Relaunch with URL structure change without loss of visibility thanks to Seo-Consulting

We have been working successfully with K&K Ferienimmobilien for over ten years, for whom we initially developed the corporate design and also set up a multi-site system for tourism websites last year. The company manages over 300 vacation apartments on the Müritz and Baltic Sea and decided last year to carry out a comprehensive relaunch of the website and booking system for 2024. It was clear that this would also involve a URL structure change - an extremely high risk from an SEO perspective. Our role was to support K&K Ferienimmobilien with competent advice and SEO expertise. We were therefore not the company that developed the new website, but the SEO consultants involved in the relaunch.

Here you can see the final result in a mockup view:

Honest analysis and well-founded decision support

To date, K&K Ferienimmobilien has relied on a solution from Fewo One and, in our opinion, has done quite well with it for years from an SEO perspective. After a thorough analysis, the company nevertheless decided to switch to a new booking system that is better tailored to the growing requirements and needs of the agents. A website relaunch was to be carried out.

In principle, a relaunch always offers opportunities to improve technical, structural and content-related aspects with the aim of attracting more visitors to the website (via Google) and generating bookings even more easily from more visitors. However, a relaunch of this magnitude - including system changes and changes to the URL structure - carries the risk of a loss of visibility in the search engines. I pointed out that it is always better to incrementally improve a well-functioning, existing system rather than embark on a major relaunch. Especially if the website is one of the company's major revenue generators. Despite all the reasons against a relaunch, the client opted for it because there were pain points that could not be overcome. The booking system was to be changed to vOffice.

The company vOffice has a standard template for its customers and also works in parallel with another agency from Osnabrück, which offers to implement an individual website based on WordPress with a plugin for vOffice.

In this case, the CMS Contao - Fewo One's existing system - was to be switched to WordPress, which would be connected to vOffice via a plugin by the other agency. This would mean that the structures of the website and in particular the existing links and link paths would change. Google would re-index the site - and you would often end up lower in the rankings.

At the beginning of the project, the question arose as to whether the agency recommended by vOffice or vOffice itself should carry out the relaunch. As SEO consultants, our aim was to find the best solution for our client - regardless of who was awarded the contract.

Step 1: Reference check of the proposed partners

In order to create a sound basis for decision-making, we analyzed the references of the recommended agency as well as vOffice customer projects that are already online with the proposed standard template solution. In doing so, we specifically checked

• SEO performance of the existing projects
• Code quality in terms of loading speed, structure and technical standards
• Accessibility
• Security, particularly with regard to security headers, data integrity and encryption

Our analysis showed that both the agency's reference projects and the standard template had significant weaknesses. Particularly problematic was:

• A lack of optimization of the URL structure and metadata, which could have a negative impact on visibility.
• Insufficiently optimized mobile loading times and failure to meet core web vitals, which can affect not only the user experience but also the SEO ranking.
• Security concerns due to a lack of modern standards, which are critical for sensitive customer data in the booking area.

We used test tool-based checks with the help of Seobility, Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, Security Header.io, accessibilitychecker.org, Health Check and others, so that our statements are completely data-driven and objectifiable.

Step 2: Assessment of potential risks

Based on our findings and our many years of experience in SEO and relaunch work, which we have carried out ourselves, we develop a risk analysis. The weaknesses of the proposed solutions indicated potentially serious visibility losses. Given the quality of the second agency's references, we predicted a loss of visibility of between 55 and 85% in the event of a relaunch and up to 45% with the previous standard solution from vOffice. How do we arrive at such estimated values? We take the measurement results, compare them with those of the competitors and compare them with the existing search volume. Since the previous website of kuk-ferienwohnungen.de was already well positioned, a drop in OnPage quality, Core Web Vitals and PageSpeed led us to expect a loss in the rankings for non-brand keyword-related searches, because competitors deliver better values for these keywords.

Step 3: Presentation of results and recommendation

We presented the results of our analysis in a transparent 22-page report and recommended that the relaunch solution with clearly defined new requirements be commissioned directly from vOffice. This recommendation was based on the finding that the solution proposed by the second agency could neither meet the individual requirements of K&K Ferienimmobilien nor guarantee the necessary technical level for a successful relaunch. The references cited as best cases and success stories on the website all failed our tests - and performed worse in all metrics compared to K&K's existing website.

