Website Redesign Best Practices

Most post-redesign SEO disasters happen BEFORE a single line of code is written. 😱 I've seen this story 100+ times: - Beautiful new website launches - Traffic drops 40-70% - Leadership wants answers - SEO team scrambles to fix it Here's what ACTUALLY kills your SEO during redesigns 😈 The Real Killer: Process, Not Technical Issues Here's the typical scenario: ❌ The Invisible Barrier: Timeline Compression Design team: "We need 6 months" Leadership: "You have 3 months" Result: SEO becomes a "we'll fix it later" item ❌ The Misleading Assumption Agency: "We'll preserve your SEO" Reality: They mean technical SEO only Missing: Content, intent, and user behavior preservation ❌ The Problematic Handoff Design team creates wireframes Development team builds them SEO team gets a "review" ***Too late to make structural changes*** 💡 How to Prevent This Next Time: ✅ Pre-Design Phase Must-dos: - Full content audit BEFORE design starts - User behavior analysis from current site - Top 100 landing pages mapped - Key conversion paths documented ✅ Design Phase Critical checks: - Content hierarchy preservation - Mobile content parity - Internal linking structure - Conversion path maintenance ✅ Development Phase Non-negotiables: - Staging environment access - Content migration plan - 301 redirect mapping - Page speed benchmarking ✅ Launch Phase Success checklist: - Phased rollout plan - Traffic monitoring setup - Quick rollback capability - Daily performance checks Remember: A website redesign is a business project, not a design project. __________ 👩💻 I'm Fonthip Ward Please feel free to reach out for a friendly SEO chat. Find this content helpful? 😊 🔁 Repost 💬 Comment 🔔 Follow me Other resources: 🪴 12 Common Types of SEO Keywords https://lnkd.in/gZUaNVXE 🪴 53-Point On-Page SEO Checklist https://lnkd.in/gNyBnZ9c #seo

Your guide to redesigning without the chaos or the coffee-fueled breakdowns. Redesigning a website sounds exciting… until you’re knee-deep in decisions about layouts, colors, and why nothing looks like the mockup. Here’s your step-by-step guide to a website redesign that’s smooth, strategic, and (dare I say) fun: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 Before you toss everything, figure out what’s working and what’s not. Look at: → High-traffic pages → Conversions → User behavior This is your starting point, not a blank slate. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 What’s this redesign supposed to do? → Boost conversions? → Improve user experience? → Finally, make it mobile-friendly (yes, we see you) Know your "why" before jumping into the "how." 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Dive into user research: → What do they love? → What frustrates them? → What are they searching for? Their answers should shape every design decision. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 Sitemaps and wireframes might not be flashy, but they’re the backbone of your redesign. Map out user journeys and ensure navigation is as intuitive as your favorite app. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲) → Humans want clean layouts, fast loading, and great content. → Google wants SEO-friendly pages, clear structure, and relevant keywords. Good news: you can make both happy. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟲: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 Choose the right platform, test the heck out of it, and ensure your site works on every device (yes, even that ancient tablet someone still uses). 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟳: 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. Beta testing, usability testing, A/B testing—get real feedback before the big launch. Fix the snags now, not after you’ve gone live. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟴: 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Double-check everything (links, forms, analytics). Then hit “publish” and celebrate. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟵: 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 The launch isn’t the finish line. The work isn't over yet. Watch how users interact, track key metrics, and tweak as needed. 𝘗𝘳𝘰 𝘛𝘪𝘱: Don’t do it alone. From designers to developers to content strategists, redesigning a website takes a team. Collaboration is essential. A great website redesign isn’t just about looking better—it’s about working smarter, delivering value, and growing your business. --- Follow Jeff Gapinskifor more content like this. ♻️ Share this to help someone else out with their website redesign today #webdesign #redesign #marketing

