Website Redesign & SEO+UX: Avoid Traffic Drops, Keep Your Supporters Happy

Misconception 1:
A Redesign Means a One-Time Full Restyling

A common belief is that redesigning a website involves overhauling everything all at once: the layout, the visuals, the copy, the structure. This “big bang” approach might feel satisfying, but it’s a massive gamble.

Even when the motivation seems valid—improving user experience, fixing “dated” layouts, or simply matching a new brand direction—changing everything at once means you lose the ability to understand what worked and what didn’t. You also give Google no time to adapt. This can result in major drops in search rankings, reduced traffic, and even a complete disappearance from Google’s index in severe cases. Such changes can effectively wipe away years of accumulated historical data, link equity, and ranking signals, forcing your site to re-earn its place in search results from scratch.

Misconception 2:
The Website Should Look “Modern”

Many redesigns are driven by nothing more than the feeling that the website “looks old.” Maybe it hasn’t been updated in a few years. Maybe the layout feels uninspiring to the designer. Maybe it doesn’t match current design trends.

But here’s the truth: age alone is never a valid reason to redesign. An older site might be performing exceptionally well in search, converting visitors, and offering a familiar interface to returning users. Changing it just to chase a “modern look” is a major risk—especially if the changes aren’t backed by data.

A redesign motivated by design fatigue or the desire to impress stakeholders might temporarily boost morale, but it can also alienate loyal users, destroy search visibility, and tank conversions.

Misconception 3:
The Site Should Use Trendy Styles and Techniques

“Glassmorphism,” “micro-interactions,” “parallax scrolling,” or the latest animation effects might be trending in design communities, but trends come and go. Besides, what works for a tech startup’s homepage might confuse or slow down your audience.

Trendy doesn’t mean effective. Adding bloated scripts, animations, or unconventional layouts may actually degrade performance, especially on mobile devices, where most users browse today.

Ask yourself: is the style supporting your goal, or is it just there to look impressive?

Design trends should serve your audience—not distract from the message. If a trend improves usability and has been validated by your data, great. Otherwise, stick with what works.

Misconception 4:
A Web Designer’s First Impression Matters

Many redesigns are influenced by the web designer’s first impression: “This site feels clunky,” “The layout is confusing,” “I don’t like the fonts.” But unless your target audience is made up of web designers, their preferences aren’t what matter most.

A designer may be seeing your site with a fresh eye, but that perspective is only relevant if it aligns with your actual users. Are your users teenagers or retirees? Tech-savvy or not? Mostly male or female? On mobile or desktop?

Design should serve the real audience, not someone’s personal taste. What looks “boring” to a designer might be exactly what your users find familiar and effective.

Good design is empathetic and data-driven—not based on gut feelings.

Misconception 5:
Replacing an Image Is Harmless

You might be tempted to replace an image just because it feels outdated or low-quality. But that image might be doing more work than you think—especially when it comes to Google Image Search.

If it’s indexed and ranking, removing or replacing it can lead to lost traffic and visibility. It could also break backlinks or image-based links from other sites. The image might even be contributing to SEO signals tied to the page’s overall performance.

Never underestimate the value of assets that are already indexed.

Misconception 6:
Changing Headings Isn’t Risky

Headings are more than just visual elements—they are vital on-page SEO signals that communicate the structure and semantic hierarchy of your content to search engines. The H1 tag, in particular, is considered the main topic of your page.

If your current headings were based on keyword research, structured for clarity, and performing well in search, changing them could destroy your rankings overnight.

A common error during redesigns is to rewrite headers for “style” or “voice,” ignoring the keywords they originally targeted. In doing so, you might unintentionally de-optimize your pages. If your new headings no longer contain the keywords your page previously ranked for, or if the hierarchy is illogical, Google may re-evaluate your page’s relevance and significantly de-rank it for valuable queries.

Ask yourself: was this heading ranking well? Was it part of a structured SEO strategy? If the answer is yes, don’t touch it without testing alternatives and tracking results.

Misconception 7:
Updating Content is Always Beneficial and Just Makes it “Fresh”

While regular content updates are generally good for SEO, drastic changes during a redesign can be detrimental. If your old content was highly optimized for specific keywords, provided comprehensive answers, and earned valuable backlinks, overhauling it without careful consideration can break that relevance. Content that becomes significantly shorter, changes its core topic, or loses essential keywords will likely lose its ranking power.

Furthermore, changes in surrounding text, internal linking, or even the subtle removal of supporting details can affect Google’s comprehensive understanding of your page’s topic, leading to unexpected declines.

Misconception 8:
Our URLs Are Staying the Same, So We’re Completely Safe From SEO Issues

Maintaining existing URLs is excellent for preserving link equity and reducing redirect complexities, but it doesn’t guarantee SEO safety. Even with unchanged URLs, significant changes to the underlying code, rendering process, or internal linking structure can create new problems.

This kind of caution is exactly what Google’s John Mueller recommended—even in scenarios where neither the content nor the URL structure changes.

