You're facing indexing issues post a website redesign. How will you navigate through this challenge?

1 Audit Time

Begin with a thorough audit of your website to identify any indexing issues. Utilize tools like Google Search Console to check for crawl errors, which occur when a search engine tries to reach a page on your website but fails. Examine your robots.txt file, which tells search engines which pages not to index, to ensure it's not accidentally blocking important content. Additionally, review your site's navigation and internal linking structure to ensure that search engines can crawl your site efficiently.

2 URL Mapping

If your redesign included changing URLs, you must implement proper redirects, specifically 301 redirects, which permanently move a page from one URL to another. This helps search engines understand where the content has moved, and it also transfers any earned search equity to the new URL. Create a map of old URLs to new ones and ensure that each redirect is functioning correctly to prevent any loss in search engine visibility.

3 Sitemap Update

Updating your sitemap is crucial for indexing. A sitemap is an XML file that lists all important pages of your website, making it easier for search engines to crawl it. After a redesign, it's essential to generate a new sitemap reflecting all the changes and submit it to search engines through their respective webmaster tools. This action informs them that your site has been updated and needs re-crawling.

4 Content Review

Content is king in the realm of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). After a redesign, review your content to ensure it's optimized for search engines with relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and title tags. Fresh, high-quality content is more likely to be indexed quickly. Also, check for duplicate content which can confuse search engines and hinder your site's performance in search results.