Once you add SEO to the mix, moving a website to a new design, platform, or name can be very stressful. A new start means new chances, but it also means new risks.
If not done right, a migration can hurt your rankings, cause less traffic, and confuse users. Here are some surefire ways to handle the process.
Start With a Detailed Audit
Before you make any changes, you should first determine what is working. An SEO audit tells you which pages get the most visitors, which keywords work, and where your best backlinks are located. Following the completion of the transfer, this will serve as your standard.
It is the equivalent of going on a trip without a map if you do not do this. When you conduct a comprehensive audit, you will be aware of everything that needs to be protected and the areas in which improvements can be made.
Map Old URLs to New Ones
Losing business because of broken links is one of the biggest risks of moving. To stop this from happening, connect all of your old URLs to clear places on your new site. Redirects make it easy for both people and search engines to get to the right pages.
This is like making a bridge between your old site and your new one. If you do it right, it protects your site’s credibility and makes sure that important traffic doesn’t get lost.
Keep On-Page SEO Elements Intact
Titles, meta descriptions, and header tags all have a big impact on where a page ranks. It’s easy to forget about these things during migration, but they need to be carefully kept or changed. It is very important to keep the phrase targeting the same across the new design.
Pictures and alt text should not be missed. When you migrate, you can make these even better optimised and make sure they fit with your general SEO goals.
Test Before You Launch
To launch without testing is like moving without seeing. Before going live, use a test site to find any technical problems. The page speed, redirects, and private links are some things you should check.
When you test, you can also change how well it works and fix bugs. After launch, it’s much harder to fix mistakes than to make them in a test setting.
Monitor Closely After Going Live
After launching the site, do not forget to monitor its performance. Use Google Analytics and Search Console to track the number of visitors, ranking, and conversions. Be sure to check early and often in the first days/week to check for problems instantly. Check errors in crawling, drop pages, and page rank abruptly.
Keep Stakeholders in the Loop
Website migration doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s not a distinct task that affects only SEO teams. It also touches developers, designers, and business owners.
In such a case, communication is essential since stakeholders should be aware of your goals, achievements, and failures so as not to repeat the same later. They also don’t want to waste time, money, or effort; regular updates can help you earn their trust.
Migration Done Right
Moving an SEO website is a process that needs to be managed, cared for, and watched over. It’s important to audit your present platform, set up redirect mapping, keep up with SEO elements, and test everything.
Visit StudioHawk to try it out and put it into practice. If you do the right things, your ranks will not only stay the same, they will work even better for you.
