How to redesign a website without losing Google rankings

Rankings after a redesign rarely disappear because of the new design. They disappear because old URLs stop working, or because the copy that earned the ranking is gone from the new page. One document prevents both: a list of all old URLs with their new address and a decision on the content. Prepare it before the build, not the day before launch.

In short

• Before the redesign, export every URL with traffic or links.
• Each old URL gets a permanent (301) redirect to the closest new page, not the home page.
• Do not cut copy on pages that bring traffic without a reason.
• The test site must be closed to Google and the live site open. Check both.
• Small swings after launch are normal. Track them in Search Console.

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Why this article

We are redesigning our own site, struo.si, right now. We also changed some URLs: /storitve/web-aplikacije became /storitve/spletne-aplikacije, and an article on WordPress got a new address because it was competing with our sales page. Without a redirect, every such change is a 404 for anyone arriving from an old link or from Google.

So we use the process below ourselves. It does not promise rankings will not move, but it reduces the risk of losing something you have already earned.

1. List what you have

In Search Console, export the pages with the most clicks over the last 12 months. Add your sitemap and pages with external links, if you have that data. The result is a spreadsheet with these columns:

The numbers in the table are an example. A page with no traffic or links can be merged or removed safely. Do not remove a page with traffic until you know why it has it.

accountant for sole trader price

1. 1competitor-a.com
2. 2directory.com
3. 3competitor-b.com
4. your-company.com

AI answer

The price of accounting for a sole trader depends on the number of invoices and employees. Firms usually list monthly flat fees …

Source: your-company.com

2. Decide on the content

A new design often means less copy because it looks cleaner. If a page ranked for its answers, prices or service description, removing those parts removes the reason it ranked.

For every page with traffic, check the title, subheadings and main paragraphs. You can present the copy differently, but keep the content unless you know it is wrong or outdated.

3. Prepare the redirects

The rules are simple:

• Each old URL goes to the closest new page. Sending everything to the home page is almost as bad as an error for the visitor.
• Use a permanent redirect (301 or 308). A temporary one tells Google the old URL still applies.
• No chains. If A already redirects to B and B now becomes C, point A straight to C.
• Keep redirects for a long time. Google recommends at least a year, and longer if possible.

4. Check before launch

1. The test site is closed. A password or noindex, otherwise Google may index a copy.
2. The live site is not closed. Remove noindex at launch and check robots.txt. This is the most expensive redesign mistake.
3. Titles and descriptions are on every page, not just the home page.
4. Canonical tags point to the live domain, not the test one.
5. The sitemap contains only new URLs that return 200.
6. Internal links point directly to the new URLs.
7. Tracking works: analytics, conversions and Search Console.
8. Every URL in the spreadsheet is tested. A script can do this too.

5. Launch and the first weeks

Launch in a quieter period, not before a holiday or your peak season. Submit the new sitemap. If the domain changed too, also use the Change of Address tool in Search Console.

Google says that on small and medium sites most pages move within a few weeks. Meanwhile, monitor:

• Day one: whether your most important pages and redirects work.
• Week one: 404 errors and the indexing report in Search Console.
• First four weeks: clicks and positions for your most important pages compared with before launch.

If traffic falls for one group of pages, it can almost always be tied to a specific change. Check the redirects and content of those pages before changing everything.

What to do this week

1. Export the pages with the most clicks from Search Console.
2. Ask your contractor who prepares the redirects and whether it is in the quote.
3. Mark the 10 pages you must not lose.
4. Pick a launch date outside your season.

Frequently asked questions

Will I definitely lose rankings after a redesign?

No, but nobody can promise otherwise either. Small swings are common. Bigger drops usually have a specific cause, such as missing redirects or removed content.

What if the old site has no traffic?

Then the risk is low. Still prepare redirects for pages people know or that have external links.

Can I change the domain and the design at the same time?

You can, but the risk is higher because it is harder to find the cause of any drop. If it is not urgent, do it in two steps.

Is a redesign worth it at all?

Not always. Before you decide, read When a website redesign won't fix the problem.

How we can help

When redesigning with an advanced website or as part of our SEO service, we prepare the URL inventory and redirects. Write to us through the contact form.

Sources

• Google Search Central, Site moves with URL changes, accessed 5 November 2026.
• Google Search Central, Debugging drops in Google Search traffic, accessed 5 November 2026.
• Google Search Central, Block Search indexing with noindex, accessed 5 November 2026.

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