The need to change the structure of the site may arise for various reasons. And in such cases, there is always a fear of losing target traffic, positions in the issue, external link weight.
All this can be saved - the main thing is to know how to competently change the structure of the site. There is no reason to panic here: it is enough to carefully assess all risks and try to minimize them.
Preparatory work before changing the site structure
Before you start, think: is it really necessary to change the structure of the site ? Maybe it is enough to update the design, and leave everything else as it was? If you really do not like the current structure of the site, then you need to prepare for future work.
The plan of action is approximately as follows:
- Determine the current position of the site on the main requests. This is easily done with the help of specialized services. For example, TopVizora or Seolib. Feel free to change URLs of pages with low positions. If necessary, they can be removed. And the pages that are in the TOP should be paid close attention.
- Analyze the traffic. Use the functionality of Yandex.Metriky or Google Analytics - and see which pages bring traffic. Note that high positions are not a guarantee that many users will visit the page.
- Analyze the external reference weight. Use specialized services such as Ahrefs or Linkpad. As an alternative, the functionality of Yandex.Webmaster or Google Search Console is suitable. Pages with low traffic and low positions can be deleted. And with the rest, you have to work to save the current result.
By the way, if links were bought on link exchanges, and you still have access to personal accounts, this makes things much easier. After all, changing the page address is performed by webmasters at the first request.
And if they were obtained naturally (users recommended the site) or were placed on popular sites through personal communication with the owners, then you will have to sweat. Most likely, you will have to sacrifice part of the links - but why not do it for the sake of changing the site.
Learn also : How to create a site using a free site builder .
Work is needed to maintain traffic and site positions
When the preparatory work is done, it's time to move on to changing the site structure itself:
- Delete unnecessary pages. Old pages do not always have a place on a new site. For example, for new products that have appeared in the store assortment, it is better to create new pages, rather than edit the old ones.
- Change page URLs. If CNC links were not used on the web resource, fix it. Sometimes when you change the structure, new sections may appear or old sections may disappear, and the current URL will change. But when the links get a clear look, it is an additional plus from the SEO point of view. And to save traffic, it is quite simple to redirect external links.
- Set up 301 redirects. With the help of a 301 redirect, users will be able to get to the site, even following old links posted on various Internet sites. It will help keep most of the weight off. Although it may take several weeks to several months for everything to return to its original place.
Results
Now you know how the structure of the site changes. There is nothing complicated here. It is necessary to consistently analyze the structure of the site, determine positions, traffic, link profile, and perform the main work. And to save all the work, it is enough to set up a 301 redirect and, if possible, change the URL in external links.
By the way, when changing the structure, you can switch to more reliable website hosting . Especially if the previous one failed in this regard. The site must be available 24/7, so reliable hosting is a prerequisite for its stable operation.
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