Here is an excerpt from our analysis where, after presenting the measurement results, I ranked K&K Ferienimmobilien so that they directly understand what to expect. XXX was the second agency, YYY is another agency here from M-V, which was briefly scheduled for the relaunch and also relaunched a larger tourism portal here in the state in late summer 2023, which was also examined.

What does that mean in general? Agencies continue to do mediocre to damaging work because they still don't use quality assurance tools, even if it's grandiloquently mentioned in posts, white papers, best practices, etc. With XXX and YYY it is not an exception, but the rule. Such tests can be carried out with almost any agency, because none of them work in a truly data-driven way, because none of them stay on the ball with their own projects on the market for years and agencies may not even care whether a project is successful or not, as long as the agency bill is paid and the clients can celebrate the beautiful (but qualitatively unclean) websites in their posts and with awards. The advantage is also that if the agency is based somewhere else, you don't meet the client while shopping in the DIY store as the responsible agency that is simply responsible for a double-digit percentage drop in visibility. But customers don't check this drop in visibility anyway, because everyone has a consent cookie banner, but nobody really checks the figures. Fortunately, customers don't know that today - in the age of mass AI content - ranking depends primarily on technical parameters ;-) And many agencies probably don't yet either ...

What does that mean for you? "Never touch a running system" has established itself as a quote for a reason. Your pain points with the current system have to be big enough for you to take the risk of relaunching a website that is the current revenue generator. If they are not, don't relaunch. Why? Because your website is still quite good and can be fixed and improved with manageable effort where the problems currently lie.

As you can read, after ten years of working together, our communication is honest and direct. In plain language.

As the provider of the booking system, vOffice was able and willing to develop a customized new standard template that was specifically tailored to the customer's needs, because K&K could directly acquire a large customer. Therefore, a new standard template with improved OnPage and PageSpeed values from vOffice was also our recommendation for K&K.

Our approach of openly naming weaknesses and pointing out risks was appreciated by the client and ultimately led to vOffice being commissioned to implement the relaunch in close cooperation with us as SEO consultants. vOffice later commented in one of the meetings that no client had ever used external SEO consultants for a relaunch before. It should be for the benefit of everyone involved.

Structured support for the relaunch process

Our role included the holistic SEO support of the relaunch. These were the steps we took:

• SEO relaunch checklist: We created a binding checklist that defined all the essential steps and requirements for a successful relaunch. If you would like our relaunch checklist, simply click on the link.
• Detailed audits: Three comprehensive SEO audits of the test environment enabled us to identify weaknesses early on in various phases of development and have them corrected. Suggestions for UI improvements were also incorporated into the evaluation.
• Participation in meetings between the customer and service provider as well as consultations in the event of queries.
• Preparation of the URL redirect map
• Monitoring the go-live: We accompanied the transition to the new website to ensure that visibility was maintained.

The timing of the go-live was well chosen after the actual vacation season, where search volumes have a seasonal downward trend with a low point in the run-up to Christmas. This allowed the website with the new URL structure to work for some time before the search volume increased again from Christmas onwards, as target customers were looking for suitable destinations for their next vacation.

The result: a relaunch that pays off

Thanks to the structured preparation and implementation, the relaunch was not only carried out without any loss of visibility - the website even recorded an increase in Sistrix online visibility. According to Search Console, clicks increased by 10.6% in the first six weeks after going live (compared to the same period last year). This is a great success for a relaunch with a URL structure change.

Our approach of providing the client with an honest and well-founded assessment was conducive to the results of the project. Not every relaunch makes sense - but if it is well thought out and accompanied, it can become a real success story. Equally praiseworthy is the work of vOffice, who appreciated our participation and always responded openly and constructively to all the points mentioned in the SEO audits.

We are pleased to have supported K&K Ferienimmobilien in this important step and look forward to working with them in the future.

