Will redesigning my website hurt my Google ranking?

Dear Aunty B

I have a very successful business with a website that sells my baby products worldwide. My site is in the top three in Google rankings.

I want to redevelop the site but am worried it will affect my rankings in Google. Am I wrong to worry?

Catherine

Hi Catherine,

I am just putting on my Abracadabra cape ‘cause it’s black magic we’re talking here. The secret inner workings of juggernought Google are a dark art form to most of us and are designed to confuse. I mean what on earth is the purpose of the Google sandbox except to make you feel you are back in kindergarten?

Lost you already? Sorry – just showing off. OK, you are right to worry. The bad news for you is you will lose your hard won place on Google rankings unless you do certain MAGICAL things. In fact you will be tossed back into the sandpit, which means

your site sits in no-man’s-land while a Google spider crawls over your site deciding whether you are important enough to be listed. That can take months.

Web site developer guru Alex White from Reactive Media says there are ways to AVOID being tossed back into the sandpit. Keep the same structure and key words. For example if a section is titled ‘About us’, don’t change it to ‘Who we are.’

Make sure you have a ‘redirect page’ telling Google in its secret language that the site did exist and where it was ranked.

Remember dear reader, that when redeveloping your website you are dealing with NERDS. Now we love nerds because they build websites that WORK. But do they understand your business?

Make sure you explain how important the ranking in Google is and what it does for sales. And ask them how they will ensure the ranking stays the same.

Now I’ll just get my broom stick…

What are you waiting for? Email your questions, problems and issues to auntyb@smartcompany.com.au right now!