A new website is a big step for many businesses: modern design, better copy, finally mobile-friendly. All the more frustrating when fewer enquiries come in after launch because the site has dropped on Google. It happens more often than you'd think – and can almost always be avoided with good preparation.
Why relaunches can cost rankings
Google has learned your existing pages over years. If addresses change, content disappears or the site becomes slower, the assessment partly starts from scratch. The good news: a well-planned relaunch is a chance to become more visible than before.
The checklist in 10 steps
1. Take inventory
Record all existing pages, ideally with a crawler or from the old sitemap. Note which pages bring the most visits and enquiries.
2. Back up Search Console data
Export the most important search terms and pages of recent months. They are your benchmark for comparison after launch.
3. Keep strong content
Pages that rank well are revised and improved – but not removed without replacement. What Google values about a page is often exactly the text people want to shorten during a relaunch.
4. Create a redirect plan
Every old address that changes needs a permanent redirect (301) to the matching new page – not a blanket redirect to the homepage. This is the most important step on the whole list.
5. Carry over titles and descriptions
Page titles and meta descriptions should be at least as good as before. Check every important page individually.
6. Measure load time
A new site must not be slower than the old one. Large images, many fonts and external scripts are the most common brakes. Google PageSpeed quickly shows you where you stand.
7. Test on mobile and for accessibility
Most visits today come from smartphones. Check menus, forms and readability on real devices. Since mid-2025, Austria's Accessibility Act has also introduced stricter requirements for many online shops and digital services.
8. Structured data and local signals
Company name, address, phone number and opening hours should be consistent and machine-readable for Google. For local searches in Vienna, a well-maintained Google Business Profile is crucial too.
9. Protect the staging site from Google
The new site is usually built on a test address first. It should be blocked for search engines – and the block must be removed at launch. A forgotten "noindex" tag is one of the most common relaunch mistakes.
10. Monitor after launch
Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console and watch error pages, indexing and positions over the first weeks. Slight fluctuations are normal; clear drops should be checked immediately.
Conclusion
A relaunch is not just a design project. If you plan redirects, content and technology from the start, you launch with a better-looking website – and better chances on Google.
We support relaunches from planning to post-launch monitoring: with web design from €2,490 and SEO & performance from €890. Planning a relaunch? Get in touch via Start a project – we'll review your current site and show you what to watch out for.
