This is important, especially if you have recently changed themes or if you are planning to; you should conduct a PageSpeed Insights scan from time to time to make sure that you are passing Core Web Vital checks as mandated by Google. With regard to the administration of a website, one of the frequently asked questions among webmasters is if the change of their website’s theme will influence their SEO.
In this article we will focus on the repercussions of changing the theme and how to avoid or lessen their consequences.
Can Theme Changes Lead to Traffic Drops?
Indeed, the transition of themes can result in a website’s traffic loss in the process. Here are some reasons why these changes might result in traffic drops:
Here are some reasons why these changes might result in traffic drops:
- SEO IMPACT
- USER EXPERIENCE
- BROKEN LINKS AND REDIRECTS
- LOSS OF BACKLINKS
- MOBILE RESPONSIVENESS
1- SEO Impact
They know that search engines index websites according to their quality, user-friendliness, and site structure. Modifying the components of a website includes aspects like the theme, and these alterations may reduce the website’s rankings in search engines. It is also problematic if the theme is not Search Engine Optimized or if it alters the structure of the content: search engines might crawl and index pages with reduced efficiency.
2- User Experience
If the theme has a deleterious impact on usability – the site’s speed, navigational issues, or confusion, some of the visitors could bounce away more quickly (high bounce rates). Different search engines take into account the level of user engagement on the site as its quality sign; thus, decreasing user satisfaction causes the rankings to drop.
3- Broken Links and Redirects
It is not rare that when the theme is switched, one gets lots of broken links or problems with page redirections. Malfunctioning links could be extremely annoying to users, and overall page credibility will be severely compromised when links fail to work as intended; improper and unwanted redirects could further befuddle search engines and hinder a site’s natural traffic flow.
4- Loss of Backlinks
When adopting the new theme modifies the URLs of the pages or develops other problems, valuable backlinks that point to other URLs may go. Links are important in SEO, and losing them is bad news to a site because it reduces its authority and ranking.
5- Mobile Responsiveness
The majority of targets, like Google and other search engines, have a specific penchant for websites that are friendly to pocket devices. If the new theme is not mobile-friendly or if the theme does not rank well on devices or screens, then we are likely to record a drop in organic traffic.
Recommendations need to be followed while changing the Theme
Do not change themes too often
No matter how easy it might be to get the ‘NEW’ theme and no matter how captivating it is actually to do it, it would help if you never made the change unless you have to. This is because when themes are changed, they might hamper the user experience and alter the manner in which Google ranks your pages. Switching themes is also effective because it leads to the compilation of some errors on your site, which is disadvantageous to your Google reputation if they happen to crawl your site before you rectify the errors.
Here are five easy tips for changing a WordPress theme without harming SEO:
- Pick an SEO-Friendly Theme
- Backup the Site
- Test on Staging
- Use Redirects
- Update Meta-data
1- Pick an SEO-Friendly Theme
Select a good theme that is light, optimized for mobile and search engines, and adheres to the most widely practiced SEO standards.
2- Backup the Site
Before making any changes, it is advisable to back up the entire website.
3- Test on Staging
Check the new theme on a dummy site to see if it can work without issues and at the same time, without causing damage.
4- Use Redirects
When a URL is changed, ensure that there are links from one direction to another so as to avoid links that do not work.
5- Update Metadata
Meta tile and descriptions should be changed to fit the new theme, and traffic and rankings should be tracked and analyzed after the change.
Measures to take before Switching Themes for SEO
Here’s a concise list of precautions that should be taken before switching themes for SEO:
- Backup
- Responsive
- SEO Check
- URLs
- Load Speed
- Duplicate Content
- Custom Code
- Header/Footer
- Staging Test
- Search Console
- Sitemaps
- Ranking Watch
1- Backup
Select a good theme that is light, optimized for mobile and search engines, and adheres to the most widely practiced SEO standards.
2- Responsive
Before making any changes, it is advisable to back up the entire website.
3- SEO Check
Before making any changes, it is advisable to back up the entire website.
4- URLs
Before making any changes, it is advisable to back up the entire website.
5- Load Speed
Select a good theme that is light, optimized for mobile and search engines, and adheres to the most widely practiced SEO standards.
6- Duplicate Content
Before making any changes, it is advisable to back up the entire website.
7- Custom Code
Before making any changes, it is advisable to back up the entire website.
8- Header/Footer
Before making any changes, it is advisable to back up the entire website.
9- Staging Test
Select a good theme that is light, optimized for mobile and search engines, and adheres to the most widely practiced SEO standards.
10- Search Console
Before making any changes, it is advisable to back up the entire website.
11- Sitemaps
Before making any changes, it is advisable to back up the entire website.
12- Ranking Watch
Before making any changes, it is advisable to back up the entire website.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, changing the theme of your website can affect your SEO efforts, but with proper planning and execution, you can mitigate any negative impacts. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can ensure that your website maintains its SEO performance even after changing the theme.
