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Website migration diagnosis
Lost Traffic After a Redesign: Is It Normal, or Is Something Broken?
Some fluctuation can follow a website redesign, but timing alone cannot tell you whether something is broken. Check for technical and tracking faults from launch day, then investigate any continuing loss.
Google’s own guidance on site moves says to “expect temporary fluctuation in site ranking during the move”, and that rankings “will settle down over time”. What it does not say is that every loss is temporary. Some are caused by things the rebuild broke, and those do not fix themselves.
Source: Google Search Central — Site moves with URL changes.
Run the launch checks below first, then compare the pages and searches affected.
What to check as soon as the site launches
Some movement can follow a redesign, but a technical fault can look similar. Check important pages straight away rather than waiting for the chart to settle.
- Check for unintended noindex settings on important pages and confirm the live output.
- Test important old URLs and check that redirects lead to their appropriate replacements.
- Check that important content and internal links survived the rebuild.
- Inspect canonicals, robots rules and server responses for key pages.
- Confirm analytics and Search Console are measuring the correct site and period.
Our WordPress SEO checklist covers common launch leftovers and where to check them.
Temporary movement or a problem you can confirm?
| What you observe | What to check |
|---|---|
| A small change with no obvious site fault | Monitor comparable pages and queries after completing launch checks. Timing alone does not establish the cause. |
| An old service URL returns an error | Restore the page or redirect it to a genuinely relevant replacement, then test it. |
| Analytics falls but Search Console remains steady | Check tags, consent and property selection before concluding that visits fell. |
Compare the affected pages
| Pattern | Possible next investigation |
|---|---|
| A few pages lose most of the clicks | Compare those pages’ URLs, content, internal links and indexing with their previous versions. |
| Losses appear across many important pages | Inspect site-wide access, redirects, canonical signals and measurement. Also consider search demand and other changes. |
What to do next
Record the launch date, affected pages and any changes to URLs, hosting or tracking. Compare like-for-like periods in Search Console and check urgent faults as soon as you find them. There is no fixed recovery deadline: a persistent decline deserves investigation, but waiting six weeks is not required before checking.
For a wider investigation, see what to check when Google rankings fall.
How to check your old URLs redirect properly
- Find your old addresses using a pre-launch Search Console Pages report, old sitemap, backup or archived site.
- Prioritise important service pages and URLs that previously earned clicks or useful links.
- Open each old address and check that it reaches the relevant replacement, not an unrelated page or an error.
- Use a redirect-checking tool to inspect the response. For a permanent move, use a permanent redirect such as 301 or 308 and aim for a direct route; investigate unexpected temporary redirects, loops, chains and errors.
- Compare the old and new pages for missing useful information, links and customer tasks. A shorter page is not automatically worse; check what changed and whether the page still meets its purpose.
Record the affected addresses and the intended destinations before asking a developer to make changes.
The faults that cause a loss that does not recover
Common possibilities to investigate include:
- Old URLs not redirected — pages that were earning traffic now return an error
- Redirects pointing to the homepage instead of the matching new page
- Content removed in the rebuild — a long, useful page replaced by a short, designed one
- Staging noindex left switched on — on one page, a template, or the whole site
- Pages dropped from the navigation, so Google finds them less and treats them as less important
- Canonical tags pointing at the wrong version
- Tracking broken in the rebuild — so traffic looks lost when it has simply stopped being counted
What to gather before asking for help
- The launch date and whether the domain or URL structure changed.
- Read-only Search Console access covering the relevant periods, where available.
- An old sitemap, URL list, backup or archived pages.
- Who built the new site and who can make changes now.
- Any simultaneous changes to hosting, analytics, consent settings or business details.
Common questions after a redesign
Should we go back to the old website?
It depends on the fault and the available backup. A rollback introduces changes of its own, so compare its risks and benefits with correcting specific issues before deciding.
Is it the new design itself that Google dislikes?
Investigate what changed in the content, URLs, internal links, rendering, indexing and user experience. Timing alone does not identify a cause.
How long will recovery take?
There is no fixed timetable. Search engines need to process changes, and recovery depends on the cause and competing factors. Check confirmed fixes and monitor relevant pages over time.
What if rankings dropped without a redesign?
Start with our guide to what to check when rankings fall.
If it is still down
Diagnosing a redesign loss means comparing the old site with the new one, rebuilding the old-to-new URL map, and checking what changed page by page. That is the lead case on SEO Recovery, with diagnosis from £145. For known technical faults, see Technical SEO from £350. For a broader review, the SEO audit with implementation is £695 for eligible sites and agreed in-scope fixes.
If you are planning a redesign rather than recovering from one, the Website Design & Development page explains how a rebuild is done so this does not happen.
Ask us to look at your redesign · 0115 646 9772 · Email us
Related guides: pages not indexing · rankings dropped.
Last reviewed: 21 September 2026 by David, founder.