Website Migration SEO Checklist: Keep Rankings in a Redesign
By Nemanja Vukmirović, Lizzard Solutions. Last updated 12 November 2026.
The new website looks great. Then, two weeks after launch, the phone goes quiet. Old Google results lead to “page not found”, the blog posts that used to bring leads have vanished, and nobody knows why.
That is what a migration without an SEO plan looks like. This website migration SEO checklist shows you what to do before, during and after a redesign, a platform change or a new domain, so you keep the traffic you already earned.
TL;DR
- A website migration is any big change to URLs, domain, platform or structure. Each one can cost traffic if old addresses stop working.
- The core of every migration is a URL map: every old page gets a permanent 301 redirect to its closest new equivalent.
- Test on a staging site, launch at a quiet time, then watch Search Console daily for the first weeks and fix errors fast.
What is a website migration in SEO?
A website migration is any change that affects how search engines find and understand your site: new URLs, a new domain, a new CMS or platform, a move from HTTP to HTTPS, or a major restructuring of pages. Done well, Google transfers your rankings to the new addresses. Done badly, it treats your site as partly new and starts from scratch.
Google describes the process in its official guide to site moves with URL changes. The key idea is simple: every old URL that matters must point clearly to one new URL.
| Migration type | Example | SEO risk |
|---|---|---|
| Redesign with new URLs | /services.html becomes /services/web-development | Medium: lost pages if redirects are missing |
| Platform change | WordPress to Webflow or a custom build | Medium to high: URLs, titles and metadata often change |
| Domain change | oldname.rs to newname.com | High: the whole site moves, signals must transfer |
| HTTP to HTTPS | http:// to https:// | Low if redirects and canonicals are correct |
| Content merge or cleanup | Ten thin posts merged into one guide | Low to medium: depends on redirect quality |
Do this today
Write down which type of migration you are planning. If it touches URLs or the domain, you need the full checklist below, not just a design review.
Before the migration: build your safety net
1. Benchmark what you have now
Export your current performance so you can compare later. In Google Search Console, save the top pages and queries for the last three to six months. Record organic sessions from analytics. If Search Console is not set up yet, follow our Google Search Console setup guide first, because you will need it on launch day.
2. Crawl and list every URL
Collect all live URLs from your sitemap, a crawler and the Search Console pages report. Do not forget PDFs, images that get search traffic, and old landing pages from campaigns. A page you forget is a page you lose.
3. Create the URL map
Put every old URL in a spreadsheet and add the new URL next to it. Map each page to its closest equivalent in content, not to the homepage. Example: an old post about “cloud backup” should redirect to the new backup guide, not to the blog index.
| Old URL | New URL | Note |
|---|---|---|
| /usluge.html | /#services | Services moved to a homepage section |
| /blog/cloud-backup-tips | /blog/data-backup-guide | Merged into a newer guide |
| /promo-2023 | / | Expired campaign, no equivalent |
| /contact.php | /#contact | Contact form moved |
4. Keep what ranks
Carry over titles, meta descriptions, headings and body text of your best pages unless you have a clear reason to change them. A redesign is not the moment to delete the content that brings leads. If you are also choosing a new platform, our WordPress vs Webflow vs custom comparison covers how each one handles URLs and redirects.
Common mistake
Redirecting every old URL to the homepage. Google tends to treat such redirects like missing pages, so the old rankings do not transfer.
During the migration: launch day checklist
Test everything on a staging site that is blocked from search engines. Then launch at a quiet time, such as early in the week, and avoid your busiest season.
- Set up 301 redirects from every old URL in the map. Google explains in its guide to redirects that permanent server-side redirects are the clearest signal that a page has moved.
- Avoid redirect chains. Old URL should go straight to the final URL, not through two or three hops.
- Remove the staging block. Check that robots.txt and noindex tags from staging are gone. This one mistake can hide an entire site.
- Update canonical tags so each page points to its own new URL.
- Update internal links in menus, footers and content to the new URLs instead of relying on redirects.
- Submit the new XML sitemap in Search Console.
- Changing domains? Verify both domains in Search Console and use the Change of Address tool.
The technical basics here, like robots.txt, canonicals and sitemaps, are covered in more depth in our technical SEO guide for small business.
Do this today
Pick ten important old URLs and write down where each should land. If you cannot decide quickly, your new structure needs another look before launch.
After the migration: what to watch for 3 months
Some ranking movement after a migration is normal while Google recrawls the site. What matters is spotting real errors early. Check these daily in the first two weeks, then weekly:
| What to check | Where | What a problem looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 404 errors | Search Console pages report, server logs | Old URLs returning “not found” |
| Indexing | Search Console pages report | New pages stuck in “discovered” or “crawled, not indexed” |
| Redirects | A crawler run on the old URL list | Chains, loops or redirects to the homepage |
| Traffic and leads | Analytics, contact form submissions | Drops on specific pages, not the whole site |
| Speed | PageSpeed Insights | The new design is much slower than the old one |
Keep the redirects in place for a long time. Google advises keeping them for as long as possible and generally at least a year. Also update links you control elsewhere, such as your Google Business Profile, social profiles and directory listings.
Not sure where the problems are? Our SEO audit checks redirects, indexing and broken links and gives you a prioritised fix list.
Website migration SEO checklist at a glance
| Phase | Must do |
|---|---|
| Before | Benchmark traffic, crawl all URLs, build the URL map, keep ranking content, test on staging |
| Launch | 301 redirects, no chains, remove noindex, canonicals, internal links, new sitemap, Change of Address if needed |
| After | Monitor 404s and indexing, fix redirects fast, compare against benchmark, keep redirects for at least a year |
For the non-SEO parts of going live, like forms, analytics, legal pages and backups, use our website launch checklist alongside this one.
FAQ
Will I lose rankings when I redesign my website?
Not if URLs stay the same or every changed URL has a correct 301 redirect and the content stays comparable. Short fluctuations while Google recrawls are normal. Big, lasting drops usually come from missing redirects, deleted content or a forgotten noindex tag.
How long does an SEO migration take to settle?
It depends on the size of the site and how often Google crawls it. Small sites often settle within a few weeks, larger ones can take longer. Watch Search Console for errors and compare traffic to your benchmark rather than to a single day.
Should I use 301 or 302 redirects?
Use 301 (or 308) for permanent moves, which is what a migration is. A 302 tells search engines the move is temporary, so it is a weaker signal. Use 302 only when you really plan to bring the old URL back.
Do I need a developer for a website migration?
For a small site with few URL changes, a careful owner can handle the map and checks. Server redirect rules, platform changes and domain moves are faster and safer with a developer, because one wrong rule can affect every page.
Planning a redesign or a new domain?
We map your URLs, set up redirects and monitor the launch, so your new site keeps the traffic the old one earned.
Talk to Lizzard Solutions