The Ultimate SEO Migration Checklist for a Smooth Website Transition
Mark Schmukler, MBA, IE, CPIM
CEO, Co-founder and Visionary of Sagefrog Marketing Group, an award-winning, full-service, B2B marketing firm in Philadelphia, Princeton, Boston & DC. Branding Made Simple? author and speaker. 26,000 followers
Website migrations are complex projects that involve moving a website from one environment to another. This could mean changing the website’s domain, structure, hosting, or content management system (CMS). While a successful migration can significantly improve your website’s performance and user experience, it can also pose significant risks to your search engine rankings if not managed properly. That’s where an SEO migration checklist becomes essential.
What Is Website Migration?
Website migration refers to any event where a website undergoes substantial changes that could affect its search engine visibility. This could include a domain name or protocol change (including from HTTP to HTTPS), switching to a new CMS, redesigning the website, or moving to a new hosting platform. The primary goal of website migration is to improve site functionality, user experience, and search engine performance. However, without a thorough SEO plan, a migration can lead to traffic drops, broken links, and lost rankings. While some initial change in performance can always be expected during a migration, vigilance throughout the entire process can ensure that your efforts will pay off in the end.
How Does Website Migration Affect SEO?
Website migration or any significant website redesign can unfortunately impact your SEO due to the complex nature of search engine algorithms. Search engines rely on a variety of signals from your website to determine its relevance and ranking. When you migrate your site, these signals can be disrupted. This disruption can lead to lost rankings, decreased traffic, and a potential loss of revenue.
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Common SEO issues during migration include:
? Broken links: Links that lead to a 404 error can disrupt the user experience and signal to search engines that your site is unreliable.
? Lost metadata: Missing title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags can reduce your site’s relevancy in search results.
? Duplicate content: Content duplication can confuse search engines and dilute your ranking potential.
? Changes in URL structure: Altered URLs can affect rankings and user experience if not properly redirected.
To avoid these pitfalls, it’s crucial to follow a comprehensive SEO migration checklist.
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1 个月would be cool to have GEO on here as well
Founder & CEO Vantack
2 个月This SEO migration checklist sounds incredibly useful! What would you say is the most common mistake businesses make during a website migration, and how can it be avoided? Also, I've sent you a connection request! I look forward to connecting!
Great resource for anyone planning a website migration—protecting SEO is crucial for success. Thanks for sharing, Mark Schmukler, MBA, IE, CPIM!