Important Alert:
Summary: Migrating to a new CMS or switching to a web hosting service will require website migration. While most website hosting platforms enable free site migration services, many business owners have queries related to migration links such as data loss or KPI tracking.
Keep reading to create your SEO migration checklist before you start the website migration process for your business.
Key takeaways:-
Website migration is a critical yet complex process that can significantly impact your website’s performance, user experience, and search engine rankings. Whether you are moving to a new CMS, changing your domain name, or restructuring your site, a well-planned migration strategy is essential to minimise risks and maintain SEO equity.
Poorly executed migrations can lead to broken links, 404 errors, loss of organic traffic, and even revenue dips. Therefore, it is crucial to approach website migration with a clear roadmap, defined objectives, and a detailed checklist.
In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know about successful website migration, from pre-migration planning to post-migration checks. Follow this step-by-step SEO website migration checklist to ensure a seamless transition and keep your site’s visibility and performance intact.
In 2025, AI SEO migration plays a critical role with tools like Screaming Frog’s AI integration, ChatGPT-powered audits, and predictive analytics in Google Search Console helping teams avoid costly migration errors.
Migration can be a challenging process, which is why you must have a very good reason to start in the first place. There are many categories of website migration, defined by the reason behind considering migration. Some of the leading reasons for website migration are:
It is possible that, considering how you are risking all your current website SEO efforts in trying to switch to a different platform, website migration could seem like a challenging process. If performed incorrectly, the website migration process can also cause problems like
Website migration can look different for different businesses. Whether you’re transferring to a new CMS or a different platform, here are the different headings under which you can categorize website migrations.
Before initiating the migration process, ensure your data is backed up. You must also use specialized tools to check your page inventory. Several website crawler tools allow you to list all the pages that are currently live. Once migration is complete, make sure you cross-check all the migrated pages against the live list.
The migration process is long, and it’s easy to get distracted from your main objective. Once you get started, make sure you follow any of the approved migration processes, based on whether you are looking for a new domain name, website structure, new design or DNS. Once this
is clear: either migrate your website using a website hosting service provider or migrate it manually.
The next step is a complete website audit. Some of the data you collected before can help in multiple situations. Your website SEO audit data includes:
IT professionals and developers should always have tools and resources ready to overcome any mishaps. Once your SEO website migration is complete, there could be several tasks that need immediate action to ensure data loss does not take place. This helps mitigate risks and ensures smooth website operations. Make sure your team includes key professionals like content writers, professional SEO experts, marketing automation tools, UX specialists and others.
Optimizing URL structures is one of the first operational steps of the website migration process. Some questions you need to ask regarding your current URL structure are
An optimized and accurate redirect map will ensure your page’s authority gets accurately transferred from the old page to the new one. This could increase the chances of your new page ranking among search results. At this point, you should have collected the top-performing URLs from your previous website and established the new site’s URL structure.
One of the steps you should definitely not skip is reviewing your internal links. Make sure all the links within your existing website are mapped correctly against their counterparts on your newly migrated website. This ensures there are no broken links that can sully the user experience. Check each link carefully and update them according to the requirements of your newly migrated site.
Optimizing meta tags (like title and description) helps search engines understand and display your pages better, improving click-through rates.
A properly configured robots.txt file controls which parts of your site search engines can crawl, protecting sensitive pages and directing attention to important content, boosting SEO performance and visibility.
Make sure you account for all the necessary pages in an SEO site migration by performing thorough site crawls for all XML sitemaps and internal links.
Tools such as Sitebulb, Ahrefs and Screaming Frog can round up all accessible site pages. Since migrations require redirects, this site crawl data is critical to double-check these redirects. Expert website development services can help you with your XML sitemap.
Usability is one of the most critical aspects of website migration, but it often gets overlooked. Your website might maintain the SEO rankings, but if usability diminishes, you might lose revenue.
The next step is to manually test key areas of your website, which you must perform across both desktop and mobile devices. Some areas you must double-check are downloadable content, mailing lists, live chatbots and navigation.
