Disclosure: This post has affiliate links. I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally believe in. More info on my Privacy Policy page.
Why a Website Redesign is Often Needed to Improve SEO
Table of Contents
Websites are changing. The way in which we browse the internet and find services we need is changing. This, too, likely means that at some point, your own website is going to need to change to keep up with the evolving landscape. Google has rolled out a number of updates to its search ranking algorithm over the past few years that have really altered the way in which we think about SEO. It’s no longer just about keywords – it’s about regular, organic content. It’s about on-page SEO techniques first, and off-page later. It’s about an enhanced user experience. It’s also, most importantly, about ease of use.
Backlinks, social media indicators and other metrics are still the backbone of most campaigns but the SEO landscape is slowly changing. With trends moving in favour of society browsing the internet via mobile as opposed to desktop, can you really say that your website is ready for the mobile revolution? Does it look the part? Is it easy to use? If you’ve not considered these points or are unsure about which route to take, worry not – as help is certainly at hand.
Time For a Change
You may subscribe to the idea that a change is as good as a rest – it’s a sensible mantra to stick to! It has no better relevance than to your web presence – as the internet landscape changes, you are going to be left behind by major shifts in conversion rate optimisation techniques and other movements that work with Google’s regular changes to its ranking patterns. That is, unless you make a change. By partnering with a quality SEO trained web development team to work on a redesign of your website, you not only benefit from a new lick of paint, but your entire online presence can undergo a painless overhaul. This means that, ultimately, your ethos, brand and message stay exactly the same – but the way that you sell yourself, and the way that people can find you, changes dramatically.
On-Page and Off-Page
The most important distinction to make with SEO when it comes to a complete redesign of your website is to understand the difference between ‘on-page’ and ‘off-page’. On-page solely focuses on the factors that make up a great website – your visual appeal, ease of use, your content, your tags, headings, titles and loading speeds – factors that are more likely to contribute to enticing visitors to stay on your website and the overall foundation of the site. Off-page, however, focuses on your reputation and relationship elsewhere on the internet – which can be bolstered with links to and from trusted authorities, the manner through which your website is being discussed on social media, and more besides.
As it goes, a website redesign will focus mainly on getting that first impression just right. This means keeping a tight focus on on-page elements – how does your page look? Does it function well across several devices? Does it contain organic content? These are all elements that are going to impact positively on Google’s view of you and your website – and will therefore influence your ranking. While you are going to need off-page elements to balance out the recipe, as it were, a web redesign is highly effective at tackling Google’s ranking strategy as well as ensuring visitors stay on-page for longer and convert into profitable new business.
Organic Content
We’ve mentioned organic content briefly and it’s an important topic to address. In the early days of SEO and web design, when Google’s algorithms were still fairly new and appeased by keywords and phrases alone, websites could get away with a lot more. This is, of course, a bad thing. Black Hat SEO doesn’t take into account natural, relevant content that will encourage your readers to stay on-page and potentially make a sale – it just reflects negatively upon your brand and your website. Aiming to create genuinely engaging and beneficial content for your visitors will not only encourage them to keep reading, but they will understand a little more why you are the right people to turn to.
What’s more, believe it or not, Google knows this. Google is now able to analyse whether or not a website is stuffed with keywords and irrelevant content from very early on – and they heavily penalise for it. Google also heavily favours websites that focus on tightening up their on-page strategy. With a website redesign – from aesthetics to functionality and to the content you host – you can focus on enhancing the user experience. This, in 2017, is what Google will be looking for in its top-ranked search results.
Keep Your Brand Alive
Keeping your brand alive through a complete redesign is simple. By working closely with web developers and designers, you’ll be able to discuss exactly how you’d like your website to look – from colours to banners and even fonts. Our team at SEO CoPilot really like to make sure that you are kept at the heart of your project and while we will make suggestions in terms of functionality and practical design.
Get Ahead of the Game
Conversion rate optimisation is always changing, as the ways in which we are engaged with websites and brands as customers continues to shift along with our browsing habits. This means that you are going to need to make use of a number of current and trending CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) techniques, focusing on on-page elements, to be able to compete with the best sites and businesses on the block. This isn’t hard to do at all once you have the right expertise on side – regular visitors are likely to flock to you if you offer simple, attractive web design, content that is easy to read, organic and packed with persuasion, functionality that appeals to mobile users, and regular updates. A website that is left standing or a blog that is never or rarely updated is going to encourage little faith in your core demographic.
A website redesign will not just re-imagine your website’s physical appearance and functionality – it’ll take into account the meat of the matter, too. It’ll take into account all the inner workings of your online presence that need to be brought up to check with the evolution of the internet and its users. Once you have your look and functionality just right – your on-page elements – you can then focus on off-page SEO to develop your web reputation and ranking positions.
What Do I Need To Do?
Your role in your website rejuvenation is simple – you call the shots. You will also need to be open to change – it’s unfortunate that times change and trends move on, but if you want to captivate your audience in new and exciting ways, you are going to need to clean house once in a while. Our team will get to work on the best possible strategy for bringing your website up to current on-page SEO and CRO standards, while retaining your brand image, your thematic colours and your overall goals and aims.
Contact Us
If you’re considering a website redesign, or if you simply need to engage customers following a quiet period, SEO CoPilot can help. Our team are available on a project by project basis, from beginning to end – and from then on, we’ll even maintain your website for you and offer hosting where applicable. For more information on how to bring your website up to code and how to make Google sit up and take notice, call us today on 01246 540869 – and we’ll be happy to start discussing your project with you as soon as you’re ready.
