Relaunch: new website, old addresses stay.
When a website is rebuilt, Google hits and links are often lost. Here you learn why that happens and how to prevent it.
By Patryk Awierianow ·
In a relaunch, a website is rebuilt. The old addresses must point to the new ones, otherwise links and Google hits lead nowhere. We record all old addresses and links, redirect them cleanly, check everything before launch and monitor afterwards. We cannot guarantee any ranking.
Why old addresses matter so much
Imagine your shop moves but nobody tells the customers. Anyone who comes to the old address finds nothing. Websites work the same way: your old site has collected addresses, Google hits and links from other sites over the years. That is capital. If an old address leads nowhere after the rebuild, visitors are lost and Google rates the site lower.
/contact.html/contact//services.php?id=4/services/websites//about-us/about-us/What must not be lost in a relaunch
- Addresses: every old address gets a destination: keep it, send it to the matching new page with a 301 redirect or remove it deliberately.
- Backlinks: links from other websites (backlinks) stay valid and lead on to you instead of an error page.
- Technology: the new site is fast, mobile, multilingual and has current structured data, ready for Google and AI searches.
How we go about it
- 01Inventory
Record all addresses, pages and backlinks.
- 02Plan
Set the destination for every address.
- 03Rebuild
Design, technology and content.
- 04Test
Check the redirects before launch.
- 05Launch and monitoring
Watch and fine-tune.
After launch we watch error pages and indexing. We keep the redirects for at least a year.
Two ways
- A new website with us: if you order a new website from us (Motion or Motion + Booking), carrying over your old addresses and backlinks is part of it.
- Reworking your existing website: we modernise technology, speed, structure and structured data of your current site. That is an add-on at extra cost.
Honestly: rankings can change after a relaunch. We limit the risk through planning, testing and monitoring, but we cannot guarantee it. For sites on a closed website-builder system there can be limits on the addresses. We tell you beforehand.
To keep the new site in shape afterwards, the article Maintenance explains what regular care brings. More about SEO is in the article SEO explained simply. Costs are on the prices page or, after we check your site, in the offer.
Terms in this article
Explained simply, without jargon.
- Relaunch
- An existing website is rebuilt. What matters: the old addresses must point to the new ones, otherwise Google hits and links are lost. More
- 301 redirect
- A permanent redirect from an old address to a new one. Visitors and Google land automatically on the matching new page. More
- Backlink
- A link from another website to yours. For Google it is like a recommendation: the better the recommending site, the more it counts. More
- Indexing
- Google adds a page to its directory. Only indexed pages can appear on Google. More
- SEO (search engine optimization)
- The work of making Google understand your website better and show it more often. It is not a trick but regular work on technology, content and trust. More
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my Google rankings?
With a plan, clean redirects and monitoring we limit the risk strongly. There is no guarantee, and short fluctuations after launch are possible.
What is a 301 redirect?
A permanent redirect from an old address to a new one. Visitors and Google land on the matching new page.
What are backlinks?
Links from other websites to yours. They are an important trust signal for Google.
More on this: matching pages and projects
Keep reading
Technology, security and being up to date.
Read →From idea to online, without a template.
Read →What Google checks and what we do about it.
Read →Interested? Just write to us.
If you are interested, just write to us: on WhatsApp or by email. We reply quickly and explain everything in plain words.