By Sean Gough

The biggest mistake one can commit while redesigning their website is thinking of the process as a simple facelift. Reconsider that notion. Believing the work is done after redesigning the look and function may invite trouble if your search engine optimization components suffer. If SEO suffers, so will your site’s search ranking.

Suppose your website is ranked near the top of your niche. Organic search is working in your favor, but you think the site could use some updates and upgrades. Failing to keep in mind all the SEO work you have done over the years while you redesign may undo all that hard work, sending your site into a headlong tumble to the bottom of the search engine results pages.

You don’t want that to happen.

So, how can you save your years of effort? What must you do to keep your site on top after redesigning? Let’s find out.

Audit the website

Auditing your current website is must-do before any overhaul. In the good old days, the more links you had, the better your rankings were. But the good old times are long gone.

Google now penalizes junk links and other scams once used to gain popularity, and that directly affects your site’s ability to get the attention and traffic it needs to generate leads and close deals. The cure? An inbound connection profile review with the objective of recognizing terrible connections that are hurting your site. Dispose of them as soon as possible.

Evaluate content strategy

The content you offer plays a huge role in your website’s ranking. Good content, even when not well optimized, beats well-optimized content of poorer quality. Good content will always get the respect it deserves, and when it is optimized in an outstanding manner, the website will receive the attention it deserves.

You should know your target audiences very well. Ask yourself again and again whether the content you have is good enough for them. Keep your introspection simple, with only one focus in mind: the end-users. Be descriptive about the product as your content is the only way to represent your product. Last but not the least, optimize everything with keywords related to the product and never, ever forget to invoke a call to action (CTA).

Social media strategy

You already know social media is one of the best ways to promote your product. Once you’ve begun working your promotional strategy, it’s important to use social networking channels to reach the audiences you wish to target. Brand awareness and generating trust among consumers should be an integral part of your strategy while you work to increase traffic and conversions to deliver a return on investment.

Evaluate from a technical SEO perspective

After removing the inbound links Google would’ve considered spam (provided you had any), it is time to consider the technical aspects of your website. There are a few questions that should arise at this point:

• How easily can a customer find your website on a search engine?
• Is the content provided well organized and logical?
• Does your site have both HTML and XML sitemaps?
• Have you checked everything using Google’s Webmaster Tools?

Answer all those questions, and the rest of the task will be a smooth joyride. If you think you can’t perform the technical aspects by yourself, seeking professional advice. Frankly, seeking advice from an SEO audit professional may help you save time, money and headaches.

One more thing to keep in mind: Google frequently makes changes in its algorithms, so it is crucial to keep up with the latest updates. Google’s Webmaster Central blog is a good source for the most current information. Reading it frequently may help you stay ahead of your competitors.

Periodic SEO reviews are a good idea, too. When a new algorithm is released, check your existing strategies and tactics to determine whether they need to be adjusted.

Now that you know change is the only constant, resolve to make the appropriate changes in your strategies and bounce back to the top. Good Luck.

Sean Gough is an expert adult marketing consultant and CEO at Adult SEO Maven with over a decade of experience in the online adult industry.