Site Migration SEO
Migrations go wrong when SEO is an afterthought. We make it the first thing you plan.
Get StartedWhy most migrations lose traffic
The average site migration loses 10-30% of organic traffic. Some never recover. The reason is almost always the same: redirect mapping was incomplete, staging was never crawl-tested, and nobody monitored indexation after launch.
- Incomplete URL mapping that misses thousands of pages
- Redirect chains and loops that dilute link equity
- No pre-launch crawl of the staging environment
- Zero monitoring in the critical first 30 days post-launch
- Content parity issues between old and new site
You need migration SEO support if...
You are moving to a new platform (Shopify, WordPress, headless CMS)
You are changing your domain name or merging multiple domains
You are restructuring your URL architecture or information hierarchy
You are redesigning your site and URLs will change
You have been burned by a migration before and cannot afford it again
Your site generates significant revenue from organic search
What we cover
URL mapping strategy
Every old URL mapped to its new destination. No guesswork, no bulk regex that breaks edge cases.
Redirect implementation plan
Server-level redirect specs with chain detection and validation scripts.
Risk assessment
We identify which pages carry the most organic value and ensure they are protected first.
Staging validation
Full crawl of staging environment to catch issues before they hit production.
Post-migration monitoring
Daily tracking of index status, rankings, and crawl behavior for 30 days after launch.
Migration timeline
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Pre-migration audit
Baseline your current organic performance. Identify high-value pages and existing technical debt.
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Planning and mapping
URL mapping, redirect rules, content parity checks, and staging environment setup.
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Launch day execution
Coordinated go-live with real-time monitoring. We are on call during the switch.
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30-day monitoring
Daily checks on indexation, crawl errors, and ranking movement. Fast response if anything drifts.
Results
We migrated 40,000 pages from a legacy CMS to headless. They mapped every URL, caught issues in staging we would have missed, and we retained 96% of our organic traffic.
Frequently asked questions
How much traffic will we lose during a migration?
With proper planning, most sites retain 90-95% of traffic within 4-6 weeks. Without planning, losses of 30-60% are common and can take months to recover.
When should we involve you in the migration process?
As early as possible, ideally before platform selection. The earlier we are involved, the fewer problems we need to fix after launch.
Do you handle the technical implementation?
We provide the specs and validate the work. Your dev team or agency handles the actual platform build. We review their redirect implementation before go-live.
How long does SEO recovery take after a migration?
With proper planning, most ranking fluctuations stabilize within 2-4 weeks. Without planning, recovery can take 3-6 months or longer.
Planning a migration?
Talk to us before you move. The cost of getting it wrong is months of lost traffic.
Get a Migration Consultation