The anatomy of a $2.3M SEO disaster (and how to avoid it): Client story that still haunts me: The Setup: - SaaS company, $500K ARR - 80% revenue from organic traffic - Planning a "simple" website redesign - Hired a design agency (not SEO-focused) The Disaster Timeline: Week 1: New site launched - Clean design ✅ - Mobile responsive ✅ - Fast loading ✅ - SEO considerations ❌ Week 2: Traffic started dropping - "It's normal after a redesign" - "Give Google time to recrawl" - "Rankings will recover soon" Week 4: 47% traffic loss - Panic mode activated - Emergency SEO audit requested - The horror was revealed... The Technical Carnage: ❌ 301 Redirects: None implemented ❌ URL Structure: Completely changed ❌ Meta Tags: All removed ❌ Internal Links: Broken structure ❌ Schema Markup: Stripped away ❌ XML Sitemaps: Not updated ❌ Robots.txt: Blocking crawlers ❌ Content: 60% removed for "cleaner design" The Business Impact: - 73% drop in organic traffic over 8 weeks - 89% decrease in qualified leads - $2.3M in lost revenue over 12 months - 18-month recovery timeline - Near-bankruptcy experience The Prevention Checklist: ✅ Pre-Launch SEO Audit - Map all existing URLs - Plan 301 redirects - Preserve meta tags and content - Maintain internal link structure ✅ Technical Preparation - Keep same URL structure (if possible) - Implement proper redirects - Update XML sitemaps - Test robots.txt thoroughly ✅ Content Migration - Don't remove content without analysis - Preserve high-performing pages - Maintain keyword optimization - Keep conversion-focused elements ✅ Post-Launch Monitoring - Monitor Search Console daily - Track ranking positions - Watch for crawl errors - Measure traffic patterns ✅ Emergency Response Plan - Have SEO expert on standby - Prepare rollback procedures - Know how to quickly implement fixes - Monitor business metrics closely The Hard Lessons: 1. Design ≠ SEO expertise Web designers focus on aesthetics SEO requires technical understanding 2. "Simple" redesigns don't exist Every change has SEO implications Planning prevents disasters 3. Recovery takes 10x longer than prevention 1 week of planning vs 18 months of recover Prevention is always cheaper 4. Organic traffic is fragile Years of SEO work can vanish overnight Handle with extreme care Red Flags to Watch For: 🚩 Agency doesn't mention SEO 🚩 "We'll worry about SEO later" 🚩 Changing URL structure unnecessarily 🚩 Removing content for "simplicity" 🚩 No redirect planning mentioned 🚩 Timeline pressure without SEO review The Happy Ending: After 18 months of intensive SEO recovery: - Traffic restored to 110% of pre-redesign levels - Business survived and thrived - Client now involves SEO in every decision - Revenue grew to $1.2M ARR Your Action Plan: 1. Never redesign without SEO consultation 2. Create comprehensive redirect maps 3. Preserve all ranking content 4. Test everything in staging 5. Monitor metrics post-launch

A new, beautiful website won’t fix a broken experience. Yet too often, website redesigns start with aesthetics: new fonts, updated colors, professional images. It takes weeks of back-and-forth to get the approval. Looks better? Maybe. Performs better? Not always. What’s missing is the customer. Without understanding how users behave on your current website, what stops them from purchasing, and what drives buying decisions, all the effort might be wasted. Here’s how a redesign should be approached: • Start with data → Review analytics, heatmaps, and behavior flows • Listen to users → Conduct surveys, interviews, and usability tests • Identify friction → Spot where users struggle or bounce • Prioritize change → Focus on impact, not opinion • Test before launching → A/B test key elements to avoid guesswork • Iterate → Use results to refine continuously The outcome should be a site that converts more, teaches you about your customers, and informs your broader strategy. It should align with what your customers need.

