SEO Considerations for Website Rebuilds or Rebrands
SEO Considerations for Website Rebuilds or Rebrands
A website rebuild or rebrand can breathe new life into your business—but it can also put your search engine rankings at risk if SEO isn’t considered from the start. Many businesses lose years of organic visibility overnight because they didn’t plan their migration properly.
Here are the key SEO considerations to ensure your new website launches without losing hard-earned rankings.
Migrating URLs Without Losing Rankings
When URLs change during a rebuild, search engines may treat them as brand-new pages unless handled carefully. To prevent ranking drops:
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Keep the same URL structure where possible.
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If changes are necessary, set up 301 redirects to tell Google where content has moved.
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Avoid deleting pages with backlinks—redirect them to the closest relevant page.
Preserving your URL equity ensures your new site maintains authority.
Redirect Mapping Strategies
Redirects can make or break a website migration. Best practices include:
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Create a redirect map before launch, listing old URLs alongside their new destinations.
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Prioritise high-traffic and high-link-value pages first.
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Test redirects in staging to ensure there are no loops or errors.
This step prevents users (and Google) from hitting dead ends.
Benchmarking SEO Before and After Launch
Before you go live, capture benchmarks so you can measure the impact of your rebuild:
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Current keyword rankings.
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Organic traffic levels.
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Indexed pages in Google Search Console.
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Backlink profile.
After launch, compare these benchmarks to track any performance shifts and catch issues early.
Designing with UX and SEO in Mind
A fresh design shouldn’t just look good—it must also support SEO and user experience (UX). Key considerations:
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Mobile-first design for Google’s mobile indexing.
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Fast load times with optimised images and clean code.
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Clear navigation and internal linking so users (and crawlers) can find content easily.
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On-page SEO elements like title tags, H1s, and schema integration baked into templates.
A site that balances design, UX, and SEO will perform stronger post-launch.
Post-Launch Indexing and Crawl Tests
Once your new site is live, the SEO work isn’t over. You need to monitor how Google crawls and indexes it:
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Submit your updated XML sitemap in Google Search Console.
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Run crawl tests with tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb.
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Watch for 404 errors, redirect chains, or orphaned pages.
Early testing helps you resolve issues before they impact rankings.
Protect Your SEO Investment During a Rebuild
A website rebuild or rebrand is an exciting step—but without SEO planning, it can cost you visibility, leads, and revenue. By managing redirects, benchmarking performance, and designing with SEO in mind, you’ll ensure your new site launches stronger than ever.
At Bottrell Media, we specialise in SEO-friendly website rebuilds that protect and grow your search visibility.
👉 Book a Free Website SEO Migration Consultation today and safeguard your rankings during your redesign.
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