WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN UPDATING A SITE?

WEBSITE REDESIGN:

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN UPDATING A SITE. The Internet is developing at such a pace that sites that looked fresh and were professionally developed a couple of years ago may be outdated today. This prevents their owners from effectively managing content, and users from receiving and perceiving the necessary information.

 

If you encounter a similar problem, it’s time to think about upgrading the resource. Website redesign – the process includes redesigning the appearance, changing functionality, updating content and much more. However, before you begin redesigning the site, check out this article to prevent common mistakes.

 

What you need to not lose your current position

 

The biggest risks are the owners of those sites that occupy high positions in search engines. If you thoughtlessly change the address of the indexed page, it will disappear from the search, since robots will not know where it is located. In order to prevent this and protect yourself from other risks, it is recommended to take several additional actions.

 

301 redirect

Redirect – an instruction that is responsible for redirecting a user from one page to another. It is written in the .htaccess file, which is stored in the root directory of the site. The 301 redirect indicates that the page has changed its address forever. This solves many problems for both users and search robots. Even if the old URL appears in the search results, when you click on it, the visitor will automatically be redirected to the new address.

 

Optimized content on pages

If you have content that is optimized for search engines, make sure that it is transferred to new pages correctly. When updating the site with a change in structure, you must also make sure that the materials are placed in the relevant sections.

 

Image text

When moving images, make sure that the alternative text specified in the alt attribute is saved.

 

Meta tags on the page

If before the redesign you did not have meta tags, it is worthwhile to conduct a thorough work on them. For each page you need:

select and indicate keywords in the keywords tag;

create a unique description and put it in the description;

come up with unique titles and write them in title tags.

All the same, needs to be done with the pages that were created during the redesign.

 

Site map

Changing the directory structure makes the previously created site map irrelevant. Be sure to update it so that it reflects the real picture. This must be done with cards designed for both robots and humans. So you will make navigation on the resource more convenient for all types of visitors.

 

Backlinks to the site

 

There is only one problem that all of the above steps cannot solve. They do not help to maintain the number of backlinks when updating the site. Losses must be minimized, as this is one of the key promotion factors.

 

The backlink becomes “dead” if the address of the page to which it directed traffic has changed. When updating only the visual display, such a problem will not arise. You have to manually return backlinks: you just need to notify the resource administrators on which they are posted about the change of address. On bulletin boards, catalogs and other resources in which you yourself posted a link, you must make the changes yourself.

 

SEO Requirements for Website Redesign

 

Alteration of a site, one way or another, requires the participation of programmers and optimizers. They make significant changes to the code. You can get a double benefit from this work if they follow the following recommendations:

Using CNC. The address of the page should clearly indicate what information it contains.

Headlines. The page must contain one heading H1, as well as several H2 and H3.

Menu items. The name of the menu items should not overlap with the headings on the page.

Meta tags. The meta keywords, title, and description should be filled in according to current recommendations and rules.

Images. Image files must be named meaningfully, as well as indicate relevant alternative text for each of them.

We also recommend that you verify that the Robots.txt file is configured correctly and that there is a link to the site map in XML format inside.

 

Updating content on the site

 

When the contractor gives you the results of the work, updating the site is still not complete. In fact, this task should become a separate business process, so that your resource seems interesting, relevant and lively not only for visitors but also for search engines.

 

First, prepare the necessary content for all new blocks and pages. Secondly, appoint those responsible for publishing news, articles, photos, updating the portfolio, review pages and other sections of the site. And finally, thirdly, make sure that the contact information and work schedule are always up to date. All this you can do, your employee. However, most often such work is given for a row.

 

How much does a site upgrade cost

 

The cost of redesigning the site is calculated individually for each project. This depends not only on the number of pages that require processing but also on the complexity of the project used by the CMS, the necessary work. The individual calculation allows you to determine the fair price for each application. For questions about ordering a website redesign, write to our email address [email protected] or you can fill out an online application form or contact us by phone: 00971 567300683 We will be happy to work with you!