Misconception 9:
Google Will Automatically Understand All Changes and Re-index Correctly Without Intervention

This is a perilous assumption. While Google is sophisticated, it relies on clear signals. When you change a page significantly, you’re disrupting its historical profile. Google’s algorithms will need to re-evaluate the page. In the end, it might treat redesigned pages as entirely new—causing them to lose established authority.

🏷️ 1. Title Tag

The Title tag is a short piece of text that tells search engines and users what a page is about. It’s part of the HTML code of your webpage—not something people normally see on your page.

Instead, it usually shows up in two places:

• In Google search results—as the big blue link you click on.
• In the browser tab—at the very top of your browser window.

Here’s what the code looks like:

<head>
<title>Website Redesign & SEO: Avoid Traffic Drops, Keep Rankings—BBCS Redesign Approach™</title>
</head>

📍 Where You See It in Real Life

Let’s say you search for “website redesign” on Google. One of the results might look like this:

BBCS Websites

https://bbcs.it/en/.../website-redesign.html

Website Redesign & SEO: Avoid Traffic Drops, Keep Rankings—BBCS Redesign Approach™

Thinking of Redesigning Your Website? THINK AGAIN—It Could Cost You Everything on Google! Learn how to apply the BBCS Redesign Approach™ to redesign your website without losing SEO rankings.

That top blue headline? That’s pulled straight from the Title tag (unless Google rewrites it, which it sometimes does).

🔍 Why the Title Tag Matters for SEO

• It helps Google understand your page. The Title tag gives search engines a clear signal about your content.
• It influences your rankings. A well-written, keyword-relevant title can help you appear higher in search results.
• It affects clicks. This is huge! If your title is boring, vague, or confusing, fewer people will click—even if you’re ranked high. So it’s not just about where you rank—it’s also about whether users choose to click.

Remember: if the page performs well, treat its Title tag with extreme care.

📝 2. Meta Description

A Meta Description is a short summary of what a webpage is about. Like the Title tag, it’s part of the HTML code, so users typically don’t see it on the page itself.

Instead, it often shows up right under the title in Google search results.

Here’s what the code looks like:

<head>
<meta name="description" content="Thinking of Redesigning Your Website? THINK AGAIN—It Could Cost You Everything on Google! Learn how to apply the BBCS Redesign Approach™ to redesign your website without losing SEO rankings.">
</head>

📍 Where You See It in Real Life

Let’s say you search for “website redesign” on Google. One result might look like this:

BBCS Websites

https://bbcs.it/en/.../website-redesign.html

Website Redesign & SEO: Avoid Traffic Drops, Keep Rankings—BBCS Redesign Approach™

Thinking of Redesigning Your Website? THINK AGAIN—It Could Cost You Everything on Google! Learn how to apply the BBCS Redesign Approach™ to redesign your website without losing SEO rankings.

That second part—the little paragraph below the title? That’s pulled from the Meta Description (unless Google decides to use something else from the page).

🔍 Why the Meta Description Matters for SEO

Technically, the Meta Description doesn’t directly affect your rankings in Google. But it’s still super important.

Here’s why:

• It encourages clicks—think of it as the ad copy for your page.
• It can increase your click-through rate (CTR)—which can indirectly boost your rankings over time.
• It lets you influence how your page appears in search results (unless Google rewrites it, which it sometimes does if it thinks another part of your page is more relevant).

Remember: if the page performs well, treat its Meta Description with extreme care.

🏷️ 3. H1 Tag

The H1 tag (short for “Heading 1”) is usually the main headline of a webpage. It’s part of the visible content—so unlike the Title tag or Meta Description, you actually see it on the page itself.

It tells both users and search engines what the main topic of the page is.

Here’s what the code looks like:

<h1>Website Redesign & SEO: Avoid Traffic Drops, Keep Rankings</h1>

📍 Where You See It in Real Life

When you land on a blog post, article, or product page, the big, bold headline at the top? That’s usually the H1.

For example:

Website Redesign & SEO: Avoid Traffic Drops, Keep Rankings

👆 This is the H1 that sets the stage for the rest of the content.

🔍 Why the H1 Tag Matters for SEO

• Tells Google what the page is about—it’s one of the first places search engines look for clues about your content.
• Improves readability and structure—It helps users immediately understand what they’re reading.
• Supports your keywords—Including your main keyword in the H1 can help reinforce your page’s relevance.

While not a magic SEO button, a well-written H1 helps with both search engine understanding and user engagement—which is a win-win.

Remember: if the page performs well, treat its H1 tag with extreme care.

🔗 4. URL Structure

A URL (short for Uniform Resource Locator) is just the web address of a page—like the one you type or click to get to a website.

The URL structure is how those addresses are organized across your site. It’s the layout or format of your links—how clean, readable, and logical they are.

