Beware: website makeover pitfalls
It’s the start of the New Year and we hear customers talk about performing nips ‘n tucks to their tired old websites. Sounds like a fantastic idea. But before you start a major makeover surgery on a website that has served you well in the last 3 years or more, take care that it doesn’t blow your hard-earned Google rankings to the bottomless pit. To prevent the arduous route of retracing your steps through the SEO jungle, follow the checklist below to learn how to retain your place in search results when performing a full website revamp.
(By the way, it’s not all doom and gloom if you have done so without “consulting” the Google bible on your site makeover. We’re here to help.)
Build on the lessons of success
Retain the keywords that worked for the original website. By all means, augment these with tags and keywords relevant to the fresh content. Do research other key words and phrases that rival operators use in the meantime. If you evolve and raise your sights, so will your competition.
Lock links in
Keep all links and move them over to the new site. Test them as soon as possible to ensure that all remain live and subscribes to the way Google determines how popular your web site is. Besides, the traffic received from those backlinks is too valuable to lose through carelessness.
Give priority to high-performing pages
Spend time on those pages that had generated lots more traffic than the rest of the web site. Attend to vital housekeeping tasks such as ensuring that all directory links work properly, that the directory listings themselves remain in place (update the pointers if necessary) and that there are no broken links inside and outside your site.
Metrics
Make sure you gather up your website statistics on leads, sales, Return on Investment (ROI) measures, and overall performance. These are the benchmarks that the redesigned web site must match or beat.
Re-submit your new website to search engines
It is necessary to let the search engines know about your new website through a resubmission process as soon as the new pages are live. This will make it easier for search engines to visit and re-index your new site.
Publicize the “new” site
Release a pointed story or two about the major enhancements you have put in place and what these mean to visitors. Go with every article distribution service, whether fee-based or for free, that you can find.
Tell your customers, too
Send a “thank you” email to all customers and visitors you still have records for. Tell them their valued feedback triggered the enhancements now in place and urge them to bookmark the new pages. This one step alone will launch a good wave of visitors to the site.
In conclusion, you can minimise the risk of starting over and having to work your way up through the ranks of anonymous sites competing on your keyword list. Retain the content and links that gave you prominence in the first place. Announce to all and sundry the improved functionality, vast new content and improved design they can take advantage of. If you follow the tips above, your customers will still be able to remember and recognise your business online regardless of the number of nips and tucks your website goes through in the future.
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Talk to a Melbourne IT eBusiness Consultant on 1300 132 838 or book a call.
February 6th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
thanks so much for a fantastic article. very helpful and very timely!