What are the best practices for SEO during website redesigns?

Redesigning a website can significantly impact its SEO if not executed properly. Here are best practices to ensure your SEO remains intact or improves during a website redesign:

### Before Redesign:

1. **SEO Audit and Benchmarking**:
   - Conduct a thorough SEO audit of your current website.
   - Benchmark current SEO metrics such as traffic, rankings, and conversions.
   - Identify high-performing keywords, top-ranking pages, and backlink profile.

2. **Set Clear Goals and Priorities**:
   - Define specific SEO goals for the redesign (e.g., improving usability, enhancing mobile-friendliness, maintaining or improving rankings).
   - Prioritize SEO aspects that need attention based on audit findings.

3. **301 Redirect Plan**:
   - Create a comprehensive 301 redirect plan to ensure all old URLs redirect to their corresponding new URLs.
   - Redirect old URLs to the most relevant new pages to preserve link equity and avoid 404 errors.

4. **Content Strategy**:
   - Analyze existing content for quality, relevance, and performance.
   - Identify content gaps and plan new content that aligns with SEO best practices and user intent.

### During Redesign:

1. **Maintain URL Structure**:
   - Preserve existing URL structure whenever possible to maintain SEO equity.
   - Avoid changing URLs unless necessary, and use 301 redirects for any URL changes.

2. **Optimize Site Structure and Navigation**:
   - Design a clear and intuitive site structure that facilitates easy navigation and improves user experience (UX).
   - Implement breadcrumb navigation and internal linking to enhance crawlability and user engagement.

3. **Mobile Optimization**:
   - Ensure the new website is fully responsive and optimized for mobile devices.
   - Test across various screen sizes and devices to ensure consistent user experience.

4. **Technical SEO Implementation**:
   - Implement SEO best practices for technical elements such as meta tags (titles, descriptions), header tags (H1, H2, etc.), and image alt attributes.
   - Validate HTML/CSS, fix broken links, and optimize page loading speed.

5. **Schema Markup**:
   - Incorporate structured data (schema markup) to enhance visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).
   - Use schema markup for important elements like reviews, events, products, and FAQs.

### After Redesign:

1. **Monitor and Analyze**:
   - Monitor SEO metrics closely post-launch (e.g., traffic, rankings, conversions).
   - Use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and third-party SEO tools to track performance.

2. **Fix Issues Promptly**:
   - Address any SEO issues identified post-launch promptly.
   - Fix broken links, crawl errors, and other technical SEO issues.

3. **Content Optimization**:
   - Optimize new and existing content based on post-launch analytics and user feedback.
   - Continue to update and refresh content to maintain relevance and improve SEO performance.

4. **Backlink Audit and Building**:
   - Conduct a backlink audit to ensure all valuable backlinks are retained through proper redirects.
   - Proactively build new backlinks through content promotion, outreach, and partnerships.

5. **Regular Maintenance and Updates**:
   - Regularly maintain and update the website to keep it technically sound and aligned with SEO best practices.
   - Stay informed about SEO trends and algorithm updates to adapt strategies accordingly.

By following these best practices before, during, and after a website redesign, you can minimize risks to your SEO and ensure a smooth transition that enhances your website's performance in search engine rankings.