Here’s an example:

https://bbcs.it/en/how-to-build-a-professional-website/seo/website-redesign.html

Let’s break it down:

• https:// = the protocol (the secure version of the web)
• bbcs.it = your domain name
• /en/how-to-build-a-professional-website/seo/ = a category path with folders and subfolders
• website-redesign.html = the specific page

🧭 Why URL Structure Matters

A good URL structure helps both people and search engines:

✅ For users:

• It’s easier to read, understand, and remember.
• They can often guess where they are just by looking at the URL.

✅ For Google:

• Clean URLs help Google understand the topic and structure of your site.
• URLs with relevant keywords can boost SEO (a little).
• A well-structured URL makes it easier to crawl and index your site.

🔍 Good vs. Bad URL Structure

Good:

https://www.example.com/blog/seo-tips

✅ Clear
✅ Descriptive
✅ Easy to read

Bad:

https://www.example.com/index.php?id=47382&cat=99

🚫 Confusing
🚫 No context
🚫 Hard to remember or share

Remember: if the page performs well, treat its URL structure with extreme care.

🧾 5. Page Content

The page content—or body text—is the main part of your webpage. It’s everything a visitor can read, watch, or interact with after the page loads.

In short: it’s what your page is actually about.

This includes:

• Paragraphs of text
• Headings (like H2s and H3s)
• Images with captions
• Videos
• Bullet points or lists
• Internal links
• Product descriptions, blog posts, and how-to guides.

It lives inside the HTML like this:

<body>
<h1> ... </h1>
...
<h2>SEO-Vital Elements to Treat with Extreme Care</h2>
<p>Every on-page element contributes to SEO in some way, but some carry a lot more weight...</p>
...
</body>

So, when someone visits your page, the body content is what they read and scroll through—it’s the meat of the page.

🔍 Why Page Content Matters (a lot!)

Page content is one of the most important SEO elements. Why?

Because it tells search engines and readers:

• What your page is about
• How useful and complete it is
• Whether it deserves to rank for a certain search

Search engines like Google analyze your content to decide:

• Is this content relevant to the search?
• Is it original, helpful, and clear?
• Is it better than other pages on the same topic?

If your content answers a searcher’s question really well, you’re more likely to show up high in the results.

When redesigning, if your page was previously ranking for specific keywords that drove traffic and conversions, altering the content—especially removing or rewriting key phrases—can break that relevance. This happens often when content is shortened, over-simplified, or updated without regard for SEO.

Even “improving” content with better grammar or readability can be risky if it involves changing or removing terms that originally helped you rank.

Remember: if the page performs well, treat its content with extreme care.

🔗 6. Internal Links

Internal links are links that go from one page on your website to another page on your same website.

So if you’re reading a blog post and click on a link that takes you to another article, a product page, or your homepage—all within the same site—that’s an internal link.

Here’s what one looks like in HTML:

<a href="/bbcs-approach-principles.html" title="BBCS Approaches.">Principles behind the BBCS Redesign Approach™</a>

This would link to the BBCS approach principles page on the same website.

🧭 Why Internal Links Matter

Internal links are a big deal for both SEO and user experience. Here’s why:

✅ For your visitors:

• They help people navigate your site more easily.
• They point readers to related content they might be interested in.
• They keep visitors on your site longer, which is great for engagement.

✅ For search engines (like Google):

• They help search engines find and index all your pages.
• They show which pages are most important (more links = more importance).
• They help Google understand how different pages are connected.

Think of internal links as the map and pathways that guide Google and your visitors through your site.

📚 Real-Life Example

Let’s say we wanted to add here in this article a link that takes you to another article within our same website bbcs.it. We’d write:

“To understand the strategy that guides every visual and structural decision, take a look at the principles behind the BBCS redesign approach™.”

That blue link to the page “principles behind the BBCS redesign approach™”? That’s how an internal link would appear.

Simple, helpful, and effective.

Remember: if the page performs well, treat its Internal Links (and those from other pages) with extreme care.

🖼️ 7. Image Alt Text

Alt text (short for alternative text) is a short description you add to an image in your website’s HTML code.

People don’t usually see it on the page, but it’s there behind the scenes to describe the image.

Here’s an example of what it looks like in code:

<img src="https://bbcs.it/images/redesign-all-at-once.avif" alt="Two hands taking all HTML elements at once from a box left empty.">

That alt part is the alt text—it tells people (and search engines) what the image is about.

👩‍🦯 Why Alt Text Is Important

Alt text plays two big roles:

✅ 1. Accessibility
If someone is blind or visually impaired and using a screen reader, the alt text is what gets read out loud to them. It’s how they “see” the image.

✅ 2. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Google and other search engines can’t “see” images like humans can—at least, not yet. They rely on alt text to understand what the image is showing. If it’s well-written and relevant, it can help your images appear in Google Image Search and improve your page’s overall SEO.

🔍 Real-Life Example

Let’s say you have a page like this one with a picture illustrating the importance of safely redesigning your website by changing one thing at a time. Instead of leaving the image blank or just calling it “image1.jpg,” you write:

<img src="https://bbcs.it/images/redesign-one-thing-at-a-time.avif" alt="A hand picking only the H1 HTML element from a box containing also other elements like image, title, description, and keyword.">

That description helps both screen readers and Google understand what’s in the image.

