Website Migration Checklist
A website migration checklist that protects SEO: URL inventory, redirect map, staging checks, cutover and post-launch monitoring for platform or domain moves.
- Typical schedule per migration
- The checklist 4 sections, 23 items
- Variables
{{old_site}}{{new_site}}
Auf Deutsch lesen: Website-Relaunch-Checkliste (SEO-Migration)
Use this checklist when a website changes platform, URL structure, domain, or all three. Migrations are where sites lose search traffic, usually not because of the new design but because old URLs stop working and search engines have to rediscover everything. The work that matters most happens weeks before launch: the URL inventory and the redirect map.
Who owns it
An SEO lead or technical project lead owns the run. Developers implement redirects and the cutover, and the content owner confirms that nothing important was dropped. On domain moves, someone with registrar and DNS access must be available on the day.
Common pitfalls
- No complete URL inventory. A crawl alone misses pages that only get traffic from links or search. Combine the crawl with analytics, Search Console and backlink data.
- Redirecting everything to the home page. Search engines often treat that like a missing page. Redirect each old URL to its closest equivalent.
- Changing too much at once. A new domain, new URLs and new content in one step make it hard to tell what caused a drop. Split the steps if the timeline allows.
- Shutting down the old setup too early. Keep redirects in place for at least a year, and keep the old domain registered for much longer.
Some traffic fluctuation after a migration is normal. The finished run is a useful record when you need to work out what changed and when.
The checklist: Migrate {{old_site}} to {{new_site}}
Inventory and baseline
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Full list of current URLs compiled from a crawl, the XML sitemap, analytics and Search Console
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Pages with the most organic traffic, conversions and backlinks marked as priority
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Baseline saved: organic traffic, top queries, indexed pages and rankings for key terms
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Current title tags, meta descriptions and structured data exported for comparison
Redirect map and staging
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Every old URL mapped to its closest new URL in a redirect sheet
Use 301 redirects. Only let a URL return 404 or 410 if the content is gone on purpose.
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Redirect chains from earlier migrations flattened to a single hop
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Staging site blocked from indexing with password protection
Password protection is safer than noindex, because noindex is easy to carry over to production by mistake.
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Priority pages on staging checked: content, titles, headings, internal links and structured data
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Canonical tags and hreflang point to the new URLs optional
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Internal links updated to the new URLs rather than relying on redirects
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Redirect map tested on staging against the full old URL list
Cutover
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Migration scheduled for a low-traffic period with the team available
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DNS TTL lowered a day before a domain or hosting change
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Redirects deployed and the new site published on
{{new_site}} -
Indexing allowed: password removed, no noindex, robots.txt allows crawling
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Analytics and conversion tracking recording on the new site
After the migration
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Sample of old URLs, including the priority list, return a 301 to the right page
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New XML sitemap submitted in Search Console
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Change of Address tool used in Search Console for a domain move optional
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Important backlinks updated by asking the linking sites where practical optional
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Search Console coverage and 404 reports checked weekly for the first month
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Organic traffic and rankings compared with the baseline after a few weeks
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Old domain kept registered and redirecting
Checklist as Markdown
Frequently asked questions
How do I migrate a website without losing SEO?
Keep a complete list of old URLs, redirect each one with a 301 to the closest new page, and keep titles and content of important pages close to the original at first. Then submit the new sitemap and watch Search Console closely. Most lasting traffic losses come from missing or lazy redirects.
How long does it take for rankings to recover after a migration?
It varies with the size of the site and how much changed. Small sites with clean redirects often settle within a few weeks, while large sites can take longer. If traffic to specific pages does not recover, check those redirects and pages first.
How long should I keep redirects after a domain change?
Keep them for at least a year, and ideally indefinitely. Old links on other sites, bookmarks and emails keep sending visitors for years. Redirects cost almost nothing to keep, and removing them throws that traffic away.
Updated