01Why redesigns lose rankings
Most ranking drops after a redesign have nothing to do with the new design. They happen because pages that Google trusted disappear: their addresses change, the old ones return a 404 error, and the signals those pages earned over years are lost.
Google is explicit that a move needs a map: It's important to map your old site's URLs to the URLs for the new site.
1 If you skip that step, nobody, Google included, can tell which new page replaces which old one.
02List every URL you have today
Before anyone designs a single screen, export every page that exists now. Use your sitemap, your analytics and Google Search Console's page reports. Mark the pages that bring visits, enquiries or links from other sites. Those are the pages you cannot afford to lose.
- Pages with search traffic in the last 12 months
- Pages other websites link to
- Pages that lead to enquiries or sales
- PDFs, images and old campaign pages people still visit
03Map old pages to new pages
Build a simple spreadsheet with two columns: old URL and new URL. Every old page points to the closest new page in meaning, not just to the home page. Sending everything to the home page looks like a broken page to visitors and to Google.
Keep the same address wherever you can. The safest URL change is the one you don't make.
04Use permanent redirects, and keep them
Google recommends permanent server-side redirects: we recommend that you use HTTP permanent redirects if possible, such as 301 and 308.
1 It also says to keep the redirects for as long as possible, generally at least 1 year.
1
Avoid chains, where one redirect leads to another. Each old URL should reach its final page in one hop.
05Update internal links and the sitemap
Redirects are a safety net, not a navigation system. Change the links inside the new site so they point straight to the new addresses, then submit the new sitemap in Search Console. Google notes that the sitemap will help Google learn about the new URLs.
1
If the domain itself changes, use Search Console's Change of Address tool for the old site.
06What to watch after launch
Expect some movement. Google says to expect temporary fluctuation in site ranking during the move
and that for a medium-sized site it can take a few weeks or more
for the new URLs to appear in place of the old ones. 1
- Check 404 errors in Search Console every few days for the first month
- Compare clicks and impressions per page with the same weeks before launch
- Test a sample of old URLs by hand to confirm each redirect lands on the right page
- Keep speed and Core Web Vitals at least as good as before (see why sites are slow on phones)
07The pre-launch checklist we use
- Full URL inventory exported and saved
- Every old URL mapped to a new one
- Redirects tested on the staging site
- Internal links updated, no links to redirected pages
- Titles, descriptions and headings carried over or improved
- Structured data validated on key templates
- New sitemap ready, robots.txt checked so nothing important is blocked
- Analytics and Search Console verified on the new site
This list is part of every Ember and Blaze project, and it is how we approach a website redesign.
FAQQuestions people ask
Will a redesign hurt my SEO?
Not if old pages are mapped and redirected. Most losses come from changed or deleted URLs without redirects, not from the new design.
How long should I keep 301 redirects?
Google advises keeping redirects for as long as possible, and generally at least one year.
Should I redirect old pages to the home page?
No. Redirect each old page to the closest new page in meaning. Mass redirects to the home page lose the value of the old pages.
SRCSources
- Site moves with URL changesGoogle Search Central
Every figure links to its original source. Checked on 18 October 2026.