Remember: if the page performs well, treat the alt text of all its images with extreme care.

🏷️ 8. Header Tags (H2, H3, etc.)

H2, H3, H4, and so on are called heading tags. They’re used to organize your content into sections and make your page easier to read—for both people and search engines.

Think of them like the subheadings in a book:

• H1 (as we said) is the title of the page (you usually only use one of these).
• H2 is for main sections.
• H3 is for subsections under an H2.
• H4, H5, and H6 go even deeper, like layers within layers.

Here’s an example:

<h1>Discover the BBCS Redesign Approach™</h1>
...
<h2>Step 1: Identify What’s Working</h2>
...
<h3>High Search Engine Rankings</h3>
...
<h3>Consistent Organic Traffic</h3>
...
...
<h2>Step 2: Protect What’s Already Working</h2>
...
<h2>Step 3: Change One Thing at a Time</h2>
...

See how that creates a clear structure?

📚 Why Heading Tags Matter

✅ For readers:

• They make content easier to scan and navigate.
• People can quickly find the section they care about.

✅ For search engines:

• They help Google understand the structure and topics of your page.
• They show which parts of your content are most important.
• They give extra context to your keywords.

Think of headings like road signs that guide both your visitors and search engines through your content.

Remember: if the page performs well, treat its H2, H3, etc. with extreme care.

Step 1: Identify What’s Working

Before you touch a single pixel or line of code, you need to know what your website is already doing well. That means looking at actual results—not just how the site looks or feels, but how it performs.

Ask yourself:

Is it ranking well on Google? Mentioned in AI Overviews? Bringing in leads? Making sales? Getting repeat visitors?

Here are 14 real-world signals that show your website is pulling its weight. Even if just a few of these are strong, it’s a sign you’ve got something worth protecting.

👍 1. Revenue Generation

Ultimately, this is the strongest sign: your website is bringing in money. Whether it’s product sales, bookings, subscriptions, or services—sales = success.

How to measure:

• Use the reports of Google Analytics (GA4) under “Reports” > “Business objectives” > “Drive sales”.
• Monitor platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Stripe for direct sales reports.

👍 2. Lead Generation

A website that convinces visitors to take action—subscribe, fill out a form—is doing its job. Strong sites convert traffic into value.

How to measure:

• To set up key events for things like form completions in GA4, go to “Admin” > “Property settings” > “Data display” > “Events” > “Create”.
• To view key event counts in GA4, see the “Key events” column included in many reports such as the “Landing pages” or “User acquisition” reports.
• Use tools like HubSpot, Mailchimp, or CRM dashboards to count new leads.

👍 3. AI Mentions and High Search Engine Rankings

If a page ranks on the first page of Google, especially in the top 3 spots or in any AI answer, it’s considered a top performer. This shows the content is optimized, relevant, and trusted by Google.

How to measure:

• Use tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest to track keyword rankings.
• Search your target keywords manually in an incognito browser.

👍 4. Consistent Organic Traffic

Getting steady traffic from Google and other search engines over time means your site is being found naturally—without paying for ads. That’s a key sign of a healthy, discoverable site.

How to measure:

• Check GA4 under “Reports” > “Life cycle” > “Acquisition” > “Traffic acquisition” > “Organic Search”.
• Track visits over time—look for steady or growing trends.

👍 5. Low Bounce Rate

If people land on your site and leave immediately, that’s a bad sign. A low bounce rate (depending on the page’s purpose) means visitors are finding what they expected—and staying to explore.

How to measure:

• By default, most reports in GA4 do not include the “Bounce rate” column, but you can add it clicking the pencil in the upper-right corner of the report, then “Metrics” > “Add metric” > “Bounce rate” > “Apply” > “Save...” > “Save changes to current report”.
• The bounce rate will be shown as a %—lower is better.

👍 6. High Engagement

Metrics like time on page, pages per session, or scroll depth show that users are truly interacting with your content—not just clicking and leaving.

How to measure:

• In GA4, look at metrics like “Average engagement time per active user” and “Views per active user”.
• In Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity, view scroll maps and session replays.

👍 7. Strong Click-Through Rate (CTR)

If people see your page in search results and actually click on it, that’s a good sign your Title tag and Meta Description are doing their job.

How to measure:

• In Google Search Console, check “Performance” > “CTR” for each keyword or page.
• A CTR above 3–5% is usually a healthy sign (depending on position).

👍 8. Returning Visitors

If users come back to your site regularly, it means you’re providing ongoing value—through content, product offerings, or brand trust.

How to measure:

• In GA4, check “User” metrics > “New users” vs. “Returning users”.
• Look for a solid balance between new and returning users.

👍 9. Positive ROI from Paid Campaigns

If you’re running ads (Google Ads, social media, etc.) and your site turns that traffic into profitable conversions, it means it’s working well with your marketing efforts.

How to measure:

• In Google Ads, compare ad spend vs revenue or leads (ROAS = Return on Ad Spend).
• Use GA4 to attribute conversions to campaigns.

