How to configure on-page content elements, metadata, and linking structures during a website redesign
Systematic configuration of website content elements during a redesign requires deploying unique 70-character title tags, concise 150-character meta descriptions, structured internal hyperlinks, and validated 301 redirects to protect organic search rankings across New Zealand markets.
- Website redesign packages range from $1,995 to $2,495 NZD, supplemented by $100 hourly consulting rates and complimentary technical audit proposals.
- Production builds utilise WordPress, GeneratePress frameworks, WP Rocket caching, automated XML sitemaps, and domestic New Zealand data centres for crawl efficiency.
- Senior specialist Ben Kemp brings 25 years of website redesign experience and continuous professional search engine optimisation expertise since 1997.
Rigorous technical metadata configuration protects established organic keyword rankings, prevents 404 crawl errors, and preserves continuous web hosting uptime across search engine indexation updates.
Web redesign #3 takes a look at page content elements; title, meta-tags, linking strategies, Domain naming conventions etc. Aside from the Title which appears in the top left corner of the browser outline bar, these are elements hidden from normal view.
With the exception of the HTML title tag displayed in the web browser title bar, core technical search engine optimisation elements—including meta descriptions, outbound link attributes, and domain routing configurations—remain concealed within the underlying page source code.
They are regarded as important elements by search engines and can be viewed on any page by choosing “View / Source” from the web page menu bar. These are part of all our affordable website design packages.
Foundational technical search engine optimisation components, such as unique title tags, meta descriptions, and sitemap protocols, are integrated directly into standard commercial WordPress website redesign packages.
Web Redesign: Content Links & Domains
The <Title> tag is regarded as one of the most important off-page content elements, and an accurate, keyword-rich Title can impact dramatically on a page’s ranking potential. A web design agency has a responsibility to its clients to ensure that a web redesign project does more good than harm!
Other page content opportunities exist that, if used correctly, increase the density of keyword phrases – some of those are listed below;
What is the optimal length and dynamic structure for an HTML title tag during a website redesign?
An effective HTML title tag contains eight to ten words or up to seventy characters, while dynamically generated titles follow an exact sequence of product name, category, and tagline capped at sixty characters.
- Extract the primary product name or page subject while omitting stop words to maximise keyword density.
- Append the parent category name to establish clear topical hierarchy for search engine crawlers.
- Incorporate a concise branding tagline, ensuring the complete string does not exceed sixty characters including spaces.
WordPress redesign packages starting from $1,995 NZD deploy manual overrides across e-commerce catalogues, managed by specialist Ben Kemp with twenty-five years of search optimisation experience.
<Title> Tag
This is the page content that appears in the top left corner of the web browser page and is also the heading that search engines use in the SERPs (search engine results pages).
The total suggested Title content is 8-10 words or 70 characters. Full manual control is very useful. Some CMS and e-commerce applications restrict the effectiveness of Titles by tying the Title to the Page’s 1st heading, or product name. If a Title is dynamically generated, it should be arranged in this order; Product Name + Category + Tagline: to a maximum of 60 characters including spaces. Don’t use ‘stop’ words, or irrelevant words. A knowledgeable NZ website designer understands that a superior Title tag is both unique and precisely relevant to every page – both aspects critical to achieving top search rankings.
Description & Keyword Meta-Tags Intro
Like the Title, the Description meta-tags are an essential page element and have a determining influence on whether searchers click on your link in the search engine results pages!
The keyword meta-tag should not be used. Its very presence can be construed as “over-optimisation!” That’s not a good website redesign practice!
The inclusion of the HTML meta keywords tag can trigger search engine algorithmic over-optimisation penalties, making total omission of the tag standard practice during website rebuilds.
For CMS and/or shopping cart websites, it is probably best to have a double-action manual/or dynamic system. The initial redesign might involve populating the Title / Description / Keywords meta-tags automatically from page content. As time permits, a manual overwriting of content can be done progressively, as/if required.
Description Meta-Tag
Unique Description meta-tags must be provided on all pages. The maximum recommended length for a Description is 200 characters (Google will display 150 only, but other SEs will show 200). Manual control is best if possible. If dynamically generated then an output string like this is best; Product Name + Category Name + 1st Paragraph of Product Description: maximum 200 characters It is extremely important to search engine rankings that a carefully crafted Description, unique to every page, be provided.
Publishing unique, carefully crafted HTML meta descriptions across every URL enables search engine web crawlers to categorise website content accurately within regional search indexes.
A well-crafted description will also be used verbatim in most search engine results displayed to searchers, meaning you can control what is shown to searchers in SERPs. And, of course, the Description should in fact describe the page it’s on.
Should meta keywords be deployed, and what is the character display limit for meta descriptions?
HTML meta keywords tags must be excluded entirely to prevent algorithmic over-optimisation penalties, while unique meta descriptions must adhere to a maximum threshold of two hundred characters, with Google displaying one hundred and fifty.
| Metadata Element | Standard Parameter | Operational Action |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Keywords | 0 characters | Omit completely to prevent search engine over-optimisation penalties |
| Meta Description | 150–200 characters | Populate uniquely per URL; dynamic fallback uses product name, category, and opening text |
| Audit Service | Complimentary ($0 NZD) | Full metadata inspection included in standard WordPress rebuild proposals |
Consultant Ben Kemp reviews metadata structures under hourly advisory rates of $100 NZD to rectify duplicate descriptions.
