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Website relaunch without a Google crash: how to keep your rankings

A new website should bring more enquiries – not fewer. Why relaunches often cost rankings and how to take your visibility with you safely.

9 September 2026 · 2 min read

At a glance

  1. 01

    Most drops are caused by missing redirects from old addresses.

  2. 02

    Before the relaunch, record which pages bring visitors today.

  3. 03

    After launch, monitor closely for a few weeks and fix issues quickly.

01Why relaunches cost rankings

Google has known your old website for years. With a relaunch, you have to show it the way to the new one.

Over the years, every page of your website builds up trust: it’s listed on Google, other websites link to it, customers have bookmarked it. If the addresses change during the relaunch, all these paths suddenly end on an error page.

The result often only shows after weeks: fewer visitors, fewer enquiries. With good preparation, this can almost always be avoided.

02Before the relaunch

  1. 01

    Take stock

    List all old addresses – from the sitemap, Search Console and a crawl.

  2. 02

    Identify what matters

    Record which pages bring visitors, enquiries and links.

  3. 03

    Keep content

    Don’t just delete well-ranking texts – improve them.

  4. 04

    Plan redirects

    Every old address gets a matching new destination.

03At launch

A redirect to the home page isn’t a redirect – it’s an error with a detour.

On the day of the switch, the technology decides:

  • permanent redirects (301) from every old page to the matching new one
  • carry over or improve page titles and descriptions for all important pages
  • remove the test environment block (“noindex”) – a common, costly mistake
  • submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing
  • when changing domain, report the change of address in Search Console

04After launch

Small fluctuations after a relaunch are normal – drops are not.

  1. 01

    Watch for errors

    Look for pages not found in Search Console and redirect them.

  2. 02

    Compare rankings

    Set important search terms before and after launch side by side.

  3. 03

    Update listings

    Adjust addresses in your Google Business Profile and directories.

  4. 04

    Follow up on links

    Ask partners linking to old addresses to update them.

Questions about this?

Planning a new website? We’ll create the migration plan with you so your rankings and enquiries come along.

Let’s talk+43 660 712 90 69servus@boromedia.at

Frequently asked questions.

How long until Google knows the new website?

Important pages are often re-crawled within a few days. It can take a few weeks until everything settles.

Do I have to keep the old redirects forever?

Keep them for at least a year, ideally permanently. They cost almost nothing and protect links that stay in circulation for a long time.

Can I change the domain during the relaunch?

Yes, with careful planning. But it’s safer not to change too much at once – that makes it easier to find causes.

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