Table of Contents

• Site Migration Overview
• Migration Considerations
• Using a Sandbox
• Optimal Migration Timing
• Site Crawling Pre-Migration
• Analytics Benchmarking
• URL Mapping
• Internal Links Update
• Canonical Tags
• Duplicate Content Resolution
• Handling Removed Pages
• Custom 404 Page
• Sitemap Management
• Maintaining Analytics
• Redirects Setup
• Domain Control
• Monitoring Post-Migration
• Google Analytics Marking
• Search Console Setup
• PPC Management
• Platforms Update
• Outreach for Links
• Indexed Pages Monitoring
• Checking for 404s
• Old URLs Crawling
• Pre-Migration SEO Audit
• Troubleshooting Common Migration Issues

Few elements can undermine a brand’s online presence as quickly as a poorly executed site migration.

Opting to change your domain or switch to HTTPS might seem beneficial for your business, but overlooking the impact on search engines could significantly reduce your organic search traffic.

Consider the following SEO guidelines as you devise a strategy for your website’s migration.

Evaluate the Necessity of Migration

A site migration typically leads to a short-term decrease in traffic—Google requires time to recognize the change and adjust its index. A well-managed site migration can limit traffic losses, and ideally, Google will eventually view the new site just as it did the original.

However, under typical circumstances, site migrations provide minimal SEO advantages and do not remove penalties imposed by search engines. (This is why SEO experts often use migrations as a chance to enhance SEO by improving site architecture, fixing broken links, merging duplicate pages, and enhancing content.)

When should you consider a site migration?

• When it’s crucial for a major rebranding effort.
• When the migration can attract media attention and links.
• When shifting to HTTPS (one of the rare instances where migration alone boosts SEO).

Implement a Sandbox Environment

Always test a site migration on a staging server before going live. Ensure that redirects are functioning correctly, and conduct all necessary checks privately before making them public. Attempting a live update without prior testing can lead to significant errors, potentially delaying progress by weeks.

Time Your Migration Wisely

While a well-executed migration shouldn’t permanently impact your site’s traffic, anticipate a temporary decline. Thus, it’s advisable to migrate during off-peak seasons if your site’s traffic is seasonal. Avoid migrations around high-traffic periods, like holidays, to prevent any significant business disruptions.

Conduct a Comprehensive Site Crawl

Before migrating, use tools like Screaming Frog to crawl your site and save the results. It’s crucial to maintain a complete record of your site’s current URLs to prevent any from being lost during the transition.

This is also an opportunity to spot any crawl errors or existing redirects, which tend to accumulate over time. It’s rare to encounter a site without any broken links or redirections.

Make sure to correct or update links leading to 404 errors during the migration. Also, consider updating links that result in redirects to point directly to the final destination page, avoiding redirect chains.

Bear in mind that a crawl might not capture every page, especially those not linked internally. You can track these ‘orphan’ pages through your records, Google Analytics, or tools like Ahrefs, and ensure they are linked appropriately during the migration.

Benchmark Your Analytics

Backup your Google Analytics data prior to migration to help quickly identify any traffic losses post-migration.

Should there be a drop in traffic, compare the new site’s data against the old to determine which specific pages are affected. Often, traffic loss is isolated to specific pages rather than the entire site.

Additionally, monitor the pages that receive the most backlinks, as identified by tools like Ahrefs. Post-migration, these pages need close observation; a decline in their traffic might indicate that their authority hasn’t transitioned effectively from the old site, potentially impacting your site’s overall performance.

Map all changed URLs from old to new

You should maintain a spreadsheet that documents each old URL alongside its new counterpart.

During a site migration, it is ideal to retain all existing pages on the new site as removing pages can significantly impact your ability to draw search engine traffic. Furthermore, eliminating numerous pages might lead Google to perceive the new site as distinct from the original, potentially affecting your rankings.

While altering your URL structure during migration might seem opportune, be cautious as significant changes can prompt Google to view your site as entirely new. This can complicate determining whether traffic losses stem from the architectural changes or the migration itself.

Maintaining the same architecture also allows for simpler redirection using regex in your .htaccess file, reducing server load and simplifying the redirection process.

Update all internal links

Ensure that all HTML links on your new site point to the correct URLs of the new domain.

While it might be tempting to keep old links because they redirect to new URLs, this approach should be avoided as it can increase server load and potentially decrease PageRank. Instead, use a search and replace function on your database to update the domain names while keeping the folder structure unchanged, if it remains the same.

Self-canonicalize all new pages

Confirm that the canonical tags on the new site point to the new URLs. Improper canonicalization linking back to the old site can hinder the indexing of the new site.

I recommend self-canonicalizing all pages (except those that should point to different canonical pages) to help Google understand that the new site is the continuation of the old one. This approach also helps manage duplicate content issues that can arise from URL parameters.

Resolve duplicate content issues

Various issues during migration can lead to duplicate content. To manage this, ensure that self-canonicalization is properly set up and complement it with redirect rules in the .htaccess file to ensure only one version of each page is accessible.

Additionally, ensure that IP addresses redirect to URLs, and be vigilant about folder structures that could lead to content duplication. It’s also crucial to configure your site to use either HTTPS or HTTP exclusively, along with either the www or non-www version, redirecting all others to the preferred domain.

If your site includes a search function, make sure search result pages are set to noindex to avoid indexing duplicate content.