I just relaunched my website, and here’s my blueprint for building your own (even on a budget). After building websites for BlackRock, Glovo, and NielsenIQ, refreshing my own finally felt overdue, and surprisingly fun. LinkedIn is rented visibility. As much as I love it, I needed a home for my portfolio, story, and the work that shaped the last decade of my career. If you want to create or refresh yours, here’s the simple framework I used: 1. Prep: Define your website’s goal. This is the hardest part, and most people tend to jump straight into design. Don’t do that. This phase is crucial and needs the most brainpower. Ask: What should my website make people understand, feel, or do? Your goal determines everything. (And yes, you can hire someone just for this strategy piece.) 2. Prep: Create a lightweight brand kit If you're not a company or don't have many resources, you don’t need a full agency. You may need a designer and possibly a personal brand strategist. In this step, define your brand personality, color palette, typography, imagery style, and logo. 3. Draft your copy. Copy is so important. It's what will influence or move people to action. Draft your copy and have AI be your co-pilot here. What story are you telling? What should people know or do on each page? What and how many pages do you need? (Mine: Home, About, Work, Speaking, Consulting, Contact) If writing isn’t your thing, hire a copywriter for this step. It's worth it. 4. Build your sitemap. A simple map of your pages and structure creates clarity. You can map this out on Canva, there's a great template you can follow. Here you'll essentially map out what pages exist, how they connect, what goes where, and what assets are needed (images, samples, logos, case studies). 5. Prepare your content docs. For each page, gather your copy, visuals, examples you like, and layout ideas. This is the process I follow with global brands and what I did for myself, and you can hire someone to advise or assemble these so the user experience matches what you're looking for. (Btw: always remember to optimize for mobile.) I always like to provide ample examples of pages I like, websites that reflect what I'm looking for, and get extra precise with directions for the developer. 6. Hire smart, affordable help. You don’t need a $10K agency. I hired a developer on Fiverr and handed over the sitemap, brand kit, copy, assets, and examples. Clear inputs lead to great outputs, you'll need to follow the development closely to ensure you're happy with the final result. 7. Review, refine, launch Ask yourself: Is the message clear? Does it feel like me? Is there a clear CTA? If yes, publish. My new website finally feels like a true reflection of my story and decade of work. I’d love for you to explore it and let me know what you think: https://lnkd.in/gPtNuuJy

I was asked to critique a design on X, and this was how I approached it: While the design was lovely overall, I noticed a few areas that could be improved, so I decided to share the critique visually and walk through my thought process: 1. Accessibility & Low Contrast The previous design had low contrast, the text overlaid on images like “Lagos” and “Nairobi” blended into the background. To improve legibility, I added a gradient overlay, using tones pulled from the images themselves to maintain visual harmony. 2. Spacing Some elements felt too cramped and lacked breathing room. I addressed this by giving more generous spacing throughout the layout for clarity and balance. 3. Bottom Navigation The bottom nav felt a bit overbearing. The heavy black fill on the active "Home" icon was too dominant, and it seemed like the icons might have come from different packs (inconsistent stroke weights). I ensured consistency by using icons from the same set and softening the active state. 4. Repetitive Layout Both “Upcoming Trips” and “Trending Destinations” used similar image card layouts, which made the experience feel visually repetitive. To break this, I introduced a different card style for Trending Destinations, since that section holds less immediate value than Upcoming Trips. 5. Search Bar Icon The filter icon in the search bar felt a bit cramped and could be mistaken for a send or search icon. Personally, I didn’t think it was necessary on this page, though that may be subjective. 6. Right Use of Imagery The right image can significantly elevate the look and feel of your designs. It’s worth spending time to find photos that are vibrant, well-composed, and emotionally engaging, they really make a difference. Left is the original design, and right is my redesign.

A real-world dilemma many e-commerce brands face: Modernize or stick with what works. Sometimes when businesses scale, their websites feel the strain. Increased product categories, complex merchandising, and evolving customer expectations often leave leaders asking: Should we redesign the site? The challenge: A business experiencing significant growth approached us about their Shopify site. While functional, the site wasn’t evolving with the business. The founder said, “I’m just tired of how it looks.” The frustration was valid. But we dug deeper and found: → The site’s core functionality worked well. → Customers were converting. → Synthetic “site speed” metrics were misleading—real user performance was solid. The problem wasn’t broken UX/UI—it was stagnation and the natural weariness that comes with running the same site for years. The options: 1️⃣ Full Overhaul: Start fresh with a complete UX/UI rebuild. 2️⃣ Strategic Iteration: Focus on backend improvements, design tweaks, and A/B testing to boost performance without disrupting what works. Our advice? A clean slate might look shiny, but incremental changes often deliver better ROI with less risk. So this is what we did: → Conducted a technical audit to identify opportunities for scalability and efficiency. → Implemented Shopify metafields and product hierarchy updates for smoother operations. → Addressed the emotional disconnect by refreshing key visual elements without a full redesign. The result? A site that aligned with the business’s growth while keeping what worked—and the founder didn’t need to throw everything out to feel proud of their website again. The takeaway: Redesigns aren’t always the answer. Sometimes, your site doesn’t need to look new—it just needs to work better. Focus on functionality, scalability, and incremental improvements before opting for a full overhaul.