👍 10. Strong Brand Awareness

If people search for your business name or land on your site directly (no referral), that’s a sign they already know and trust your brand.

How to measure:

• In GA4, look under “Reports” > “Business objectives” > “Generate leads” > “Traffic acquisition” > “Direct”.
• In Google Search Console, check branded keyword searches (e.g., your company name).

👍 11. Social Shares and Referrals

If people are sharing your content or linking to your site from theirs, that’s powerful social proof and can help drive traffic and boost SEO.

How to measure:

• In GA4, look at “Reports” > “Business objectives” > “Generate leads” > “Traffic acquisition” > “Referral”.
• Use tools like BuzzSumo or SharedCount to track shares.
• Check backlinks using Ahrefs or SEMrush.

👍 12. Positive User Feedback and Testimonials

Real feedback—either through surveys, reviews, or spontaneous praise—means your site is doing what it’s supposed to: helping real people.

How to measure:

• Collect manually from emails, reviews, surveys, or user interviews.
• Monitor Google Reviews, Trustpilot, G2, etc.

👍 13. Good Core Web Vitals

Google’s metrics like loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability of the page matter for rankings and user experience. Scoring well here means a strong technical foundation.

How to measure:

• Use Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, or Search Console > “Core Web Vitals”.
• Focus on metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (ok if < 2.5 seconds), Cumulative Layout Shift (ok if < 0.1), and Interaction To Next Paint (ok if < 200 milliseconds).

👍 14. Low Drop-Off in Funnels

If you’re tracking steps in a buying or sign-up process (a sales funnel), a low drop-off rate means people are completing the journey, not quitting halfway through.

How to measure:

• In GA4, create funnels for critical flows (checkout, contact forms).
• In eCommerce platforms (e.g., Shopify), check cart abandonment reports.
• Use Hotjar to visually observe where users drop off.

If you realize that nothing is working (sorry about that 😔), you might want to stop here and consider replacing your website entirely. BBCS Websites can help you make things better. Contact us.

Step 2: Protect What’s Already Working

Fine, it seems you’re still reading. That means your website is performing well on at least a few important points. Well done!

Now that you’ve identified what your website is doing right, don’t rush to change it. A redesign might seem exciting or overdue—but if it puts at risk the results you’re already getting (like rankings, traffic, or conversions), it could do more harm than good.

Before moving forward, ask yourself:

• Do users actually struggle with the current design?
  If not, a full redesign might be unnecessary. Sometimes small tweaks go further than big changes.
• Are you solving a real problem or just chasing trends?
  Redesigns driven by “it looks outdated” or “we just want something fresh” can lead to costly mistakes if not backed by data.
• What would you lose if you started from scratch?
  That top-ranking blog post, that product page that brings in leads, or that high-converting layout—these might not survive a full overhaul unless you’re careful.

If your site is performing well in key areas, consider improving around the edges instead of wiping the slate clean. At the very least, make sure any redesign plan includes strategies to preserve your current SEO performance, user flow, and conversion paths.

Sometimes the smartest move is not a full redesign but a smart evolution.

Step 3: Change One Thing at a Time

So you’ve decided a redesign is worth the risk. Great—but now, go slow.

Don’t change everything at once. If you update the layout, rewrite the content, and swap out the SEO tags all in one go, how will you know what worked—or what backfired?

Instead, change one thing at a time—the layout or the content or the Title tag—and give it a little time to see how it performs.

Then ask:

Did rankings drop? Did conversions go up? Are people clicking more or staying longer?

Here’s how to measure the impact of each change:

• Use Google Analytics
  Check for changes in traffic, bounce rate, time on page, and conversion rate. Look at trends before and after the change.
• Use Google Search Console
  See if impressions, average position, or click-through rates go up or down for the page you changed.
• Track conversions manually or with tools
  If the page is meant to drive leads or sales, track form submissions, purchases, or any other key action.
• Take notes before and after
  Keep a simple log of what you changed and when. Even a basic spreadsheet helps you connect changes with outcomes.
• Give it time
  Most changes need at least a week or two (sometimes more) to show clear patterns. Don’t rush to judge.
• Remember: treat your redesign like a series of experiments, not a single, sweeping makeover. That’s how you build a site that truly improves, without accidentally breaking what was already working.
• Optional: Try A/B Testing for Clearer Insights
  If you have enough traffic, you can run an A/B test—where half your visitors see version A and the other half see version B. It’s a great way to find out what actually works, without guessing.
  Tools like VWO, Optimizely, or even built-in options from platforms like WordPress or Shopify make this easier than you’d think.

Step 4: Keep What Works

By now, you’ve tested a few changes and seen what actually made a difference. Some updates improved performance—maybe a cleaner layout boosted conversions, or a more focused headline led to more clicks.

Now it’s time to lock in those wins.

Once something works, make it the new standard for that page. This prevents backsliding and ensures you’re consistently delivering a better experience. Keep notes. Save the results. Document what changes you made, what worked, and what didn’t. It’ll make future updates faster, easier, and far less stressful.

