New Site Redesign/Restructure - Your Recommendations

things to keep in mind when redesigning and restructuring existing website

[dndynamics]

Hello All,
I am new here and I have a quick question.
Our website was built approx 10 years ago. Our site's current code consists of about 90% javascript and 10% HTML (table-based).
We are in the process of redesigning our website. We are also changing our CMS provider. Thus, all of our content and URL's will be changing. However, it is change for the good as our site will be much more relevant to our visitors. My question is this: What does one need to keep in mind when redesigning/restructuring a website?

For example what can I do to minimize SERP loss? (301 redirect old URL's to new URL's)

Anything you can think of to help out would be much appreciated, even if they are small little details.

[gpilling]

Have a look at the article referenced here:
[webmasterworld.com...]

We know him as tedster. Its time to know more about the man behind the name!

Who's tedster? If You're an SEO, You Should Know

[jdMorgan]

> Thus, all of our content and URL's will be changing. However, it is change for the good as our site will be much more relevant to our visitors.

Changing all of your content and changing your CMS does not mean that your URLs need to change. Server-side technologies exist in the form of Apache mod_rewrite and IIS ISAPI Rewrite that make it possible to keep your old URLs, and simply associate them with new server filepaths and script calls. This allows you to make major file-architecture and CMS changes which are completely invisible to search engines and users -- The old URLs work as before, and all incoming links and bookmarks are preserved.

Using 301 redirects from the old URLs to your new URLs is your second choice, because it carries a risk of ranking loss for a period of time -- anywhere from a few weeks to a year.

At the very least, consider keeping your most important old URLs by using server-internal rewrites, and changing them over in a slow and controlled manner.

A word from the inventor of the hyperlink, Sir Tim Berners-Lee: Cool URIs don't change [w3.org].

Jim