practical guide
How not to lose traffic from search when redesigning a website
A step-by-step plan on how to update your website and maintain positions in Yandex and Google.
The main reason for the drop in traffic after the redesign is that the page addresses have changed, and the old ones do not lead anywhere. Save a list of all pages, set up redirects from old addresses to new ones, and monitor the site for several weeks after launch.
Save a snapshot of the old site
Before starting work, upload a list of all site pages with their titles and descriptions. Mark the pages that bring the most visitors from search - this can be seen in Yandex Metrica. This list will be needed to compare after launch to see if anything is lost.
Save the contents of important pages
If a page is well located for the query “industrial pump repair,” it should have a page with the same meaning on the new site. You cannot simply delete text or combine several services into one page - the search engine will perceive this as a new page and positions will begin to be gained again.
Set up forwarding
If the page address changes, a permanent redirect (301 redirect) should work from the old address to the new one. Then both visitors following old links and search engines will get to the desired page. Redirect to the page that is closest in meaning, and not everything to the main page.
Close the test version from search engines
While a new site is under development, its test version should be locked with a password and indexing prohibited. Otherwise, the search engine will find two copies of the site. And when starting, check the opposite: prohibiting indexing should not accidentally end up on a production site - this is a common and very expensive mistake.
Monitor the site after launch
In the first days, check that old addresses are redirected, there are no pages with a “not found” error, and forms and Metrica work. Submit a new sitemap to Yandex Webmaster. For several weeks, compare traffic on important pages with data before the redesign - small fluctuations are normal, a sharp drop needs to be analyzed.
What to check and when
| When | What to check | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Before launch | List of pages, headers, pages with traffic | Saved a snapshot of the old site |
| On launch day | Redirects, whether the site is open for search, Metrica | No massive errors |
| First week | “Not found” pages, site map, applications | List of fixes |
| After 3–6 weeks | Traffic to important pages | It’s clear whether everything has been preserved |
Example of correct redirection
The service page was at /uslugi/remont/, and on the new website - /services/repair/. When opening an old address, the server must immediately transfer the visitor to the new one. It is wrong to lead through intermediate pages or send all old addresses to the main page.
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