3 min read 
August 25, 2023Redesigning your website can boost engagement, modernize your brand, and improve conversions — but if done incorrectly, it can also damage your hard-earned SEO. The challenge in 2025 is balancing a fresh look, smooth functionality, and search visibility all at once.
Here’s how to redesign your site without losing ground.
What Should You Do Before a Website Redesign?
1. Run a Full Website Audit
- Review site speed, mobile performance, and UX.
- Export SEO data: traffic, backlinks, keywords.
- Identify top-performing pages that must be preserved.
2. Set Clear Goals
Ask: Do you want to increase conversions, refresh branding, improve mobile UX, or strengthen SEO? These goals should guide all design decisions.
How Do You Protect SEO During a Redesign?
3. Keep Key SEO Elements
- Preserve meta titles, descriptions, header tags, and structured data.
- Keep URLs consistent wherever possible.
4. Do Fresh Keyword Research
Trends change. Update your keyword strategy for 2025 and naturally integrate new terms into headings, copy, and metadata.
5. Use 301 Redirects
If URLs change, redirect old pages to new ones to avoid broken links and lost rankings.
6. Preserve Backlinks
Identify pages with high-value backlinks. If their URLs change, notify linking sites or apply redirects to protect link equity.
What Modern Best Practices Should You Include?
7. Design Mobile-First
Google still prioritizes mobile-first indexing. Ensure fast, responsive layouts across smartphones, tablets, desktops, and even foldables.
8. Prioritize Core Web Vitals
Google’s ranking signals include loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Optimize images, hosting, and code to meet these metrics.
9. Focus on Accessibility
A 2025-ready site must be ADA compliant. Add alt text, proper color contrast, and keyboard-friendly navigation.
10. Keep Navigation Simple
Clear, intuitive menus help both users and search engines. Use breadcrumb navigation for better crawlability.
11. Maintain High-Quality Content
Audit old content. Refresh outdated pages, remove duplicate content, and add new resources that reflect today’s customer needs.
What to Do After Launch?
12. Monitor Performance
Use Google Analytics, Search Console, and heatmaps to track:
- Traffic changes
- Keyword rankings
- Bounce rates and conversions
13. Fix Issues Quickly
If you spot drops in rankings or broken links, act immediately. Early intervention prevents long-term losses.
FAQs on Website Redesign
Q: How often should a business redesign its website?
Most companies refresh their websites every 2–3 years to stay modern and secure.
Q: Can a redesign hurt SEO?
Yes — if redirects, metadata, or backlinks are ignored. Following SEO best practices protects rankings.
Q: Should I redesign for AI search?
Absolutely. Use structured data, FAQs, and conversational copy so AI-powered engines like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews can surface your content.
Final Thoughts
A website redesign is more than a facelift — it’s a chance to future-proof your brand online. Done right, it improves speed, UX, accessibility, and SEO performance. Done wrong, it can cost traffic and revenue.
At SHJ International, we specialize in building custom, SEO-optimized, mobile-first websites that preserve rankings while giving your brand a modern edge. Contact us today to start your redesign.
