Redesign the site without losing what it already earned.
Most redesign horror stories are migration failures. We map every old page to a new one, carry over the content and markup that get you found, and watch the index after launch.
How redesigns lose traffic.
A site can look better and perform worse. Four things cause almost all of it, and every one of them is preventable before the new site goes live.
URLs change without a map
A new site structure renames pages. If nothing points the old address at the new one, every link and every search result that pointed there lands on an error page.
Content gets trimmed for looks
The pages that answered a specific question are often the ones a redesign deletes for being wordy. Those are frequently the pages search sends people to.
Structured data gets left behind
Business details, review markup, service and FAQ markup, and product data exist in the old code. A rebuild that skips them removes information search engines were already using.
Tracking quietly stops
Analytics, conversion events, call tracking, and CRM connections are wired to the old pages. If they are not rebuilt and tested, the site looks fine while the reporting goes blank.
The migration, step by step.
Six stages. The first two happen before a single new page is designed, because the redirect map is what decides the structure.
Inventory
Every page the old site has
A full crawl plus Search Console and analytics data, so we know which pages are indexed, which ones get found, and which ones actually receive inquiries. Nothing is deleted on instinct.
Map
Old address to new address
A one to one redirect map written before the build, covering pages, categories, images where they matter, and any old domains still pointing at the site.
Carry over
Content, titles, and markup
The copy and questions that earn visibility are kept and improved rather than replaced with shorter marketing lines. Titles, headings, and structured data are ported and checked.
Rebuild tracking
Before launch, not after
Analytics, conversion events, forms, call tracking, and CRM routing are rebuilt on the new pages and tested with real submissions on a staging address.
Launch
Redirects live on day one
The redirect map goes live with the site, the sitemap and robots file are updated, and the new site is submitted for indexing immediately.
Watch
The first ninety days
Coverage, crawl errors, redirect chains, and query data are reviewed after launch so anything that slipped is caught while it is still easy to fix.
When this is the right project.
This is the structure we build toward on a rebuild: one page per service, areas stated plainly, and the next step above the fold. A migration gets that structure without discarding the pages already doing work.
- An existing site that already gets search traffic or leads you cannot afford to interrupt
- A rebrand or domain change where the old address has to keep working
- Moving off a page builder, a proprietary platform, or an agency that owns your site
- Merging several old sites or microsites into one
- A site that looks dated but ranks, so the redesign has to protect what is working
A redesign is rarely the only decision.
Whether the new site is scoped as a project or built into a monthly plan depends on its size and complexity. Search work and lead follow-up are scoped alongside it.
Worth asking first.
Will a redesign hurt my search visibility?
It can, when URLs change with no redirects, content is cut, or markup is dropped. That is exactly what the mapping and carry over steps are for. We cannot guarantee positions, because nobody controls the ranking, but we can make sure nothing is thrown away and that we can see what happens after launch.
Do you keep my old content?
The content that earns visibility and answers real buyer questions is kept and improved. Pages that exist for no reader get consolidated into one that does, with a redirect from the old address.
Is a redesign part of the monthly website plan?
A straightforward rebuild for a service business can fit the monthly website plan. A redesign of an established site with a large page library, ecommerce, custom integrations, or a domain move is scoped as a project with an upfront build fee and agreed milestones.
What happens after launch?
We monitor indexation, redirects, and search queries through the first ninety days. Ongoing search work, paid media, and content are separate services added when they make sense.
Send us the site you are replacing.
We will tell you which pages are worth keeping, what the redirect map has to cover, and whether this is a monthly website or a scoped project.