This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by WEB5LAB
Redesigning your website is exciting — new UI, faster performance, modern branding.
But here’s the catch: if you don’t plan for SEO, a redesign can destroy your Google rankings overnight.
I’ve seen sites lose 50%+ of organic traffic just because they skipped SEO in the redesign phase.
That’s why I built Redesignr.ai
— an AI-powered tool that helps you redesign your website visually while keeping SEO intact.
In this post, I’ll share the exact SEO checklist you need when redesigning — and show you how AI can make it easier.
Why Redesigns Break SEO
When teams redesign, they often:
Change the URL structure
Remove old but high-ranking pages
Rewrite headings without checking keywords
Forget 301 redirects
The result? Google thinks it’s a brand-new site, and you lose authority.
Website Redesign SEO Checklist
- Crawl & Backup the Current Site
Export all indexed URLs using Screaming Frog or Google Search Console.
Keep a record of titles, meta, and top-ranking keywords.
- Redirect Old URLs to New Ones
Always set up 301 redirects when changing slugs.
Example: /services/web-design → /ai-redesign-services.
http://redesignr.ai/ auto-suggests proper page structure so you don’t lose track of key pages.
- Preserve Content That Ranks
Check which pages bring in the most traffic.
Don’t delete them — redesign them.
With Redesignr.ai, you can refresh layouts without touching the content that’s working.
- Improve Core Web Vitals
A redesign is the perfect time to:
Switch to modern frameworks (Next.js, Vite, etc.)
Optimize images (WebP, AVIF)
Fix CLS and LCP issues.
Redesignr.ai generates clean, SEO-friendly HTML + Tailwind CSS, so your new site runs faster.
- Internal Links & Navigation
Keep Google’s crawl paths alive.
Add contextual links inside content, not just in the nav.
Redesignr.ai automatically creates logical content sections and helps you add extra “wow” sections without breaking SEO flow.
- Submit Updated Sitemap
Generate a new sitemap.xml.
Submit it in Google Search Console.
Fix any indexing or redirect errors immediately.
How AI Helps in SEO-Friendly Redesign
Traditionally, SEO-safe redesigns are time-consuming. But with Redesignr.ai:
You can regenerate layouts without killing rankings.
Auto-suggest semantic headings & Lucide icons for modern look.
Quickly add extra content sections to boost topical authority.
Instead of starting from scratch, you keep your SEO power while upgrading the design.
Wrapping Up
Redesigning your website doesn’t have to mean starting over with SEO.
If you:
Backup current pages,
Redirect properly,
Preserve ranking content,
Improve speed + UX,
…you’ll protect and even boost your Google rankings.
That’s exactly why I built Redesignr.ai
— so you don’t have to choose between design and SEO.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by WEB5LAB