I used to jump straight into redesigns. (Do this before you redesign anything) New layout. Fresh colors. Better spacing. Weeks later, the same problems came back. The issue wasn't the design, it was the inconsistency I never fixed underneath. Now I run a 10-minute audit first. Every time. Here's exactly what I check: 1. Buttons (2 min) → Same style across all pages? → Same language? ("Submit" vs "Send" vs "Continue") 2. Spacing (2 min) → Consistent padding between sections? → Margins that match—or feel random? 3. Typography (2 min) → How many font sizes are actually in use? → Are headings hierarchy clear? 4. Colors (2 min) → Same primary color everywhere? → Are links, errors, and CTAs visually distinct? 5. Components (2 min) → Do cards, modals, and forms look like they belong together? That's it. Ten minutes. What usually happens: You find the real friction. You stop redesigning things that weren't broken. You fix what actually needed fixing. Redesigns are expensive. Consistency audits are free, and often more effective. Before you rebuild, look closer at what you've already built. ♻️ Found this useful? Repost to help someone skip a costly redesign. Follow me for more practical UX and product insights. And if your product needs a sharper, more consistent experience, let's talk.

We've had 3 website overhauls in 18 months. Here are 18 truths I've learned: For startups under $5M ARR. Learned these through our own costly mistakes. 1. Don't spend a lot of money on your website. I promise you that what you do and want to communicate will change every 6-8 months. A $50k site is like setting cash on fire until you know exactly what you want to communicate. 2. Work on a clear brand and visual identity before you start work on a site. If you don't have constraints like image themes, colors, fonts, and some consistency here, it's all meaningless. 3. Create a Google form where you ask every user for the highest quality versions of their logos, one-liners of what they do so you don't have to spend time getting these to use on your site. Trust me - you will thank me for this later. 4. Create a well-structured Google Drive folder with every logo and brand asset taken from users that you might use on your site later. 5. Create a proper Google Sheet or Notion page to collect testimonials, feedback and reviews from users, popular creators in the space, investors and advisory group members. 6. Never try to build the site in-house unless its your first landing page. Great websites and landing pages are specialized knowledge skills. Offload to an expert. Do not get your in-house designers to work on these. If they have the time, tell them to work on the product or talk to more users. 7. If it is your first landing page, use a template, build it in a day, and move on. 8. Whatever agency you choose, ensure they're not too "aesthetic" focused but utility-focused as well. The site needs to be functional. 9. Don't build animation-heavy websites from Dribbble. They convert like sh*t. A one-pager with video and CTA works better. 10. Work with "marketers" at heart, not just designers. Sites should load fast, communicate clearly, have readable copy, be SEO-optimized. 11. Always have the agency build 1-2 pages that you can use as templates in the future for additional pages. Something you can just replace copy, and images, and it'll work (ie, product pages - as you add features - having a template to work from here is essential) 12. Spend time creating a proper CMS for your blogs and case studies. Research who has the best blogs and case studies in your industry and examine how they structure their content. 13. Rule: only use WebP or AVIF files, compress everything for fast loading. 14. Do a complete SEO audit using Ahrefs or Semrush after the site rebuild to check for issues related to broken links, pages with errors. 15. Mobile site must look as great as the desktop. 16. There are plugins and extensions for everything these days. AI that adds alt texts to all images, fixes meta titles and descriptions, or adds internal linking to your pages. Use them. 17. Create an Excalidraw or Miro board with dozens of inspirations 6 months before designing. 18. Don't verbally explain creative ideas. Provide specific examples and inspiration.

Redesigning a client's site? Don't wait until QA to think about accessibility. If you leave accessibility until the end, it makes a lot more work for you and delays the timeline of the project. Instead, make accessibility a process that guides decisions throughout the redesign. Some of the most common issues I see during audits could have been avoided easily with thoughtful and intentional decisions along the way. As you work, ask yourself: • What heading level should each section of content use? • Will that light grey text pass contrast checks? • Are the form fields labeled clearly and consistently? • How will this work with a keyboard? • How can this content be organized into landmarks? These aren't expensive or time-consuming things to address...unless you don't find them until after the site is built. A little extra attention up front saves everyone time, money, and frustration.