Hello,
I have a travel related website that has been online for several years (since 2004). It currently has allot of traffic, but there are issues that prevent it from reaching full potential (no optimized and user friendly url's - it uses allot of params, bad database design which makes it difficult to expand and add new languages etc). Now I want to change it, apply a new design, add more languages, adopt a proper CMS etc.
One of my biggest concerns has to do with changing URL's. There are hundreds of websites with backlinks to specific pages of my website, and changing those links will create a problem for visitors - plus Google will find a link to a non existing URL. Also, I am afraid of the impact this change will have to search engine results placements, as I currently have very high placements for many (if not almost all) sensitive keywords.
This website makes me a good income, and loss of traffic would affect this quite hard. What would you suggest? should I go for the changes (mainly referring to url changes) or should I leave it as is?
What would be the best way to make a transition to a new website without risking too much traffic loss? Would the use of 301 Redirect be safe enough?