To help you out, here are some of the common problems you
want to avoid:
Don’t forget to add your Analytics code to the new site.
You don’t want to lose crucial data by forgetting to add the code. From time to
time, Google updates the format of the code/scripting, so ensure you have the
most recent code. Use the same account you’ve always used, you don’t want to
lose the history.
Most designers use some method of stopping the engines from spidering the work in progress. That is a great idea but it can kill your traffic if you forget to remove it when the site goes live. Check pages for tags blocking the engines and check your robots.txt file.
Keep your server clean.
Don’t forget to clean the old files off your server when the new site is live. You don’t want to lose them, so ensure you back it up somewhere. If you are going to leave it on the server, put it all in a sub-directory and ensure the engines do not spider that directory. You don’t want to create duplicate content.
Don’t forget to closely track your Webmaster Tools and
Analytics after a redesign. You want to look for 404 errors and you want to
keep an eye on your conversion rate. If it plummets after a redesign, you want
to catch it quickly and work to restore it. If there is a conversion problem
after a redesign, you should look at the pages that aren’t performing as well
(Google Analytics should give you that data) and compare the old page to the
new. Try to find elements on the old page that you think could have been
responsible for the higher rate and implement those elements into the new site.
New isn’t always better and sometimes a marriage between new and old is what
works best.
Don’t forget to thoroughly test before you go live. Test
all links, forms, buttons and scripts. A new look isn’t worth much if your
visitors can’t do the things they need to do on your site.
Ensure you create a comprehensive mapping of old pages to
new pages if the URLs are changing. You need to set up 301 redirects from the
old URLs to the new ones so you don’t lose traffic.
Before you get started, spend time planning the new site.
It’s going to be time well spent, I promise. Why go through all the effort and
cost of a redesign if you aren’t going to ensure everything is set up properly?
Plan your site structure to ensure you have all the pages you need and to
ensure it’s all organized logically and cleanly. This will be beneficial for
the engines and for your site visitors. You don’t want anything to be more than
1-2 clicks from the homepage.
Remember, appearance matters but so does content. Most
people only think about the visuals when they redesign, but it’s actually a
great time to update and refresh your content too.
If your developer was working with any scripting in the design and development process, ensure test pages aren’t left on the server. They create “gaps” in your security that could cause your site to be compromised.
If you are using WordPress, ensure all plugins are
current and create a plan to keep them current. Old plugins are a major
security risk.
If during the redesign you are cleaning up scripts and moving
them to external files, be sure to test all functionality related to the
scripting.
Often WordPress has a few different themes sitting in
there, even though you are only using one a t time. Unused themes and plugins
(inactive plugins) do create serious problems with security and could cause a
breach. It’s so easy to add themes and plugins when you need them, so get in
the habit of keeping your WP installation clean and add only items you plan to
use.
Don’t forget about Terms of Service and privacy pages.
They may not be sexy, but they are needed and it’s nice if they match the vibe
of the site, so ensure they get redesigned too (or added if you never had
them).
Don’t forget social buttons. If your old site didn’t have
social buttons implemented yet, you want to ensure you have them added to the
new site.
Don’t add content just for the sake of adding content but
if you notice in your planning stages that you are not covering information
that you should be, it’s a great time to introduce new pages.
If possible, go with search engine friendly file names on
the new site.
Don’t forget to include any credibility factors (logos of
associations, details on awards and accolades etc).
Avoid “Coming Soon” pages. If the content isn’t ready to go,
don’t link to the page yet.
Custom 404 pages are a must!
Create a strong, custom 404 page (that is optimized).
If you address and phone number aren’t prominent (in text
format, not images), get that changed. It’s a simple fundamental that should be
in place.
Consider mobile when you redesign your site. Even if you
don’t have responsive design or a fully mobile version of your site, you can
still design it to be more “mobile friendly”.
And lastly, ensure your new site is properly optimized
and you have an XML sitemap in place.
If you haven’t done a redesign in a while, it may be
time. Don’t stress, just keep a check list of all the items and nothing will
slip through the cracks.
Contact us and visit: http://www.janetpennconsulting.com/website_design.html
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