Having a contemporary search for your on-line retailer web site can increase person expertise, improve visitors, and even drive extra conversions. Nonetheless, most retailer homeowners are cautious of redesigning their eCommerce web sites because of the worry of dropping visitors.
You don’t must be anxious. So long as you could have enough backups, overview all of your content material, and take a look at rigorously, you may keep away from dropping visitors and gross sales throughout an eCommerce web site redesign.
Maintain studying to search out out precisely the best way to do it. It doesn’t require an enormous finances or extremely specialised abilities, simply persistence, diligence, and a few search engine optimization data.
Let’s soar in!
1. Create a Backup of Your Retailer
A website backup is a duplicate of your web site that you should use in case your unique website will get destroyed or hacked.
It’s important to create a backup of your website. In case one thing goes incorrect, you may restore to the useful unique. It’s best to again up:
- Theme information
- Plugins
- Databases
So, how do I create one?
Backups could be created manually or mechanically.
- Handbook backups. Handbook backups are created by copying the information out of your web site onto one other location in your pc or server. You’ll want to make use of FTP software program and hook up with your website through FTP (file switch protocol).
- Automated backups. Automated backups are created by software program that screens modifications to your web site information and mechanically creates backups when wanted.
For instance, you may merely use a plugin instrument like Acronis Cyber Backup and comply with the directions. As you may see, the plugin has all of the assist wanted to make use of it.
However if you happen to want to do it your self, you must begin by opening cPanel. cPanel is a function out there on most hosting platforms that permits you to create a guide backup.
To take action, merely navigate to the “Recordsdata” part in cPanel, choose “Backup Wizard,” select the vacation spot in your backup, and enter a legitimate electronic mail deal with.
Utilizing an electronic mail checker, you may confirm that the e-mail deal with you enter is legitimate, and you’ll obtain an electronic mail notification containing the backup obtain hyperlink as soon as the backup is prepared.
What when you’ve got a Shopify retailer? How will you again up your Shopify retailer?
The best way to Do a Shopify Retailer Backup
Shopify enables you to again up your retailer in two methods.
First, you should use an app from the Shopify App Retailer. Apps like Rewind Backups and BackupMaster are fairly in style for this objective. They supply automated backups alongside different options, however they’re subscription-based companies, so that you’ll have to pay month-to-month for the companies.
The opposite possibility is to again up your retailer manually by means of CSV information. You should utilize this to again up information reminiscent of merchandise, prospects, orders, monetary information, low cost codes, and reward card codes.
Merely click on on the info you wish to again up (from the menu on the left, as proven under), then click on “Export” from the subsequent window.
A brand new window will pop up asking for added data, like whether or not you wish to export all merchandise or present merchandise solely. Tick the related bins and click on “Export Merchandise.” You’ll get a backup as a CSV file.
In addition to the info, you may also again up your Shopify theme by downloading it in these three steps:
- Log into your admin account and go to “On-line Shops,” then “Themes.”
- Click on “Obtain Theme File.”
- You’ll obtain the theme in your electronic mail as a .zip file.
2. Assessment Your Present search engine optimization
search engine optimization information is essential to retain. The search engine optimization information will provide help to overview your new web site’s efficiency in comparison with the outdated one, serving to you make knowledgeable tweaks. So, earlier than you redesign your on-line retailer, ensure you acquire all of your web site’s search engine optimization information.
Right here is how to try this:
- First, open the Google Analytics monitoring instrument to export the listing of top-performing pages and content material.
- Then, you must observe your key phrase rankings utilizing your key phrase monitoring instrument of selection.
- As soon as the info is downloaded, you should retailer it securely for future reference.
You additionally have to overview your website pace and uptime.
Retailer Pace
Customers need web sites to load rapidly. In case your web site is sluggish, you’ll lose visitors. Google’s PageSpeed Insights is a superb instrument for checking your web site pace. Examine your pace earlier than the redesign, and once more after the redesign. In case your web site has gotten slower, you have to to handle this.
Professional Tip: You can too use the free Benchmark Hero app, which can audit your retailer’s pace and technical efficiency, together with purchasing expertise, trustworthiness, and advertising towards essentially the most important eCommerce manufacturers in your area of interest.
Retailer Uptime
Uptime can be very important. Uptime is the metric that determines how usually your web site stays up. In case your web site goes down ceaselessly, you’ll lose visitors.
The most effective methods to treatment poor uptime is by selecting a dependable internet host supplier. Examine the typical uptime in your internet host supplier. An uptime of 99.9% is fascinating. So, in case your present internet hosting supplier is struggling to present you such uptime, think about switching to a different answer.
Shopify presents an analogous uptime assure (99.98%) to its customers. Nonetheless, you should use a instrument like Uptime to observe the uptime of your Shopify retailer. This instrument gives you real-time updates every time your retailer or third-party apps break.
Bonus Content material: Shopify search engine optimization: The best way to Get Your Shopify Retailer to Rank #1 on Google
3. Retain the Outdated Content material and Retailer Construction
When redesigning your eCommerce web site, keep in mind that the outdated content material and construction nonetheless have worth.
