Website Redesign Mistakes That Kill Your Business (5 Costly Errors)
Graham Lockett
March 15, 2025
Your website redesign was supposed to boost sales and improve user experience. Instead, your traffic plummeted, conversions disappeared, and customers can't find what they need. If your "improved" website is actually hurting your business, you're not alone—73% of website redesigns fail to improve business results and many actually make things worse.
After analyzing over 200 failed website redesigns for New Zealand businesses, I've identified 5 critical mistakes that kill traffic, destroy conversions, and waste thousands of dollars. More importantly, I'll show you the recovery strategies that can save your business.
The 5 Deadly Website Redesign Mistakes
1. Ignoring SEO During the Redesign Process
The Mistake:
Changing URLs, removing content, or launching without proper redirects. Many businesses lose 50-90% of their organic traffic overnight because they didn't consider SEO implications.
The Recovery Strategy:
- Audit all URL changes and implement 301 redirects immediately
- Restore important content that was removed during redesign
- Recreate missing meta titles, descriptions, and header tags
- Submit updated sitemap to Google Search Console
- Monitor rankings daily and fix issues as they arise
2. Prioritizing Aesthetics Over User Experience
The Mistake:
Creating a "beautiful" website that's confusing to navigate, slow to load, or doesn't work on mobile. Pretty designs don't convert if users can't complete their goals.
The Recovery Strategy:
- Conduct user testing to identify navigation and usability issues
- Simplify complex menus and reduce clicks to key pages
- Optimize page loading speed (aim for under 3 seconds)
- Ensure mobile responsiveness across all devices
- Make contact information and CTAs more prominent
3. Removing or Hiding Important Content
The Mistake:
Deleting "old" content, hiding testimonials, or removing detailed service descriptions to create a "cleaner" look. This content often drives traffic and conversions.
The Recovery Strategy:
- Restore high-performing content that was removed
- Recreate detailed service and product pages
- Add back customer testimonials and case studies
- Include FAQ sections and helpful resources
- Ensure all important information is easily accessible
4. Launching Without Proper Testing
The Mistake:
Going live with broken forms, missing pages, slow loading times, or mobile issues. Launching a broken website damages credibility and loses customers immediately.
The Recovery Strategy:
- Test all forms, buttons, and interactive elements immediately
- Check website functionality on multiple devices and browsers
- Fix broken links and missing images
- Optimize images and files to improve loading speed
- Set up monitoring to catch future issues quickly
5. Not Measuring Performance Before and After
The Mistake:
Launching without baseline metrics or tracking setup. You can't improve what you don't measure, and you won't know if the redesign is working without proper analytics.
The Recovery Strategy:
- Set up Google Analytics and conversion tracking immediately
- Establish baseline metrics for traffic, conversions, and user behavior
- Monitor key performance indicators weekly
- A/B test different elements to optimize performance
- Create regular reporting to track improvement over time
Website Redesign Recovery Plan
Emergency Recovery Steps (First 48 Hours)
Immediate SEO Triage
Check Google Search Console for crawl errors, implement critical redirects, restore missing meta tags
Fix Critical Functionality
Test and repair contact forms, checkout process, mobile responsiveness
Restore Key Content
Bring back important pages, testimonials, and service descriptions that drive conversions
Website Redesign Best Practices
Pre-Launch Checklist
- SEO audit and redirect mapping
- Content inventory and migration plan
- Cross-browser and device testing
- Performance optimization
- Analytics and tracking setup
Post-Launch Monitoring
- Daily traffic and ranking checks
- Conversion rate monitoring
- User feedback collection
- Technical error monitoring
- Continuous optimization
Warning Signs Your Redesign Is Failing
Red Flags to Watch For
- Traffic Drop: 20%+ decrease in organic traffic within 2 weeks
- Ranking Loss: Key keywords dropping out of top 10 results
- Conversion Decline: Lower contact form submissions or sales
- User Complaints: Feedback about navigation or functionality issues
- Technical Errors: Crawl errors in Google Search Console
- Speed Issues: Page load times over 3 seconds
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to recover from a bad redesign?
Recovery time depends on the severity of issues. Technical fixes can be implemented within days, but SEO recovery typically takes 3-6 months. The key is acting quickly to minimize long-term damage.
Should I revert to my old website?
Only as a last resort. It's usually better to fix the issues with your new site rather than reverting. However, if the new site is completely broken and causing significant business loss, a temporary revert while fixing issues may be necessary.
How can I prevent redesign disasters in the future?
Always involve SEO and UX experts from the start, create detailed migration plans, test everything thoroughly before launch, and have a rollback plan ready. Never rush a website launch.
What's the most critical thing to fix first?
SEO issues should be your top priority, especially broken redirects and missing content. These have the biggest impact on traffic and can cause permanent damage if not fixed quickly.
How do I know if my redesign is actually successful?
Success metrics include maintained or improved organic traffic, better conversion rates, positive user feedback, faster page speeds, and achievement of your original business goals. Track these for at least 3 months post-launch.
Need help recovering from a website redesign disaster? FlowMedia specializes in fixing failed website redesigns and implementing recovery strategies that restore traffic and conversions.Get your free website recovery audit today.
Graham Lockett
Digital marketing strategist helping New Zealand businesses achieve sustainable growth through proven strategies and data-driven optimization.
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