Trends and stylistic preferences come and go, and this is especially true with website design. Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing, either. The District Maven team often tells clients that websites are like computers because they require refreshing to ensure digital platforms continue to operate and appear as desired. One could have many reasons for giving their page a makeover; often, the site is old and lacks modern, mobile-friendly design or pays little attention to business conversion goals.

Regardless of the purpose or intent, website re-design projects can also be very stressful for business owners and marketing teams. Brands and businesses invest a lot of time and money in prioritizing SEO in addition to the visual look and feel of their website. Unfortunately, site migrations can pose a serious threat to these efforts.

When done incorrectly, hasty website redesigns can result in significantly reduced visibility and rankings throughout the search engines, ultimately leading to a loss in revenue gained through online leads.

(It’s sad to say, but true: web designers can often be of little assistance in mitigating these issues. Despite having experience creating websites, many designers lack fundamental SEO knowledge and migration experience to account for problems that can arise upon launching something new.)

Don’t worry, though. Launching a brand new website shouldn’t detriment your marketing efforts and doesn’t have to be. Having a set plan for what should be done before, during, and before launch is hugely important to ensuring that SEO is protected and prioritized. Use the following as a guide to planning and executing your website re-design launch without all of the costly search engine optimization mistakes along the way.