Site structure alterations just before update

Causing some major problems now.

[mack]

On my site I made a lot of alterations to my sites structure just before the last update. The main reason for this was to assist with site navigation. A lot of files where renamed and a lot of new directories and subdirectories where created removed or re-named. The new content went live in time for the last deep crawl so I was confident that this latest update would bring good things. Then Google roll out the current index. Loads of pages in the index that havent existed for months, page that where removed just before the last crawl and a few new pages. In short a massive drop in pageviews coupled with a very large increase in code 404's.

I have tried as best I can to patch the loose ends with htaccess for redirects where possible but some pages simply do not exist in any form any more and the new content is just not indexed. Lots of PR0 pages (white thankfully). Just appears I altered my site at the worst possible moment.

I think I have 2 options. Ride it out and wait for my new content to arrive in the index. or roll out the old site.

The problem with uploading the old site again is that I will still need to launch the new site in the near future and I think I would just be putting this off.

What do you think?

Mack.

[Krapulator]

I think a nice custom 404 page with a search function and a friendly message is a way of not losing any of those visitors that you cannot redirect with ht access

[mack]

Nice idea Krapulator. I think that's my task for this morning.

Cheers :)

Mack.

[Marcia]

I'd leave it alone, Mack. If you changes it, it had to be a better site for users and Google will just have to catch up. They will.

[Iguana]

I was in the same boat as you - I moved about 1200 pages into subdirectries before the last deepcrawl. However, Google has now sorted itself out for me.

2 weeks ago - old pages were showing
last week - old and new pages both showing (old pages were the first in the indented display)
last 4 days - only new pages

I was going to load a new htaccess to do the redirection but no longer need to. Hopefully your new structure will be reflected by Google very soon.

[mack]

Thank you for the feedback. I will be leaving it "as it" and waiting for Google to pick up on the changes.

I done the 404 thing, and addressed a few iddues with htaccess.

Just waiting for a deep crawl now!

Mack.

[ken_b]

Hi Mack;

I did essentially the same thing also. It's been a bit nerve racking, but Google seems to have sorted things out in the last couple of weeks, for me anyhow.

I did save the entire old site, just in case I needed to reload it though. Just the other day I finally decided that was not going to be needed, thankfully.

I dumped about 200 pages and just used a {temporary} meta redirect page for those. Probably not the best solution, but it was with-in my limited skill set. :) I'm now busy replacing those redirect pages with new content pages using the old file names.

Hopefully things will work out as well for you.