SEO Checklist
Website Migration SEO Checklist
A website migration SEO checklist for protecting rankings, traffic, and leads during a redesign, platform change, domain change, or URL restructure.
Interactive Checklist
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Pre-Migration Inventory
Build a recoverable inventory before changing the site.
Save crawls, sitemaps, analytics landing pages and known backlink destinations. Include media and downloadable files that customers use. Mark essential pages and conversion paths, and retain a backup that can restore both content and configuration if launch checks fail.
URL Mapping
Map old URLs to the closest appropriate new pages.
Give each retained or moved page an explicit destination and verify the target's content. Use permanent redirects for genuine moves, preserving useful query parameters where appropriate. For intentionally removed material without a replacement, choose a deliberate response rather than an unrelated redirect.
Staging Site Controls
Keep staging private and production ready to index.
Use authentication for staging and document every temporary crawl or indexing restriction. Before launch, check that production has the correct hostname, canonical URLs and robots settings. Test tracking separately so staging visits and test submissions do not distort production reporting.
Content and Metadata Transfer
Transfer the content and functions that support existing visibility.
Compare priority old and new pages side by side, including titles, main headings, useful text, media and internal links. Test forms and contact actions on their real destinations. Document intentional changes so missing content can be distinguished from a planned improvement.
Launch QA
Test a representative launch path before releasing all changes.
Check redirects, canonicals, sitemap output, templates and conversion tracking against the migration map. Include mobile and direct visits to old URLs. Retest after deployment because staging success cannot confirm live DNS, caching, access controls or production integrations.
Post-Launch Monitoring
Watch for migration errors before judging longer-term outcomes.
Inspect priority URLs and new error patterns shortly after launch, then compare similar reporting periods. Investigate unexpected destination changes, missing pages and broken leads promptly. Keep a dated review schedule and distinguish temporary recrawling from a persistent technical defect.
Official References
Use the current documentation for platform-specific settings and requirements.
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