Step 5: Apply It Elsewhere (with Caution)

Don’t stop at a single win. Look for ways to apply what worked in one area to other parts of your site—carefully.

Ask yourself:

• Did a new product page layout lead to more purchases?
  Try rolling it out to other product pages.
• Did a new headline increase click-throughs?
  Apply that same tone or structure to other high-traffic pages.
• Did removing clutter improve engagement?
  See where else you can simplify things.

This step is about building momentum. But always validate before assuming success will translate—what works in one context might not in another. Test, observe, and adapt.

Step 6: Monitor Closely After Changes

Even after you’ve tested and launched your updates, your work isn’t done. Now’s the time to keep a close eye on how the site behaves in the real world.

Sometimes a change that seemed smart in theory has side effects you didn’t expect—like a dip in search rankings, a drop in mobile speed, or confused users not finding what they need.

Here’s how to stay on top of things:

• Check Google Analytics regularly
  Look for sudden changes in traffic, bounce rate, or conversions. Compare before and after.
• Watch Search Console
  Rankings can shift unexpectedly after changes, especially if you’ve edited Title tags, headings, or page structure.
• Talk to real users
  Ask customers or colleagues for feedback. Are they finding what they need? Are they confused by anything?
• Test across devices
  Double-check how everything looks and works on mobile, tablet, and different browsers. Something as small as a shifted button can hurt conversions.
• Set a reminder to review again
  Don’t just look once. Set a reminder for 1 week, then 1 month, to compare progress.

Think of this step like checking your mirrors after changing lanes. You might be on the right track—but it never hurts to make sure.

Step 7: Consider Working with an SEO Expert

Redesigning a website without losing performance isn’t just about how it looks—it’s about how it’s found, how it functions, and how it converts.

Even if you’re handling things well so far, an experienced SEO expert can bring a fresh set of eyes, spot risks you might miss, and help you make smarter, faster decisions.

An expert can:

• Audit your current site to find hidden SEO strengths and weak spots.
• Help you prioritize what to keep, tweak, or improve.
• Set up proper tracking so you don’t fly blind.
• Ensure redirects, technical fixes, and metadata changes are done right.
• Catch potential issues before they cost you rankings or traffic.

If SEO is critical to your business (and it often is), it’s worth having someone in your corner who lives and breathes this stuff.

This is exactly what the BBCS Redesign Approach™ is designed for: protecting what works, improving what doesn’t, and guiding you through smart, SEO-safe changes.

Contact us if you’d like to talk about your website’s next move.

1. “We want a fresh start.”

Some see a redesign like hitting the reset button. They feel the current site is outdated, messy, or off-brand, so they’re tempted to throw everything out and start clean.

The risk: You might throw away elements that are quietly working—like search rankings or strong conversion copy.

A smarter way: Get your fresh start in stages. First, identify and keep what’s working (even if it’s hidden under an outdated look). Then redesign around those strengths. You still get a clean, modern site—but with proven performance built in.

2. “We’re under pressure to launch everything by a deadline.”

Stakeholders want everything done by a specific launch date. That leads to rushing and doing everything at once—design, content, SEO, UX—all bundled together.

The risk: A rushed launch can lead to SEO loss, broken links, and user confusion that’s hard to recover from.

A smarter way: Launch in phases. Focus first on key pages or sections—those that matter most to your business. Let the rest follow after testing and fine-tuning. You stay on schedule and reduce the risk of hidden damage.

3. “We’re rebranding or merging.”

In cases of full rebrands or company mergers, everything does need to change—from visuals to tone to structure. It can feel easier (or more aligned) to relaunch all at once.

The risk: You might lose existing traffic or trust built around the old structure.

A smarter way: Plan a guided transition, not a sudden switch. Redirect old URLs carefully. Retain top-performing content and reshape it to match the new brand. Keep users and search engines oriented as you gradually evolve your identity.

4. “Nothing seems to be working anyway.”

If they haven’t tracked performance, they assume nothing’s working—and so they feel free to rebuild from scratch.

The risk: You might be missing subtle successes—like a page that ranks well or a layout users respond to.

A smarter way: Run a quick audit before wiping the slate clean. If there truly is nothing worth saving, you’ll know—and you can move forward with a bold redesign confidently. But if there is something working, now you can protect it.

5. “We saw someone else do it—and it looked great.”

A business owner sees a competitor launch a flashy new site and decide to follow suit.

The risk: Every site has different strengths and goals. What works for one site might not work for yours.

A smarter way: Take inspiration from others, but test with your own users and data. You can absolutely refresh your site to look modern and competitive—just do it while keeping an eye on your unique goals and audience behavior.

6. “The new design is clearly better.”

Some truly believe the new design is so much better that it must perform better.

The risk: Design and performance aren’t always aligned. Even great-looking changes can unintentionally hurt usability, SEO, or conversions.

A smarter way: Test the new design in parts—on a few pages, or with A/B testing if you have the traffic. Let the results guide you. This builds confidence in the new look and ensures it’s helping your business, not just looking good.