It helps with search engine optimization for key phrases, hyperlinks, and different indicators to find out how probably a retailer or product web page can be related to the search phrases a person entered. It additionally helps with model consciousness, since buyers anticipate to see the identical content material as earlier than.
Google’s algorithm considers the URL construction and the web page content material when deciding which pages are most related for every search time period and key phrase question.
So even when a few of your outdated URLs present up somewhere else in your new website than they did earlier than (like possibly on totally different pages), Google will nonetheless think about them legitimate hyperlinks and go alongside visitors accordingly.
However you should additionally watch out about how a lot of that outdated content material you retain. Think about how a lot duplicate content material is on every web page and whether or not you may merge them right into a single web page with complete data.
Let’s say your on-line retailer is focusing on the key phrases “males’s exercise footwear” and “males’s train footwear” on totally different pages. Over time, these pages could wrestle to rank on Google Search outcomes. That is often as a result of key phrase cannibalization.
What Is Key phrase Cannibalization
Key phrase cannibalization primarily means having a number of webpages focusing on the identical key phrase or search question. So, with the instance above, it will be finest to merge the 2 pages to cease them from competing towards one another.
We see key phrase cannibalization quite a bit throughout SaaS content material manufacturing. It may be an excellent larger downside within the eCommerce business, contemplating on-line shops often have lots of to 1000’s of product pages. You really want to maintain a detailed eye on this, as it may harm your rankings.
You also needs to preserve any photos which were optimized for search engine optimization in place. That may preserve them from being penalized by Google as duplicate content material, since search engines like google and yahoo had already listed them earlier than the redesign.
Assessment every web page and guarantee there are not any damaged hyperlinks or lacking photos on every web page (if there are, repair them earlier than shifting ahead).
4. Do an On-Web page Content material Evaluation
After you have accomplished your on-line retailer redesign, it’s a good suggestion to research your on-page content material. Content material contains all of your retailer pages, touchdown pages, weblog posts, and product pages.
You would additionally take this chance to improve a few of your content material utilizing search engine optimization software program. Or through the use of a instrument like Hyperlink Whisper to make sure all necessary pages have inside hyperlinks. Inner hyperlinks are essential to make sure no necessary pages find yourself being “orphan pages” (pages that aren’t linked to from another webpages on a web site).”
Other than the fundamentals, listed here are some issues to bear in mind:
- Duplicate content material
- Key phrase cannibalization
- Decayed content material
- Natural CTR evaluation
- Content material relevancy
- Archiving
Let’s take a better take a look at every.
Duplicate Content material
You wish to guarantee there isn’t any duplicate content material, as this may have an effect on search engine optimization rankings. This implies writing distinctive product descriptions for every product web page. You additionally wish to preserve a detailed eye in your URL construction to make sure they’re constant and clear.
For instance, search engines like google and yahoo may even see “www.petstore.com/product/” and “petstore.com/product” as duplicate content material.
To keep away from this, we advocate utilizing canonical tags to indicate search engines like google and yahoo your most well-liked URLs.
Key phrase Cannibalization
As talked about earlier, ensure you’re creating inside competitors between your webpages. This implies creating distinctive content material for every web page.
Decayed Content material
Decayed content material refers to content material that used to carry out properly however now not does. The shift in efficiency could be as a result of many issues, like key phrase cannibalization, duplicate content material, and a shift in search intent, amongst others.
To repair this subject, you’ll have to audit the web page and probably replace it. As an example, you might have to replace the product description with new data to clean up the web page.
If the trigger for the decay is duplicate content material, you’ll have to create distinctive content material for the duplicate pages or merge them into one optimized web page.
In the meantime, a shift in search intent may imply that Google stopped rating product pages focusing on “males’s trainers” and began rating “better of” articles, for instance. In such a case, you’ll wish to create a weblog submit to extend your probabilities of rating for that search time period.
Natural CTR Evaluation
A web page can rank excessive however nonetheless endure from a poor CTR. It’s essential to research this metric. To enhance your retailer’s CTR, you’ll have to write higher meta descriptions and title tags.
Content material Relevancy
You additionally have to determine in case your retailer content material is related. This contains the content material in your touchdown pages, product pages, and any weblog posts you might have in your website.
The easiest way to research your content material is by conducting a content material audit.
- First, take a list of your web site’s present content material.
- Subsequent, you must analyze relevancy; irrelevant content material needs to be excluded within the redesign. For instance, your Valentine’s Day presents touchdown web page could now not be related as soon as the sale and occasion are accomplished.
You should utilize a content material audit instrument like Semrush Content material Audit to generate an inventory of URLs and related information. A instrument like this lets you manage your audit and discover sure sections simply.
Archiving
When making any content material modifications, it’s necessary to archive the outdated content material in case you must revert to it.
There are a lot of causes you would possibly have to return to outdated content material. For instance, you might tweak a specific product web page just for its efficiency on the various search engines to tank. Having the outdated content material archived someplace would come in useful in such a state of affairs.
