In this guide
A new website can look and feel better while losing pages that were already appearing in Google. The most avoidable problems happen when old URLs disappear, useful content is shortened beyond recognition or redirects send everything to the homepage.
A redesign should begin with an inventory of what is currently working.
Before design begins
Export your current URLs
Collect pages from your sitemap, website crawl and analytics. Identify important service pages, guides, products, category pages and any landing pages that attract enquiries.
Save your search performance
Export Search Console queries and pages for a useful period. Record impressions, clicks and average positions for pages that matter. This gives you a reference point after launch.
Decide what to keep
If an existing page answers a valuable search, it may need stronger writing or a better layout rather than a new URL. Keep useful page paths wherever practical.
During the rebuild
Map old URLs to new URLs
Prepare a spreadsheet showing the old page, its intended destination and whether it will stay, be merged or be retired. When a URL must change, map it to the most relevant new page. Redirecting unrelated pages to the homepage is not a sound solution.
Preserve the meaning of important pages
A services page with detailed answers shouldn't become a generic paragraph because the new design has less space. Plan layouts around useful content rather than deleting the content to fit the layout.
Review internal navigation
Ensure important pages are reachable through normal links, not just search bars or JavaScript interactions. Update links that point to redirected or retired URLs.
Check technical signals
Review canonical tags, robots rules, noindex tags, XML sitemaps, structured data and alternate page versions. Development sites often have protective indexing settings that must not reach the live launch accidentally.
At launch
- Crawl the live site to find broken internal links and unexpected redirects.
- Test representative old URLs and verify the intended permanent redirects.
- Test the homepage, key service pages, enquiry forms and ecommerce checkout.
- Check canonical URLs and confirm important pages are indexable.
- Update and submit the XML sitemap in Search Console.
- Confirm analytics and conversions still work.
- Keep a copy of the old-to-new URL mapping.
After launch
Check indexing, impressions, clicks and important conversion journeys over the following weeks. Rankings can fluctuate while Google processes changes. Investigate sudden losses on a specific URL rather than assuming every drop has the same cause.
Google's official site migration guidance recommends preparing URL mappings, setting suitable redirects, updating internal links and using Search Console to monitor the move. It also recommends retaining redirects for at least a year, and often longer where practical.
When should you keep the original website?
If the content is working, the design only needs targeted fixes and the platform is maintainable, a full rebuild may be unnecessary. Compare the cost and risk of focused improvements before commissioning a replacement.
For help deciding, see website redesign services and technical SEO.
