Podcast Summary: SEO 101 Ep 513
Episode Title: Maintaining Search Rankings After a Redesign
Date: October 30, 2025
Hosts: Ross Dunn (CEO, StepForth Web Marketing) & Scott Van Achte (Senior SEO, StepForth)
Podcast: SEO 101 on WMR.FM
Overview
This episode dives into how to maintain search rankings after a website redesign—a crucial concern for businesses wanting to improve their site’s appearance or functionality without losing hard-earned visibility in search engines. The hosts, Ross Dunn and Scott Van Achte, deliver practical, step-by-step guidance covering everything from site backups and content audits to redirects, content management systems, and post-launch monitoring. They also discuss the latest SEO news and sprinkle in their signature laid-back, humorous banter.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. SEO News and Trends (01:21–17:31)
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Disney & Black Hat SEO Prank (01:21–04:34)
- Humorous segment about spammers linking Disney with “black hat SEO packages.” Highlights Google’s update struggles and the persistence of negative SEO tactics.
- Memorable moment: “If you've got the numbers. It works.” – Scott (02:46)
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Chrome Warning for Insecure HTTP Sites (04:38–07:14)
- Chrome will warn users about insecure (HTTP) sites starting Oct 2026.
- Still, 11–17% of sites are insecure—surprising to both hosts.
- Immediate advice: Secure your site (HTTPS) and set up redirects; don’t delay as conversion rates will plummet with warning notices.
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AI-Powered Browsers: Comet vs Atlas (07:49–13:10)
- Perplexity’s Comet browser and ChatGPT's Atlas are compared. Both are based on Chromium, but Atlas is currently Mac-only (at recording time).
- AI browsers offer features like auto-applying coupon codes—Ross highlights savings and the convenience of AI-driven automation.
- Notable: "If you're going to buy something...tell the assistant to keep trying coupon codes...I've saved a bundle already." – Ross (12:15)
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Google Search Console: Query Groups (13:17–15:01)
- New feature grouping similar queries and surfacing page trends (up/down).
- Noted lack of tracking for AI bots and AI searches, still a missing piece.
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The Return of Log Files (15:01–17:31)
- With analytics not showing the full picture (bots, errors), log file analysis is making a resurgence.
2. Main Topic: Maintaining Rankings After a Redesign (17:31–43:09)
Structured as a practical checklist, Scott shares a newly expanded 7,000-word guide distilled for podcast listeners:
A. Pre-Redesign Essentials
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Site Backup (17:55)
- "Back up your site, back it up before you do anything..." – Scott (17:58)
- Share stories of clients whose redesigns failed due to lack of backups—even recalling printed “backups” as a cautionary tale.
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Content Audit (19:42)
- Audit pages for rankings, conversions, and performance. Record URLs and keep page copies for comparison.
- Extra: Host recommends storing the old site on a blocked subdomain for reference without risking accidental indexing.
B. URL Strategy
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Keep URLs the Same (If Possible) (22:38)
- "If at all possible, do not change URLs on your site. Keep everything the same." – Scott (22:51)
- Even small changes (like removing/adding slashes or WWW) matter for Google; anecdote about a large ecommerce redesign where preserving URLs kept them #1.
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301 Redirects (26:02)
- Where URLs must change, map ALL old URLs to new using 301 redirects.
- "If you don't do it, all of this fails. It's that bad." – Ross (27:23)
- Don’t forget to capture and migrate all previous redirects as well.
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Update Internal Links (27:55)
- Ensure internal navigation and deep links point to new or changed URLs (eventually).
- Use tools like Screaming Frog to spot in-site links still going through redirects.
C. Platform & Technical Choices
- Choosing an SEO-Friendly CMS (30:39)
- WordPress is a safe bet; beware of smaller, proprietary CMSs with limited/expensive customizations.
- Story: A client was quoted an exorbitant rate to add a robots.txt file to their proprietary CMS (33:01).
D. On-Page Elements
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Titles and Meta Descriptions (33:33)
- Carry over titles/meta for top-performing pages. Don’t stress excessively about strict character limits—longer is (often) fine if relevant and not spammy.
- "Meta description is being used in rankings consideration." – Ross (34:13)
- Discussion of spammy title tags for local SEO: works now but may backfire later.
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Structured Data (Schema Markup) (37:25)
- Remember to migrate or introduce structured data.
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Site Speed & Optimization (38:31)
- New site should be faster; optimize images, scripts, etc. for performance.