Making a spreadsheet for the outdated and new content material is a superb solution to manage this. And to take your web site to the subsequent degree, think about incorporating inventive and informative infographics concepts to interact your viewers and break down complicated data in a visually interesting means.
For instance, you may replace your content material to share tips about how prospects can use your merchandise in an interesting infographic.
5. Take a look at Your Design and Launch It
If you wish to get your new design out into the world, you must guarantee it’s prepared. To take action, you must take a look at your website.
Testing is often accomplished on a staging server. Why? Having your design on a staging server permits you to take a look at all of the components of the web site and resolve any errors earlier than there are actual penalties.
What about Shopify shops?
Bonus: The best way to Set Up a Staging Website for Shopify
First, you must create a second Shopify retailer the place you’ll run the exams. If in case you have a Shopify Plus subscription, you should use certainly one of your unused growth shops for the staging website.
For customers on the opposite plans, you may arrange a free retailer utilizing the Shopify Companions program. Right here’s the best way to go about it:
- Go to the Companions program webpage and arrange your accomplice account.
- Click on on “Create Retailer” from the primary dashboard when you’ve created an account.
- Choose “Improvement Retailer” within the subsequent dashboard when requested to pick out the shop kind.
- Give your retailer a reputation.
(We advocate giving the shop a novel however associated identify, so you may inform it aside out of your reside retailer. For instance, if the primary retailer is “petcare.com,” you may identify the testing retailer “stagingpetcare.com.”)
The free account created by means of the Shopify Companions program is often sufficient for many testing functions. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re unable to make use of it for no matter motive, open a brand new retailer by means of the Shopify primary plan. However remember that you’ll should pay the month-to-month prices.
Now, together with your second retailer prepared, you’ll want to put in an app like Rewind Staging to import the info out of your reside retailer and create a staging surroundings on the second retailer. To do this, it would be best to comply with these 4 steps:
- Head over to your reside retailer and set up the app from the Shopify App Retailer. This can act because the supply retailer.
- Set up the app within the second retailer, which can be your vacation spot retailer.
- Copy the important thing from the supply retailer to the vacation spot retailer to hyperlink the 2.
- Choose the info you wish to copy out of your supply retailer into the staging retailer after which click on “Start Process.” (It’s advisable to repeat all the info to make sure the staging retailer mirrors the reside retailer utterly.)
That ought to copy all of your information onto the staging retailer, which now you can use to run your exams. The disadvantage to all that is that Rewind Staging is a paid app. It’ll set you again $99/month.
When you’ve totally examined your web site on the staging server, you may launch your redesigned website. That’s if the location is performing as meant, in fact. In any other case, return to improvement and repair any points you might have seen throughout testing.
Publish your web site to the reside server and advertise to your prospects by means of social media, electronic mail, or perhaps a digital enterprise card. That ought to carry in additional visitors, which can then generate public suggestions. It’s essential to maintain a detailed eye on the preliminary suggestions, as it may be treasured when making closing changes.
6. Audit Your Website After the Launch
The time instantly after you launch your website is essential for making modifications. Even with a rigorous testing stage, errors slip by means of the online. So you must audit your retailer after a web site redesign.
These are the varied audits it’s best to carry out:
- Examine that every one redirects are working accurately
- Examine the search engine optimization of your top-performing pages
- Examine load occasions with the unique web site
- Examine all titles, headings, and meta descriptions
- Search for 404 errors
- Take a look at on totally different browsers
- Take a look at cell functionality
It’s possible you’ll audit your web site utilizing search engine optimization instruments reminiscent of Ahrefs or Semerush or through the use of the free eCommerce audit instrument — Benchmark Hero.
Nonetheless, you should usually monitor customer suggestions to make sure your eCommerce web site is optimized in your potential buyers and current prospects.
To assemble beneficial public suggestions, you must guarantee it’s simple and possibly even rewarding for customers to take action.
Subsequently, present a transparent and simple kind or pop-up to encourage customers to report any points they could encounter whereas utilizing the location.
Conclusion
Redesigning an current eCommerce web site with out dropping visitors is all about reviewing and testing the totally different components of the web site. You lose visitors — and gross sales — when errors are missed and the content material isn’t as much as scratch.
Begin by making a backup of your retailer and reviewing your present search engine optimization. You additionally have to retain a lot of the outdated content material and construction, and the content material must be search engine optimization optimized and related to your web site’s targets.
Lastly, you must launch your web site however make sure you proceed auditing to search out any minor errors earlier than you lose visitors.
Implementing the following pointers gives you the very best likelihood to revamp your eCommerce web site with out dropping visitors. Nevertheless it’s an ongoing course of; you must monitor person suggestions to maintain on high of any issues.
Bought questions? Put up them within the feedback part under!
Nico Prins
Nico is the founding father of , a SaaS advertising company. The corporate works with enterprise SaaS shoppers, serving to them scale lead era globally throughout EMEA, APAC, and different areas.
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