Even at this stage, not all of the measurement results for the tools we use are where we want them to be. While our work in 2024 was only of an advisory nature, we will be directly operational and content-related in 2025 and will implement an annual plan for further SEO measures for K&K Ferienimmobilien to further expand visibility. In twelve months' time, I will report here on the progress we have made for kuk-ferienwohnungen.de.

How it shouldn't be: a relaunch with over 40 percent loss of visibility

Here is another case of a former client of ours who also completed a relaunch with a URL structure change this year. We were not involved, but only followed the process from the sidelines. The case is nevertheless worthy of note because it shows exactly what the danger is in a relaunch when the URLs change completely. But one thing at a time ...

At the beginning of 2020, an online store designed and developed by us went online in the special interest sector for a young start-up that has developed very well in terms of visibility over the years. The store solution was based on PrestaShop. Frankly, PrestaShop is not everybody's darling, even among my developers. The development and customization is cumbersome and no comparison with a framework such as Laravel. The customer wanted a relaunch due to certain limitations of the previous store system and wanted to rely on Shopify. Shopify development is not our expertise, which is why we were out of the question as the agency responsible. I put them in touch with an agency from Lower Saxony that specializes in SEO and Shopify (greetings to Helmstedt!). But the company opted for a different agency, which according to its own rating - according to the page title in the serps - is the best agency for Shopify. Well then, nothing can go wrong ...

I warned our customer once again in an email against a relaunch. That was exactly what I said: Sure, there are always problems with the store system. That would frustrate me just as much, which is why I fully understand you. There's only one thing you'll notice after the relaunch: different systems, different constraints. Not everything will run smoothly with Shopify either. In a three-month comparison with last year according to Search Console, you have 20 percent more clicks and 69 percent more impressions. With over 100 keywords, you are number 1 in the organic search. Another 500 keywords up to position 5 and you already have a great ranking. Seen in this light, things are actually going as many store operators would wish. A system change should be well considered. The problem is the URL structure change and the change in link paths. Google will crawl and classify you completely anew. It is therefore essential to create a URL redirect map so that the redirects are correct. However, be prepared for a drop in visibility with Google. Experience has shown that there is a first step down in organic visibility before a new/improved store has an effect. If Google is your main source of customers, you will be able to convert this 1:1 into a drop in sales. I don't want to scare you. It's just an empirical value.

We were out with it. Seo support for the relaunch was provided by a seo freelancer friend of the customer, which is good because not all companies have an SEO guy in tow at the same time as the relaunch. And an improved store also offers opportunities for further growth, although here too, as in the case of K&K, the store was already very good.

This is the result three months after the relaunch:

Visibility plummeted from 0.24 to 0.14 immediately after the relaunch, according to Sistrix. The more than 40 percent loss of visibility has not recovered even three months after the relaunch. The visibility built up over the years has taken a direct downward step. What went wrong?

• The relaunch was apparently carried out in quality assurance without various test tools. The online store went online with a measured on-page score of 65 percent according to Seobility. To date, the score has only improved to 71 percent, which is still a subterranean value.
• Although a URL redirect map was used, according to Search Console (we still have access ;-)) over a thousand 404 pages have been created since the relaunch.
• The structured data is incomplete and four (non-critical) errors are reported for the product pages.

These are just the obvious points without a deeper audit. The content of the store is an absolute niche topic with a very specific customer group. There is little competition and, from our point of view, it is easy to achieve top positions in the desired keywords due to the low competitive pressure. If there were more and stronger competitors, the drop in visibility would have been much greater.

After the relaunch, website visitors were greeted with a large banner stating that the customer account and newsletter registrations could unfortunately not be transferred due to the store change (data protection). That's right, data protection. What a load of bullshit. Not only was the customer history lost, but also one of the most effective marketing tools, the newsletter, was set to zero.

I just feel a sad regret because it has confirmed what every professional SEO agency knows: a relaunch with new URLs is highly dangerous and requires almost overly careful implementation. The store has become pretty, without question. But it falls short of its potential. And with the lack of migration of customer and newsletter data, the company was simply taken for a ride. The store is still not listed as a reference by the self-proclaimed best Shopify agency.