Never ignore your website’s analytics data. Once the migration is complete, this data will help you check for any loss of website traffic. A face-to-face comparison is the best way to get exact data about where you’re losing traffic.
If you use Google Analytics, check your traffic count for individual landing pages. You can choose ‘Traffic Acquisition’ from the Reports section to access this data. It is critical to implement this measure because these landing pages add value to your website’s page authority.
During website migration, you will most likely have a launch call with all team members actively monitoring the process. This is where your new website will typically go live. Make sure this activity is organized in the best way possible, considering every team and element you need to monitor.
Once your website migration is complete, you still have a lot to do. You need to analyse the new implementations, evaluate what works and what doesn’t, and make changes according to what is necessary. Take a look at the post-migration checklist you should keep in mind.
It is critical to monitor all website elements such as navigation, forms, buttons, and CTAs after migration. Test site speed, mobile responsiveness, and cross-browser compatibility to prevent user experience issues.
If you look closely enough, your data will tell you a story. If some aspects of your new website don’t perform as expected:
Validate that all 301 redirects are correctly implemented using tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console. Confirm that old URLs properly redirect to their new counterparts without broken links or redirect loops.
Updating and maintaining redirects will continue to be necessary, especially if URL or taxonomy changes occur later.
Regularly crawl your website using SEO tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb. During crawling, check for:
Website owners and developers often push live updates even after migration. Crawling helps you identify and fix any new issues that may arise.
Ensure your updated XML sitemap is submitted to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. This helps search engines crawl and index your new website efficiently and keeps indexing data fresh.
Google Search Console must be actively collecting data regarding the new website’s status.
Review all indexing reports to understand:
Monitor redirects, server errors, missing webpages, and any URLs left out of search results. Also, keep an eye on your keyword rankings to detect sudden visibility drops.
Use Google Analytics to track changes in:
Compare pre- and post-migration performance carefully. Sudden changes can signal deeper issues that need immediate attention.
Audit your website’s internal links and menu structures to ensure that:
Regular audits keep the user journey seamless and support SEO.
Review your robots.txt file to make sure search engines are allowed to crawl the important pages. Also, verify that meta robots tags are not blocking indexing of critical pages inadvertently.
Use Google’s Rich Results Test to validate structured data (schema markup) across your site. Ensure that there are no errors or missing elements that could limit your search visibility enhancements.
Confirm that canonical tags correctly point to the preferred URL versions to avoid duplicate content problems. Check especially for changes introduced during or after migration that may have affected canonical settings.
Identify backlinks pointing to old URLs using tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. For important links, contact referring sites to update them to the correct, live URLs. Tracking lost backlinks post-migration helps maintain your domain’s authority.
Regularly monitor Google Search Console for:
Address flagged problems immediately to protect your search presence and user trust.
Continue SEO monitoring through weekly performance reviews for the first few months post-migration. Set up automated dashboards (e.g., using Looker Studio) for keyword ranking and traffic tracking. Adjust strategies quickly based on ranking trends and indexing reports.
SEO is a critical factor during website migration, especially if you are trying to preserve or improve a website’s search engine ranking, traffic and visibility. Poor SEO practices during your website migration could mean significant ranking and traffic losses for your business. There are many reasons that explain the importance of optimised SEO practices during migration.
In 2025, AI automation is transforming how migrations are managed. Tools like:
These help reduce migration errors, improve crawlability, and maintain SEO consistency.
Leverage LLMs (Large Language Models) to predict keyword volatility post-migration and rewrite content dynamically for E-E-A-T alignment.
Integrate GA4 with AI analytics dashboards to automatically flag dips in sessions, CTR, or conversions within 24 hours of migration.
As you go ahead with your website migration, take the time to define the project goals, set a deadline, and follow all the tips from these checklists to keep the project on track. For professional SEO migration services and other SEO services, get in touch with Techmagnate’s experts today.
An SEO website migration involves transferring your website to a new domain, platform, or structure while preserving search rankings, organic traffic, and user experience. It’s crucial because improper migration can lead to traffic loss, broken links, and ranking drops.
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