
Does Google need to crawl everything again if we start fresh, or will we lose ranking? Or maybe with good SEO, the new site could even push us higher?
It really depends on how you handle it.
If you keep the same domain, you probably won’t face any major issues.
Keeping the same URL structure for your pages? Great, that means minimal disruption.
If it’s just a design update, you’re good. Problems come up only when the URL structure changes. In that case, you need to set up 301 redirects from old pages to new ones. If you skip that, Google will hit a 404 error, and that could hurt your ranking.
If you change the page content (like headers or body text), it could impact your ranking for better or worse. Faster page loading speeds might also give you a boost.
I’d recommend getting an SEO consultant involved during the migration. They can make sure your developers don’t mess things up.
@Brookrogen
Our current site is pretty small—only five pages.
We’ll keep the same domain, but we plan to expand to about 30 new pages.
Donna said:
@Brookrogen
Our current site is pretty small—only five pages.
We’ll keep the same domain, but we plan to expand to about 30 new pages.
Adding new pages shouldn’t cause any ranking issues unless they cover the same topics as the old ones, which could confuse Google.
Just make sure someone does a quick SEO audit before launching the new site.
@Brookrogen
Honestly, that’s really bad advice. It’s not that simple.
@Brookrogen
How long does it take for Google to ignore the old structure? I’ve got a client whose site was completely redesigned at the start of the year by another company. We’re just now focusing on SEO, but I wonder if trying to match the old layout would still help after 10 months?
@Amanda
Probably not after 10 months. Go to Google Search Console, check the ‘Indexing’ section, and view the data on your pages. You’ll likely see that Google has crawled everything multiple times by now.
@Brookrogen
Got it. Thanks for clarifying!
Use 301 redirects from the old pages to the new ones to avoid 404 errors. Also, try to keep the same permalink structure wherever possible.
Redesigning your site won’t automatically hurt your rank, but it depends on how well you manage the change. Keep your URL structure and use proper redirects, and you should be fine.
If the new site loads faster, is mobile-friendly, and has solid SEO, you might even see an improvement. Just don’t forget to submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console to speed up the crawling process.
Honestly, from how you’re talking, it’s probably safer to pay an expert to guide you through the process.
A redesign can work in your favor if done correctly. Google might take a bit to re-crawl, but with the same URL structure or good redirects, you shouldn’t lose your ranking.
With the right SEO tweaks, you could even see a boost. I recommend using tools like SERPtag to track your ranking changes—it’s more affordable than Ahrefs or SEMrush but still does the job.
When switching domains or sites, it’s crucial to maintain your URLs and set up 301 redirects. If you notify users about the change, it’ll smooth the transition. After the switch, Google will need a couple of weeks to re-crawl everything.
Focus on what your users need and make sure your site navigation is easy to follow. Internal linking is also crucial—try using SEOAutoLink to automate your internal linking and track the performance. A well-linked site improves user engagement and rankings.