Site Migration SEO Checklist
Migrating to a new platform, domain, or URL structure? Follow this comprehensive checklist to preserve your search rankings and avoid traffic loss.
Warning: Site migrations are high-risk for SEO. Even well-planned migrations typically see a temporary 10-20% traffic dip. Poor execution can result in permanent ranking loss. Plan thoroughly and monitor closely.
Phase 1: Planning & Preparation
Complete these tasks 2-4 weeks before migration.
Use Screaming Frog or similar tool to export complete URL list
Baseline data for measuring migration success
These pages need extra attention during migration
Export from Ahrefs, Moz, or GSC for redirect planning
Every old URL must map to appropriate new destination
Document any intentional URL changes and reasons
Avoid high-traffic periods if possible
Have a plan to revert if critical issues arise
Phase 2: Pre-Migration Setup
Complete on staging environment before going live.
Full testing environment before going live
Verify every redirect works correctly
Fix broken links, 404s, redirect chains
Title tags, meta descriptions, canonicals
Ensure schema markup is present and valid
Update internal links to use new URLs
Ensure no performance degradation
Test across devices and screen sizes
Generate new sitemap with new URLs
Update paths as needed
Redirect Rules Reference
| Scenario | Redirect Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Same content, new URL | 301 Redirect | Passes ~90% of link equity |
| Multiple pages merged into one | 301 Redirect all to new page | Consolidates authority |
| Content removed, no equivalent | 301 to most relevant page or category | Don't 404 pages with backlinks |
| Temporary move during migration | 302 Redirect | Only for truly temporary moves |
| Domain change | 301 all old domain URLs to new domain | Maintain exact path structure if possible |
Phase 3: Migration Day
Critical tasks to complete when the migration goes live.
Deploy redirect rules from staging
Coordinate with IT/hosting provider
Also submit old sitemap removal if applicable
Use URL Inspection tool for priority pages
Spot-check sample of URLs from redirect map
Each redirect should go directly to final destination
Should reference new URL structure
If URLs for location pages changed
Ensure data collection continues
Email marketing, CRM, social profiles, etc.
Phase 4: Post-Migration Monitoring
Ongoing monitoring to catch and address issues quickly.
Daily for 2 weeks
Daily for first week
Daily for 2 weeks
Weekly for 3 months
Weekly for 3 months
Daily for first week
Weekly for first month
Weekly for first month
After 2 weeks
Ongoing
Common Migration Mistakes
Not implementing 301 redirects
Impact: Complete loss of rankings and organic traffic
Prevention: Create and test comprehensive redirect map
Redirect chains (A → B → C)
Impact: Diluted link equity, crawl inefficiency
Prevention: Audit redirects to ensure direct paths
Redirecting everything to homepage
Impact: Poor user experience, lost topical relevance
Prevention: Map each URL to most relevant equivalent
Forgetting to update internal links
Impact: Unnecessary redirect hops, slow page loads
Prevention: Update all internal links to new URLs
Not monitoring post-migration
Impact: Undetected issues cause ranking drops
Prevention: Daily monitoring for at least 2 weeks
Removing redirects too soon
Impact: Lost link equity from backlinks
Prevention: Keep redirects in place for at least 1 year
Recovery Tips If Issues Occur
Traffic dropped significantly
- Check for crawl errors in GSC
- Verify redirects are working
- Look for noindex tags accidentally added
- Check robots.txt isn't blocking pages
Pages not getting indexed
- Submit URLs via URL Inspection tool
- Verify pages aren't noindexed
- Check canonical tags are correct
- Ensure pages are in sitemap
Rankings dropped for key pages
- Verify redirects from old URLs work
- Check content hasn't changed significantly
- Monitor for over-optimization
- Review internal linking to affected pages
Related resources
Helpful tools and guides to keep your rankings safe during migration.
Broken Link Checker
Find dead links after migration before users hit them
Robots.txt Validator
Confirm your new robots.txt allows crawling of key pages
Page Indexing Checker
Verify new URLs are being indexed after the switch
Site Audit Tool
Run a technical health check on your migrated site
Technical SEO Basics
Core concepts for redirects, crawling, and site architecture
SEO Audit Checklist
Full post-migration audit to catch anything that slipped
International SEO Guide
Relevant if your migration involves multi-language URL changes
Free SEO Audit
Get a no-cost review of your site after migration
Case Studies
See how we have managed migrations without losing rankings
Planning a Site Migration?
Site migrations are complex and high-risk. Get expert guidance to ensure your rankings are preserved.