Case Study #1: Gawker Media Redesign (February 2011)

On February 7, 2011, Gawker and its sister sites—including Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Jezebel, and Deadspin—rolled out a dramatic redesign. The results were immediate and devastating. Gawker’s U.S. daily unique visitors dropped from 561,000 to 257,000, while Gizmodo saw a similar plunge, from 746,000 to 420,000. According to Sitemeter data, the actual traffic drop may have been even more severe.

Overall, Gawker’s network experienced an 80% drop in total traffic right after the redesign, and a 50% decline over the following two weeks. Many users complained about the unfamiliar interface and poor usability, voicing their frustration in the comment sections. The outcome was a catastrophic loss of visibility and engagement—an outcome that underscores just how risky large-scale redesigns can be when they are not supported by thorough user testing and SEO planning.

Case Study #2: Digg v4 Redesign (August 2010)

Digg’s infamous 2010 redesign—known as “v4”—is a cautionary tale in the tech world. The social news site saw mass user defection almost overnight. According to Computerworld, U.S. traffic dropped 26%, while the U.K. audience fell by 34%.

The redesign triggered widespread backlash. The Guardian reported a user revolt, with power users staging a “Quit Digg Day” and flooding the platform with Reddit links. The Atlantic confirmed a steady traffic decline in the weeks that followed. In a Wired interview, a former top contributor stated plainly: “Digg bled users and traffic” due to the alienating redesign.

Case Study #3: Marks & Spencer E-Commerce Redesign (2014)

Retail giant Marks & Spencer spent £150 million and two years revamping its online store. Unfortunately, the results didn’t meet expectations. As The Guardian reported, online sales dropped by 8% in just three months post-launch. Shareholders were not pleased—and neither were customers.

Negative feedback poured in. One user wrote: “Hate the new website as it is so tricky to use,” while another declared, “Refuse to shop online as the website is the most user-unfriendly and awkward to navigate.” The overhaul, intended to modernize the user experience, ended up driving users away.

Case Study #4: StumbleUpon Redesign (December 2011)

StumbleUpon, a once-popular content discovery platform, introduced a major redesign in December 2011. According to the Wikipedia entry, the platform added new features and UI components, like the “Explore Box”, while removing long-standing elements such as user-generated blog content.

The backlash was swift: within a month, overall site traffic declined by 25%. Users criticized the new interface for being confusing and unfamiliar, and the loss of older content alienated long-time fans. The attempt to reinvent the platform ultimately contributed to its decline in relevance and engagement.

Case Study #5: Anonymous Reports from Reddit and Google Support

Not every redesign failure makes headlines, but platforms like Reddit’s r/bigseo and Google’s official forums are filled with real-world stories from professionals who learned the hard way. One such Reddit user explained how multiple sites they worked on lost significant traffic after a redesign. Despite implementing redirects from old URLs to new ones, they also removed a substantial amount of content, leading to what they described as effectively starting from scratch in Google’s eyes. The user attempted to reintroduce frequently used keywords, but was left wondering how to measure the traffic loss and recover from the setback.

Another anonymous SEO professional shared their experience of working with a local banking client who suffered a 64% drop in direct traffic and a 60% drop in branded organic traffic following a large-scale redesign of their 500-page website. Even though 301 redirects and META data were properly migrated and server errors were minimal, the damage had already been done. Their story highlights that even technically “correct” redesigns—on paper—can cause major traffic losses if deeper SEO factors or user signals are disrupted.

In a Google Search Central support thread, another user described a drastic traffic drop after redesigning a client’s site and updating SEO elements. They questioned whether changing meta titles, descriptions, content style, and design could negatively affect already ranked pages—and the answer is yes. When well-performing metadata or familiar layouts are altered without preserving their SEO value, it can confuse search engines, reduce click-through rates, and ultimately harm rankings. This report serves as a reminder: successful pages should evolve carefully, not be rewritten from the ground up without strategic continuity.

Lessons for Us

We can only speculate about the anonymous professionals who shared their stories on Reddit and Google support, but when it comes to the high-profile failures listed above—from Gawker to Marks & Spencer—one thing is certain: these weren’t amateur efforts. These companies didn’t hand off their redesigns to someone’s “tech-savvy nephew.” They almost certainly hired top-tier agencies and seasoned professionals to carry out the work.

And yet, the outcome was still disastrous. That’s the most sobering lesson of all. If major organizations with access to top resources, research, and design talent can make catastrophic mistakes during a website redesign, then no one is immune. Reputation, budget, or technical capability alone does not guarantee a successful outcome.

Remember: the danger is real. A redesign is not just a visual upgrade—it’s a strategic minefield that affects SEO, user behavior, traffic flow, and business goals. That’s why we created the BBCS Redesign Approach™: a step-by-step framework that helps reduce risks, preserve search visibility, and keep what works while improving what doesn’t. Because even the best companies can get it very wrong—unless the process is handled with humility and precision.