E. Launch and Post-Launch
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Unblock the Site for Search Engines (39:16)
- Critical: Remove “block search engines” settings before launch. Simple oversight can be catastrophic.
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Monitor, Diagnose, and Troubleshoot (40:08)
- Watch analytics, Search Console, and rank trackers especially during the first weeks.
- Initial volatility (spikes or drops) is normal. Persisting issues after weeks need investigation.
3. Special Case: Changing Domains After Redesign (43:09–48:01)
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Redirect EVERYTHING (43:41)
- Redirect all old URLs at old domain to their counterparts on new domain with 301s. Now is the time to adjust structure if desired.
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Remember Old Redirects (44:31)
- Carry previous redirect history to maintain long-held “link equity.”
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Tell Google (45:15)
- Use Google’s Change of Address Tool (detailed walk-through promised in Scott’s upcoming article).
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Update Inbound Links (45:15)
- Change all external links you control (directories, profiles, social) to new domain.
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Patience Is Key (45:15)
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Domain moves cause temporary ranking drops—recovery takes longer than a redesign on the same domain (sometimes months).
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Memorable client disaster: “...they listened to none of my advice and it was a disaster. Their rankings crashed...” – Scott (47:03)
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Silver lining: With corrections and patience, rankings “skyrocketed in the past three to four weeks.”
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Additional SEO News
Local SEO: Google Business Profiles “What’s Happening” Expansion (48:01–49:48)
- New feature now available in several English-speaking markets and for multi-location restaurants/bars, automatically surfaces events/promos listed in GBP.
AI Ranking Update: Google DeepMind’s “Block Rank” (49:48–51:38)
- Experimental new ranking method for LLMs that speeds up contextual document ranking by restructuring how attention works in models.
- “…block rank ran about 4.7 times faster than standard fine-tuned models…” – Scott (50:39)
- Not yet live, but likely to be adopted.
AI and Education (53:24–54:53)
- Stories about AI’s permeation into classrooms, assignments, and even professional workflows.
- "It's just everywhere. It's absolutely everywhere. It's insane." – Scott (54:05)
Notable Quotes & Moments
- On site security:
“If your site is not secure yet, it definitely should be. What are you waiting for? Do it.” – Scott (04:38) - On AI Bargain Hunting:
“Just tell the assistant to keep trying coupon codes...it's pretty wild.” – Ross (12:15) - On updating site titles/metadata:
“You can make your title Tag... pretty long and it seems to still be helpful.” – Scott (34:58) - On not following advice:
“...they listened to none of my advice and it was a disaster. Their rankings crashed and they had massive staff turnover.” – Scott (47:03) - On the relentless pace of AI and SEO:
“Every time I open a browser and look at anything...it's AI spaghetti. There's just so much stuff happening, it's mind boggling.” – Ross (52:55)
Key Timestamps for Quick Reference
- SEO News & Disney/Negative SEO: 01:21–04:34
- Chrome Security Warnings: 04:38–07:14
- AI Browsers: Comet & Atlas: 07:49–13:10
- Google Search Console Updates & Log Files: 13:17–17:31
- Main SEO Redesign Checklist Begins: 17:31
- Backups & Content Audit: 17:55–22:38
- URL Management & Redirects: 22:38–29:30
- CMS & On-Page: 30:39–37:25
- Speed & Launch: 38:31–40:08
- Monitoring: 40:08–43:09
- Changing Domains: 43:09–48:01
- Local Feature/AI/Block Rank: 48:01–53:24
- AI in Education and Wrap-up: 53:24–end
Podcast Tone & Style
- Friendly and practical, with light banter and relatable anecdotes.
- Minimal jargon—advice is aimed at beginners and intermediate SEOs.
- The hosts stress proactive planning and avoiding classic pitfalls, but never shame listeners. Mistakes are described as learning opportunities.
Summary
This episode provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to maintaining SEO rankings during and after a website redesign. The hosts stress the necessity of proper planning—backups, content audits, preserving URLs, robust 301 redirect mapping, and careful post-launch monitoring. They highlight new industry features and trends, particularly in AI and analytics, and inject humor into lessons learned from past client projects. It’s a must-listen for any business or webmaster planning a redesign (or domain change) who wants to retain and build on their current search visibility.
For more SEO basics:
Check out Scott’s upcoming in-depth article on maintaining rankings after a redesign, and follow ongoing updates at seogrok.com.
