SEO Best Practices for Website Migration: Safeguard Rankings and Avoid Mistakes

Website migration can impact SEO performance if not managed carefully. Proper planning, redirects, and testing are essential to safeguard rankings and maintain organic traffic throughout the transition.

Highlights

• 60% of websites lose organic traffic after migration due to improper redirects (Search Engine Journal).
• 70% of search engines' crawlability issues arise from incorrect URL mapping (Moz).
• 75% of mobile-first websites see better post-migration rankings with responsive design (Google Webmaster Central Blog).
• 80% of high-performing pages retain rankings when metadata is preserved during migration (SEMrush)

Co-Founder

Vandana Abrol

5 min read

An enthusiastic developer and skilled business management expert with over a decade of experience in the field

Migrating a website can be a game-changer for your online business visibility, whether you’re updating your design, changing your domain, or restructuring your site. However, it’s crucial to approach the process carefully. A successful migration can improve your business, but mishandling it could lead to a drop in search engine rankings. If you're not confident in managing the process, it’s always a good idea to hire SEO experts to ensure everything goes smoothly. Here’s a simple guide to follow during your website migration to make sure you keep your SEO performance intact.

Define Your Objectives and Develop a Strategic Plan

Before you start the migration, you need to know exactly why and how you are making these changes. Are you switching your domain name, updating your website’s platform, or just reorganizing content? Each change brings its own set of challenges, so make sure you have a detailed plan in place. This should include timelines, who is responsible for what, and a task list to keep things on track. SEO professionals can assist you with setting realistic goals and developing strategies tailored to your needs.

Also, get your team involved early. You’ll need your SEO experts, developers, designers, and content creators working together. Open communication from the beginning helps avoid confusion and ensures everything goes smoothly.

Complete Website Audit

Before moving anything, take a good look at your current site. You want to document the following:

1. Top-performing pages: Identify which pages get the most visitors, backlinks, and good search engine rankings. These should be prioritized during migration.
2. URL structure: Look at how your current URLs are organized so you can plan redirects where necessary.
3. SEO factors: Check for any technical SEO issues, like site speed, mobile-friendliness, and how easily search engines can crawl your site.

Using tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and other SEO platforms can help you gather all the necessary data to plan effectively. You may also consider working with the best digital marketing company to run a thorough audit.

Keep Your URL Structure Intact

Where possible, try to keep your URLs the same. This helps preserve the search engine traffic you've built up. If you need to change any URLs, make sure to create a comprehensive redirect plan. Redirects should point the old URLs to their new versions (using 301 redirects) to:

1. Help users and search engines find new content easily.
2. Retain link value from backlinks to avoid losing authority.
3. Minimize 404 errors, improving the user experience.

Test your redirects with tools like Screaming Frog before going live to make sure they work properly.

Optimize Your New Website

Before launching the new site, double-check that it follows SEO best practices. This includes:

1. Metadata: Make sure each page has clear, keyword-rich title tags and descriptions.
2. Header tags: Use H1, H2, etc., to structure your content properly.
3. Internal linking: Create a strong internal linking structure to guide both users and search engines.
4. Image optimization: Compress images to improve load time and add alt text for SEO.
5. Schema markup: Include structured data to improve your visibility in search results.

Doing a thorough technical SEO audit before going live helps catch any last-minute issues. If you need assistance, hire SEO experts to ensure your site is fully optimized.

Test the Migration in a Staging Environment

A staging environment is a copy of your website where you can test changes before they affect your live site. It lets you:

1. Find broken links or missing content.
2. Test new features and designs.
3. Make sure all SEO elements, like metadata and structured data, are working.

Test everything here before making the new site live, so you don’t run into issues down the line.

Follow Your Backlinks

Backlinks are a key part of your SEO strategy. Protect your backlinks by:

1. Reaching out to websites linking to you and asking them to update links if possible.
2. Monitoring your backlink profile with tools like Ahrefs or Moz.
3. Checking your redirects to ensure high-quality backlinks retain their value.

Maintaining relationships with important linking websites can also help your site’s authority.

Update Your Sitemap and Robots.txt File

After the migration, create a new XML sitemap that matches your updated URL structure. Submit it to search engines through tools like Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

Also, review your robots.txt file to ensure:

1. It doesn’t block important pages from being indexed.
2. It reflects the new website structure.

This helps search engines crawl and index your site correctly.

Keep Your Audience Informed

Let your audience know about the migration through:

1. Blog posts: Write about why the migration is happening and what changes to expect.
2. Emails: Send newsletters to inform your subscribers about the updates.
3. Social media: Use your social channels to keep followers updated and address any concerns.

This will help your audience stay informed and trust the changes.

Track Your Site’s Performance After Launch

After launching the new site, keep a close eye on how it’s performing. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track:

1. Organic traffic: Look for any sudden changes in traffic.
2. Keyword rankings: Monitor how your keywords are performing.
3. Crawl errors: Address any issues like broken links or server errors.

Regularly checking these metrics helps you catch and fix any issues early. If you’re using Google Pay Per Click (Google PPC) for advertising, track its performance alongside your organic traffic to ensure it aligns with your SEO efforts.

Avoid These Common Mistakes During Migration

Some common mistakes during a website migration include:

1. Skipping testing: Without testing, you might end up with a site full of errors that harm your rankings.
2. Ignoring redirects: Not setting up proper redirects leads to broken links and lost traffic.
3. Delaying sitemap updates: Failing to update your sitemap can slow down how quickly search engines index your new site.
4. Neglecting mobile optimization: With mobile-first indexing, a site that isn’t mobile-friendly will hurt your rankings.
5. Forgetting content: If you don’t prioritize important content, you could lose valuable SEO equity.

Final Words

Website migration is a big task, but with careful planning and implementation, it can be a successful process. By following these SEO best practices and avoiding common mistakes, you can keep your search rankings, keep your audience’s confidence, and set the foundation for continued growth. If you’re looking to take your SEO to the next level, consider partnering with the best digital marketing solution providers or hire SEO experts to guide your migration and future optimization efforts. Also, if you plan to migrate sites, ensure that your strategy is custom for that specific platform.

Ensure SEO Success During Website Migration with Digittrix's Expert Services

Website migration can significantly impact your SEO performance, which is why it's crucial to handle it with care. Whether you're changing your domain, redesigning your website, or reorganizing content, implementing SEO best practices ensures that you retain your search rankings and avoid mistakes that could harm your online presence. At Digittrix, we specialize in helping businesses navigate this process smoothly.

With over 14 years of experience, our team of SEO experts is well-equipped to handle all aspects of SEO during migration, from maintaining your URL structure to setting up proper redirects and ensuring your metadata, headers, and schema markup are correctly optimized. Our services ensure that your website is mobile-friendly, has high-quality content, and performs well in search engine results.

If you're planning a website migration and want to protect your SEO rankings, Digittrix is here to help. We provide comprehensive digital marketing solutions, including search engine marketing to drive more organic traffic and improve your website’s performance.

Ready to take your SEO to the next level? Schedule a consultation today by calling +91 8727000867 or email us at digittrix@gmail.com for expert guidance.