Video 1: Website Redesign: Good to Great – Matt Brunton

Brunton judges the original site purely on looks: “I’m going to break down this real live site. ... What I think we have really is a website that lacks a lot of visual appeal. It’s just kind of boring. We want to give it more life.”

Mistake 1: He changes the headline and merges the original headline and byline into one new sentence, saying: “By using this headline 'Peak website performance' it’s clear that Peak Performance that repetition, that alliteration, uh, it just really sticks so much quicker in that nanosecond within the mind of the reader. The same with this byline. I wanted this to be more of a nice readable sentence, more like prose, so now I’ve combined their headline and their byline into this one sentence in plain English.” All without any keyword analysis.

Mistake 2: He says: “All that detail about estimating return on marketing investment and SEO and all this kind of thing, they can get into that through their website.” Removing such content—likely rich in keywords and business relevance—can cause irreversible SEO damage.

Video 2: Small Business Website Redesign – Maddy Beard

Beard focuses on redesigning a homepage for a coffee house and admits: “One of the most important things is to make sure that we get a photo that really, um, brings across the energy that we want to. What I think my favorite photo was this is what I really liked.”

Mistake 1: Choosing images based on personal taste, not user behavior or performance data. A site isn’t designed for the owner or the designer—it’s for the user.

Mistake 2: She says: “So I came up with 'everyone’s favorite pull-off'. It’s kind of fun.” This kind of subjective tagline creation ignores keyword research entirely. Would anyone search for that?

Mistake 3: She states: “I do want to include this little blurb because um even if it’s not this exact blurb a lot of times it’s good to include a paragraph just for SEO purposes.” This shows a fundamental misunderstanding of SEO. Including text “just because” without strategy can hurt more than help.

Video 3: From Vintage to Modern Website Redesign – Ran Segall

In the video, Segall says: “This is kind of like a boating or Port Services”—which means he doesn’t even fully understand the site’s subject before starting the redesign.

Mistake 1: He replaces the original image simply because, as he says: “uses orange and blue, color which almost looks like the brand color.” Image changes without SEO consideration (e.g. file names, alt text, prior image performance) can hurt rankings.

Mistake 2: On value propositions, he says: “I found this one: 'Creative and Cost Effective Transport Solution First Rate Storage Facilities' so let’s use that.” Again, no keyword analysis or user testing—just a personal pick.

Mistake 3: When simplifying the layout, he says: “I’m going to break down the next section... it’s too much to show.” But was the original content truly “too much”—or simply essential to search performance?

Video 4: Website Redesign #3 | Clean and Premium – Ran Segall

Here, he redesigns a beverage site and says: “I’m actually confused as to what is this drink to begin with. Actually don’t really know what this is.”

Mistake 1: Despite not understanding the product, he still goes on to change key SEO elements like the headline.

Mistake 2: He demotes the strong “summer sale” phrase from heading to button: “We’ve added the summer sale because obviously knowing that we have a sale right now is important, right? So we’ve added that in a text to the actual main call to action button.” But a button doesn’t carry the same SEO weight.

Mistake 3: He justifies the headline change saying: “I don’t really know what this thing is. So I think we can have a more powerful definition or a headline here.” That’s designer-centered thinking—dangerous in a redesign context.

Lessons for Us

These videos, often created by talented and well-meaning designers, show a shocking disregard for SEO when it comes to live websites. In most cases, the changes are visually appealing—but we’re not talking about new sites. We’re talking about redesigns. And that changes everything.

You can’t treat a live, indexed site as a blank canvas. You can’t just assume the original content has no value. Maybe the existing page was ranking #1 in Google. Did anyone check? If it was buried at the bottom of the index, then yes, redesign away. But if it was performing well, replacing it on a hunch is reckless.

The truth is, most of these videos rank highly because their audience consists mostly of designers and developers looking for visual inspiration. The advice they give often works brilliantly for new websites—but not for redesigns of established ones.

To be clear, I often like the visual improvements they make. But liking a design is not the same as validating it with user behavior and SEO performance. You’re not starting from zero—you’re working with something alive and potentially successful. In redesigns, the core rule is simple: leverage what is working. Build on it, don’t destroy it—because what works is the result of hard work. In redesigns, the core rule is simple: leverage on what is working. Build instead of destroy. Because what is working has been the result of hard work.

The biggest pitfall? Designers tend to work from instinct—what they like, what they feel. That’s a dangerous approach. Dear Designer: your feelings don’t matter here. What matters is how real users behave, what they value, and what already works. Maybe your new image, layout, or headline really is better. But until that’s tested and validated, replacing the old one is a gamble.

Redesigns are delicate. Even if the original website had flaws, charging in with the assumption that every change will be an improvement is misguided. And no, saying “you’ll see the benefits in the long run” doesn’t count. This is business. A redesign should protect the client’s investment—not risk it for the sake of aesthetics.

That’s exactly where the BBCS Redesign Approach™ comes in. We don’t redesign for the sake of it. We redesign with data, with search in mind, and above all, with respect for what already works.