While your old site may have been useful to you and effective for years, always keep in mind that technology trends continue to shift each year, and that includes website design and marketing. One of the most popular trends in technology in terms of digital marketing is Search Engine Optimization. Using these tools, a website is able to grow significantly when utilized efficiently and properly.
However, a misconception that many website owners have is that SEO needs to be done only once as a \’fire and forget\’ method. When you decide to do a redesign of your entire site, you have to remember that you are messing with the coding, and altering this code can often cause instabilities. When said instabilities occur, your website’s SEO strength deteriorates due to poor optimization. You do not want that to happen, because search engines are your brand’s greatest way of getting the best results and more customers. Here are some tips to keep in mind when redesigning your website to keep SEO at its peak performance:
Create A Master List Of All Pages
Make sure you maintain a copy of your original URL structure because redesigning requires a lot of changes that will affect the URL restructure. Furthermore, always have a backup file just in case you did a redesign that accidentally damaged your SEO results. Don’t just make backup files for when you are redesigning, but also try and make it a habit to always backup whenever you can. The best backup schedule should be at least once a month.
Redesign Pages On Temporary URLs
Never, EVER do a redesign on your existing website. If a visitor is on it, it can give them a shockingly horrible experience and even cause stability issues in the long run. The most effective and safest way to conduct web redesign is to copy a site and set it up into a temporary URL. Once you do this, you have the freedom to conduct larger changes and complete turnarounds. You could also shut down your domain for a short period of time to conduct changes, but when large scale redesigns are being done, temporary URLs are the best bet.
Mind you, if it\’s just a quick minor change, doing it on the page live is totally fine.
Always Test Whatever You Redesigned
Remember that in coding and web design, everything must be tested for functionality. Look for broken links, features, CSS, and other important aspects of your website that will affect the functionality when broken. Do proper end-to-end testing and check-up to ensure the quality of running and good customer experience.
Make The Jump To The New Site
Once everything is tested and finalized in both design and redirection, you can now make the switch to a new website. Additionally, incremental changes can be made in stages if your website is larger in size. Just make sure to do the switchover at a time when there is no traffic on your site.
Utilize The Services Of An Agency Who Specialises In Website Coding And Design
Coding and website design is harder than it sounds. With a lot of numbers and processes involved, this is why people spend years learning about it in a course or in school. If you are one of those people who has a background in web design, this article may be of use to you. If you are someone who has no prior knowledge or experience, then it may be best to contact the services of an agency who specialises in the field. Remember that your website is the backbone of your business, and you will want someone who is well versed in the language of website design to make it the best it can be.
Conclusion
Web design and SEO work hand in hand, because the better optimized your page is for customer use, the better its results will be on the search engine results pages. Do not let your website drag on with the same methods and techniques you have been using for years. Continue to innovate, whether it be by yourself or with professional help. This is how your business will stay afloat throughout rough times.
For the best website design agency in Melbourne, DMH Digital Marketing has it all for you. If you seek SEO tools that work well with your brand and webpages, contact us today to discover your options and our digital marketing services.