Changing the URL of a live webpage can be problematic for several reasons, mainly because of how it impacts your website’s visibility on search engines and user experience. Here’s a breakdown of why it’s generally advised to avoid changing URLs:
1. Loss of SEO value
When a page has been live for a while, it accumulates what’s known as “SEO equity” or “link juice.” This includes:
- Backlinks: Other websites may have linked to your page, passing SEO value to it.
- Search engine indexing: Search engines like Google have already indexed the URL and ranked it based on its relevance and authority.
- User familiarity: Users might have bookmarked the URL or shared it on social media.
If you change the URL, all the SEO value built up over time is essentially lost because search engines will see the new URL as an entirely different page. The old URL might drop out of the search index, and any backlinks pointing to it could become dead links, causing a significant drop in traffic and ranking.
2. Broken links
When you change a URL without proper redirects, it can lead to broken links, both on your website and on external sites that link to your content. Broken links result in a poor user experience, as visitors who click on those links will land on a 404 error page instead of the content they were expecting. This can frustrate users and potentially drive them away from your site.
Broken links can also negatively impact your SEO because search engines view them as a sign of a poorly maintained website.
3. Impact on user experience (UX)
Users who have bookmarked your page or who access it via shared links will encounter issues if the URL is changed without a proper redirect in place. This leads to confusion and frustration, as they may not be able to find the content they were looking for.
4. Search engine reindexing
When you change a URL, search engines must crawl and reindex the new URL, which can take time. During this period, the new URL might not perform as well in search rankings because it hasn’t yet built up the same level of authority as the old URL. This can lead to a temporary or even permanent drop in traffic.
Using 301 redirects when necessary
If you absolutely must change a URL, using a 301 redirect is crucial. A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. It tells search engines that the content has permanently moved to a new location, allowing them to transfer most of the SEO value from the old URL to the new one.
Here’s why 301 redirects are important:
- Preserve SEO value: A 301 redirect passes about 90-99% of the SEO value from the old URL to the new one, helping to maintain your search rankings.
- Avoid broken links: It ensures that any users or search engines that visit the old URL are automatically redirected to the new one, preventing 404 errors.
- Maintain user experience: Users who access the old URL will be seamlessly directed to the new page, ensuring they find the content they’re looking for.
Conclusion
In summary, changing URLs can disrupt your SEO efforts by losing built-up SEO value, creating broken links, and negatively impacting user experience. If a URL change is necessary, always use a 301 redirect to preserve as much of your SEO value as possible and maintain a smooth user experience.