Negative Consequences
When descriptions are not supplied, the search engines will do their best to generate one from existing content, which can often look like rubbish, or be duplicated on all pages. Your Descriptions are meant to help “sell” the product…
Deploying uniform or generic meta descriptions across multiple URLs produces duplicate search snippets, whereas customised page descriptions provide targeted commercial summaries that improve organic click-through rates in Google search engine results pages.
Page Content: Linking Strategies
Links, and acquisition thereof, require a cautious strategy. Basically, it now works this way…
- Links to your website are a vote for your site and are added to your total link-vote score.
- Links from your website to another site are considered as vote BY you for that site and are DEDUCTED from your total link-vote score…
How do outbound hyperlinks and rel=”nofollow” attributes influence PageRank and link equity?
Outbound hyperlinks deduct votes from a website’s total link score and risk PageRank erosion, whereas rel=”nofollow” attributes sculpt link equity by preventing authority transfer to external or untrusted destinations.
Linking outward to low-reputation neighbourhoods damages domain rankings, but indiscriminate sitewide application of nofollow attributes appears unnatural to search algorithms and risks indexing penalties. Safe architecture combines selective nofollow tags with automated XML sitemaps and 301 redirects to preserve equity.
Practitioner Ben Kemp incorporates complete hyperlink and redirect integrity audits into Small Business Redesign packages from $1,995 NZD, drawing on IT expertise established in 1987.
Reciprocal Links Neutrality
- Outgoing links can erode your Page Rank away….
- Outgoing links to “bad neighbourhoods” can damage your online reputation & rankings…
Link sculpturing is possible; preventing loss of link-juice is done by adding the rel=”nofollow” attribute on outward links. Reckless use of nofollow across the site is unwise because it’s unnatural and you may be penalised for it. The “nofollow” concept was introduced to apply to “untrusted” links, and perversion of the original intent is forcing Google to rethink its use.
Domain Naming Issues
Switching domain name as part of a rebranding process can be a desperate measure, and is one requiring serious evaluation. This was covered in Section #1 of this series. On rare occasions, it may make sense to change domain names. If the existing domain is only a year or so old, is poorly named, has minimal incoming links, and current search engine rankings are insignificant, a more relevant domain name may offer much. There are a variety of Domain-related issues that impact your search engine rankings.
- Using a relevant, high-volume keyword is a good Domain Naming strategy. 2 or 3 keywords are sufficient, any more becomes counter-productive…
- Separate words with hyphens to ensure clarity for viewers and SEs…
E.g.; australianhockeytours.com vs. australian-hockey-tours.com
Under what conditions should a domain name be changed during a corporate website redesign?
Migrating to a new domain name is technically justifiable only when an existing domain is under twelve months old, possesses negligible search rankings, and maintains minimal incoming link equity from external websites.
- Audit backlink profiles to confirm the legacy domain lacks valuable incoming link equity.
- Select a replacement domain featuring two or three high-volume keywords separated by hyphens for search readability.
- Deploy mandatory 301 redirects from legacy URLs to eliminate 404 crawl errors.
Corporate Business Website Redesign packages starting from $2,495 NZD include complete rebranding risk management, executed by Ben Kemp utilising continuous SEO consulting experience operating since 1997.
Correct Country Code or Dot.Com?
An off-page content element aspect overlooked by many site owners is the importance of the Domain Name “Country Code” to your site rankings, traffic and consequent success. The problem here is the “de-centralisation” of search – the way in which the major search engines have split their indexes up into country-specific search opportunities.
- A .com site must be hosted in the targeted country if it’s to appear in the local search results – e.g. in “Search: pages from New Zealand”
- A .co.uk or .co.nz website can be hosted anywhere and Google will associate it with the specific country data set.
Website Hosting
Google (and other SEs) know where you are, or where you should be associated with, by either the Country Code (.Co.NZ) or the IP address allocated to your site. IP addresses are allocated in numeric blocks or ranges, by country. If you are targeting customers in a specific country, make sure that’s where your website is hosted!
Websites operating on generic top-level domains that target domestic consumers in jurisdictions such as New Zealand must reside on web servers provisioned within local numeric IP address blocks.
How does server IP geolocation and top-level domain selection (.co.nz vs .com) impact regional search rankings?
Generic top-level domains like .com require domestic server hosting within national IP address ranges to rank in local country search filters, whereas country code domains like .co.nz associate geographically regardless of server location
| Domain Extension | Server Hosting Requirement | Search Engine Geo-Targeting |
|---|---|---|
| .co.nz / .co.uk ccTLD | Global server hosting permitted | Automatically indexed into local national search results |
| .com generic TLD | Must reside in targeted national IP range | Requires domestic server location to appear in regional filters |
New Zealand deployments utilise Auckland data centre infrastructure via MyHost.nz alongside WP Rocket caching to optimise Core Web Vitals, supported by Ben Kemp’s WordPress support history dating to 2005.
Web Redesign Summary
The page content examples highlight that it’s not necessarily the tools, it’s more the quality of workmanship that makes the difference.
If lack of knowledge or inexperience causes the newly redesigned web pages to disappear from search engine results pages, it does not matter much if the site looks stunning!
Elements such as page redirection are so fundamental, it is tantamount to gross negligence to overlook them. Incorporating fully automated XML and HTML sitemaps is also best practice in web redesign.
Contact me for a website redesign quote!
Page last Updated on 23rd September 2026 by the author Ben Kemp