Identify and address any removed pages

If it’s necessary to remove pages, list all affected URLs. Avoid redirecting these old pages to the new site or linking them to the homepage as ‘soft 404s.’ Instead, if there’s a relevant replacement page that serves a similar purpose, redirect to it and update all links accordingly. Otherwise, allow these pages to return a 404 error.

Ensure that a custom 404 page is in place

A well-designed custom 404 page can significantly improve user experience by helping visitors find useful content even if they land on a non-existent page.

Manage and submit sitemaps

Retain your old sitemap in the Google Search Console and add the new sitemap as well. Prompt Google to crawl the old sitemap to speed up the recognition of redirects.

Keep analytics in place at all times

Ensure Google Analytics is installed and fully functional on the new domain well before public launch. This helps avoid any data gaps during the transition and allows for monitoring traffic changes throughout the migration process.

Redirect all changed links

The optimal setup for redirects uses a regex expression in the .htaccess file to efficiently manage domain changes or switch from HTTP to HTTPS. Test all redirects on a staging server to ensure there are no resulting 404 errors before going live.

Keep control of the old domain

Unless the migration’s purpose was to transfer the domain, it’s advisable to maintain control over the old domain indefinitely to ensure continuous redirection to the new site. Losing these redirects could result in losing inbound link value. Despite some industry claims, relying on Google to associate old links with the new site without redirects is risky and not recommended.

Monitor traffic, performance, and rankings

Maintain diligent surveillance over your search and referral traffic, analyzing it daily for at least the first week post-migration. If shifts occur, drill down to the page level to ascertain which pages are underperforming compared to their previous metrics. These pages may require adjustments for crawl errors or linking issues, and effort should be made to update any external links from the old page versions to the new ones.

Monitoring your most linked-to pages is critical, as they greatly influence your site’s ranking capabilities. Utilize tools like SEMrush to keep tabs on your rankings for key phrases and gauge how swiftly Google is indexing your new site and phasing out the old one.

Mark dates in Google Analytics

Utilize annotations in Google Analytics to mark significant dates throughout the migration. This strategy aids in pinpointing the origins of potential issues encountered during the transition.

Ensure Google Search Console is properly set up

Establish a new property in Google Search Console for the new domain, ensuring it corresponds to the correct version of your site, whether HTTP or HTTPS, and www or non-www. Submit both old and new sitemaps to reinforce the transition from the old site to the new one.

Submit a change of address, request Google to crawl your new sitemap, and utilize the “fetch as Google” feature to expedite the indexing of your new site. It’s crucial to ensure that all redirects, canonicalizations, and links are flawless before initiating these requests.

Properly manage PPC

Adjust your PPC campaigns to direct traffic to the new site. Failing to update these could result in lost attribution in Analytics due to redirection from the old site’s URLs.

Update all other platforms

Update all external profiles, including social media, guest publishing bios, other owned websites, forum signatures, and any platforms where you engage, ensuring all links direct to the new site.

Reach out for your most prominent links

Contact the most authoritative sites linking to you to inform them about the site migration and encourage them to update their links to your new URL. While not all will comply, those that do can significantly hasten Google’s recognition of the migration.

Focus on your most crucial links as updating all would be impractical for most sites.

Monitor your indexed page count

Google will gradually index the pages on your new site. If, after a month, the indexed page count doesn’t match that of the old site, investigate potential issues as this indicates a problem.

Check for 404s and redirects

Conduct a thorough crawl of your new site to ensure there are no 404 or 301 errors—or any other problematic codes—that could hinder user access or site performance. Prioritize fixing any incorrect links and set up appropriate redirects for outdated URLs.

Avoid redirect chains that could degrade site performance and user experience. Ensure all internal links point directly to their intended target pages, not through redirects.

Crawl your old URLs

Use tools like Screaming Frog to crawl all old URLs, ensuring each is properly redirected to the corresponding new URL. This prevents 404 errors on migrated pages and ensures external links do not result in redirect chains or 404 errors.

Pre-Migration SEO Audit

Before initiating any site migration, conducting a thorough SEO audit is crucial. This step ensures you understand the current health of your website, allowing you to mitigate potential risks that could impact your search engine rankings post-migration. Start by assessing your site’s link profile, content quality, and user engagement metrics. It’s essential to identify high-performing pages and ensure their SEO value is preserved during the transition. Check for any existing SEO issues like duplicate content, poor mobile usability, or slow loading times. Address these issues before the migration to pave the way for a smoother transition. Utilize tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to benchmark your site’s current performance, providing a clear comparison point for post-migration evaluation.

Troubleshooting Common Migration Issues

Even with meticulous planning, migrations can encounter problems. Common issues include broken links, SEO rankings drop, or disrupted user experiences. To effectively manage these challenges, start with a comprehensive check of all URLs post-migration to ensure they resolve correctly without resulting in 404 errors. Use tools like Screaming Frog to crawl your new site and identify broken links or redirect chains that need fixing. If you notice a significant drop in traffic or rankings, quickly analyze backlink profiles to ensure high-value links are still correctly pointing to relevant pages. Consider implementing a temporary 302 redirect strategy while you finalize permanent 301 redirects. Regularly monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors and submit your new sitemap for faster reindexing. Addressing these issues promptly can significantly reduce the negative impact on your site’s performance.

Conclusion

If a site migration overlooks SEO considerations, it is likely to result in significant traffic loss. The worst migration failures I’ve encountered were due to oversight of how search engines would interpret the changes. By adhering to the guidelines outlined above, your site migration should proceed smoothly without compromising your SEO efforts.