When the dev changes URLs thinking it's just organization

A situation I have seen in a project was when the developer decided to change the URLs to improve the organization of the site. The team thought this would be beneficial, but by changing the URLs without proper redirects, the site lost organic traffic instantly. Users looking for specific pages could not access them, resulting in an increase in the bounce rate and a significant decrease in visibility.

When lazy load improves Lighthouse and hurts traffic

Another common situation occurred in a project where we implemented lazy load for images with the intention of improving the Google Lighthouse score. Although this led to an increase in performance scores, what no one anticipated was the negative impact on content indexing. Many images that were crucial for SEO were not loaded in time for the crawlers, resulting in a significant drop in traffic.

The mistake of putting text for SEO and destroying scannability

I saw a team make the mistake of inserting SEO-optimized text in areas of the site intended for images or videos. This seemed like a smart decision from a keyword perspective but resulted in a terrible user experience. Visitors quickly abandoned the page, affecting engagement metrics and, consequently, the site's ranking in search engines.

The classic mobile checkout problem that no one tests

In an analysis of a project, we discovered that the new version of the mobile checkout layout had a bug that prevented completing the purchase. This was not identified in testing because the team did not consider the flow of real users. The consequence was a sudden drop in conversions, something that could have been avoided with more rigorous testing and a greater focus on real user interactions.

Practical checklist

• Check if the URLs are correctly redirected.
• Test the indexing of pages after layout changes.
• Perform SEO impact analyses for new entries.
• Implement A/B testing for significant changes.
• Conduct usability testing regularly.

Common mistakes

• Modifying URLs without 301 redirects.
• Implementing lazy load incorrectly.
• Excessive addition of text in visual areas.
• Ignoring feedback from real users during testing.
• Not monitoring traffic after changes.

How to apply in practice (step by step)

1. Plan any layout change with a focus on user experience first.
2. Conduct a complete SEO audit before changes.
3. Implement 301 redirects for any URL changes.
4. Test the new version of the site in controlled environments before launch.
5. Use analysis tools to monitor the impact on traffic.
6. Be ready to rollback if there is a significant traffic loss.

Frequently asked questions

• What to do if my traffic drops after a layout change?
• How to check if my URLs are correctly redirected?
• What tools can I use to test my site's indexing?
• How important is it to test mobile checkout?
• How can lazy load affect SEO?