Website migration SEO checklist

What counts as a migration

Any change that affects URLs, content or how pages are served can be a migration:

• Redesign with new page structure or URLs.
• Platform move, such as WordPress to Shopify or Wix to WordPress.
• Domain change, such as a rebrand.
• Protocol change, from http to https.
• Merging sites, such as two businesses combining.

Google's guide to site moves with URL changes is the authoritative reference. This checklist turns it into practical steps for a small business.

Before you start: the inventory

1. List every URL you have now

Collect URLs from:

• Your current XML sitemap.
• A crawl of the site with a crawler tool.
• Search Console's Performance report (pages with clicks or impressions).
• Analytics landing pages.
• Search Console's Links report (pages others link to).

Combine them into one spreadsheet. Don't forget PDFs and images that get traffic.

2. Record a baseline

Export Search Console performance data by page and query for the last few months, plus analytics landing page data. You'll need this to compare after launch.

3. Note what's working

Mark the pages that bring the most clicks, enquiries and links. These need the most care.

During the build

4. Map every old URL to a new one

For each old URL, decide the new URL that best matches it. One to one where possible. If a page is being removed, redirect it to the closest relevant page. Only send to the home page as a last resort. Redirecting everything to the home page is treated like a soft 404 and frustrates visitors.

5. Keep content parity

The new pages should contain at least the same useful content as the old ones. Migrations often lose:

• Body text, cut to make designs look cleaner.
• Headings and title tags.
• Internal links.
• Image alt text.
• Structured data.
• FAQs.

If you're improving content at the same time, fine, but don't remove what was working without a reason.

6. Check the staging site is blocked

The development site should be password-protected or blocked from indexing so Google doesn't index a duplicate. Make a note to remove that block at launch. Forgetting is one of the most common migration mistakes.

7. Prepare redirects

Use permanent (301 or 308) redirects from each old URL to its new URL. Google's redirects documentation explains the types. Avoid redirect chains, where A goes to B which goes to C. Point each old URL directly at its final destination.

8. Update internal links

Links within the site should point directly to new URLs, not rely on redirects.

Launch day

9. Go live and test immediately

• Remove any staging noindex or password protection.
• Check robots.txt isn't blocking the site.
• Test a sample of old URLs, especially your top pages, to confirm they redirect correctly.
• Check new pages return a 200 status and have the right title, canonical and meta robots.
• Test forms, phone links and checkout.

10. Update Search Console

• Submit the new XML sitemap.
• For a domain change, use the Change of Address tool in Search Console for the old domain.
• Keep the old sitemap available for a while so Google finds the redirects.

11. Update external listings

Update your website address on your Business Profile, social profiles, directories and anywhere you control. Ask key partners linking to you to update their links.

After launch

12. Monitor closely

For the first few weeks, check:

• Page indexing report for new errors.
• 404s from old URLs you missed. Add redirects.
• Performance report, comparing with your baseline.
• Analytics key events, to make sure tracking survived.

Some fluctuation is normal while Google processes the changes. Google says a medium-sized site can take a few weeks for most pages to move, and larger sites longer.

13. Keep redirects in place

Keep redirects for at least a year, and ideally indefinitely. Old links on other sites, bookmarks and emails will keep using the old addresses.

A worked example

A wedding florist moved from an old site builder to a new platform with a fresh design. The developer built the new site with different URL patterns and didn't set up redirects. Three weeks after launch, enquiries were noticeably down.

Search Console showed hundreds of 404s from the old URLs, including the florist's popular "bridal bouquet styles" guide, which had several links from wedding blogs. The florist exported the old URLs from Search Console and the previous sitemap, mapped each to its new equivalent, and added redirects. The guide had been cut to a short paragraph in the redesign. She restored the full content.

Traffic recovered over the following weeks, though it would have been far easier with redirects in place on day one.

Questions