Start 2017 With A Clean Site!

How do you deal with the removal of pages on your site?

Websites are constantly changing, and so the structure of the website. Pages are added and pages disappear. This could, for example, be services which may not be offered again or perhaps category pages since the range of the store has been changed.

How to remove pages without having your visitors getting error messages and your site will lose value?

Usually, pages are removed at one time without setting up a redirect to pass the value of the old page to a new page. This reduces organic traffic because the pages are disappeared.

When you have to deal with redirects?

There are several situations in which redirects may be applicable. Consider the following conditions:

• Pages are deleted. This is most common, which often involves 1) website service pages 2) website category pages 3) web shop products 4) blog article 5) temporary campaign pages / sales pages
• Pages are moved or are given a different name
• Single or multiple domains are merged or moved to a different domain name

In all cases you would like to remain the value of the old pages. This can be achieved by setting up a redirect so the old page automatically redirects to the new one. Obviously, you want to let the old page corresponding to the new page, as much as possible. If you remove a page about cars, then it is better not to refer to a page about cycling. As the search engines know that the pages are alike, the redirect will therefore be ignored.

Now we know what circumstances may arise, the question is: how do you set a redirect? This can be done in various ways. For example, you can use a module in your CMS. There are several plugins available for WordPress to set your redirects.

Another possibility is to set redirects on the server itself. This is more advanced, but if you are not sure, then it's better to avoid this. If the redirects are not properly set the whole website can go offline.

As I previously stated, the ideal situation is to use a module in the CMS. It's more clearly, convenient and quicker to add. Pay sufficient attention and take your time for the implementation of proper redirects. It's worth the effort!