Intro
Migrating a website to a new domain can be risky for SEO if not handled correctly. A well-planned migration ensures minimal ranking loss and maintains organic traffic. Follow these steps to move domains while preserving SEO equity.
1. Plan Your Website Migration
A successful site migration starts with a clear strategy and roadmap.
Key Planning Steps:
- Determine the scope of the migration (domain change, redesign, CMS switch, etc.).
- Set up a staging environment to test changes before going live.
- Perform a full SEO audit of the current website.
- Backup all website files and databases.
2. Crawl & Benchmark the Existing Site
Before making changes, document the current SEO state.
How to Crawl & Benchmark:
- Use Screaming Frog or Ranktracker’s Web Audit to crawl URLs.
- Record key metrics like rankings, backlinks, and traffic.
- Map out all existing URLs and identify the most important pages.
3. Implement Proper Redirects (301s)
301 redirects ensure users and search engines are directed to the new domain properly.
Best Redirect Practices:
- Use 1:1 URL mapping to redirect each old page to its new equivalent.
- Avoid redirect chains or loops to prevent slow load times.
- Update internal links to point directly to the new domain.
4. Update Key SEO Elements
To maintain rankings, ensure all SEO elements are updated post-migration.
Essential SEO Updates:
- Update XML sitemaps and submit them to Google Search Console.
- Adjust canonical tags to reference the new domain.
- Modify robots.txt to allow search engines to crawl the new site.
5. Monitor & Fix Issues Post-Migration
After migration, track performance and address any SEO issues immediately.
Post-Migration Checklist:
- Use Google Search Console to check for errors and indexing issues.
- Monitor rankings and traffic for significant drops.
- Check for any broken links or missing redirects.
- Notify Google of the domain change using Google’s Change of Address tool.
6. Maintain Backlink Authority
Preserving your backlink profile is crucial to maintaining rankings.
How to Retain Backlinks:
- Contact webmasters of high-value links to update to the new domain.
- Monitor backlinks using Ranktracker’s Backlink Checker.
- Keep the old domain live for a period with proper redirects.
Final Thoughts
SEO site migrations require careful execution to avoid ranking loss. By planning, implementing proper redirects, updating SEO elements, and monitoring post-migration performance, you can ensure a seamless transition without impacting organic traffic.
