Plan a website relaunch without loss of visibility
By Kevin Kröger, Geschäftsführer, Software und Plattformbetrieb
A secure relaunch begins with a complete URL inventory and a clear target decision for each page. Internal links, canonicals, sitemap and permanent server-side redirects must point to the final URL. After the switch, crawling, errors and visibility will be monitored.
Which URLs belong in the inventory?
Use existing sitemaps, analytics data, server logs and known external links. Also capture images and downloads when they are searched or linked. Evaluate each URL based on content, demand, overlap, and future destination.
What does a good redirect look like?
An old URL leads directly to the most relevant new destination with a permanent server-side redirect. Chains and blanket redirects to the homepage are avoided. Google recommends creating the association in advance and testing it after the switch.
What will be checked after launch?
Control response codes, canonicals, sitemap, internal links, indexing reports and server errors. Expect temporary fluctuations as search systems revisit old and new URLs. Redirects should persist in the long term.
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Frequently asked questions
- Do permanent redirects fundamentally lose ranking signals?
- Google states that 301 and other permanent redirects do not cause PageRank loss. What remains crucial is a suitable target without chains.
- Can the new page be noindex during development?
- Yes. Before the launch, however, it must be checked that indexing of the released pages is permitted again.