Site migration SEO that protects your search traffic
We plan, check and watch your move to a new platform, domain or URL structure so rankings have the best chance to carry across.
In plain English.
Moving to a new website is one of the riskiest moments for your search traffic. URLs change, pages get merged or dropped, and the signals Google has built up over years can be lost if old addresses do not point to new ones. Plenty of businesses see a sharp fall after a relaunch and only find out why weeks later.
Migration SEO is mostly careful preparation. We crawl the old site, pull its top pages from Search Console and analytics, and build a redirect map so every URL with value goes to the closest match on the new site. Before launch we test the new site on staging for blocked pages, missing titles and broken links.
On launch day we check redirects live, submit new sitemaps and, for domain changes, use the Change of Address tool in Search Console. Then we watch rankings, crawl errors and traffic closely for the weeks after, fixing anything that slips.
It suits you if.
- You are redesigning your site and URLs will change
- You are moving platform, for example from Wix to WordPress
- You are changing domain name or merging two sites
- You are moving to HTTPS or adding or removing www
- A migration has already happened and traffic has dropped
What we do.
URL inventory
Every old URL gathered from crawls, sitemaps, Search Console, analytics and backlink data, so nothing with value is missed.
Redirect mapping
One-to-one 301 redirects to the closest matching page, with no blanket redirects to the homepage.
Staging checks
The new site tested before launch for noindex tags, robots.txt blocks, titles, canonicals and internal links.
Launch day support
Redirects tested live, sitemaps submitted and Search Console set up for the new site.
Post-launch monitoring
Daily checks in the first weeks for 404 errors, ranking drops and indexing problems.
How it runs.
- 01
Benchmark the old site
We record traffic, rankings and top pages so there is a clear before picture.
- 02
Map every URL
Old addresses are matched to new ones and the map is checked with you.
- 03
Test before launch
The staging site is crawled and checked against the map and a pre-launch list.
- 04
Launch and watch
Redirects go live, and we monitor closely for several weeks, fixing problems as they appear.
Questions people ask.
Will I lose rankings when I move?
Some movement is normal for a few weeks while Google processes the change. A well-planned migration keeps that dip small and short. We cannot promise no change at all, but we can make sure nothing avoidable is lost along the way.
When should you get involved?
As early as possible, ideally while the new site is still being planned. URL structure and content decisions made early are much cheaper to get right than to fix after launch. We can still help late, even after the switch has happened.
Do you only work on sites you build?
No. We often act as the SEO check for a build done by another agency or an in-house team. We work alongside them, provide the redirect map and test their staging site before it goes live.
What does migration SEO cost?
A fixed project price based on the number of URLs and how complex the move is. A domain change with the same pages is simpler than a platform move with a new structure. You get the quote after the free call, before anything starts.
Your next chapter starts with a conversation.
Nottingham & Derby / UK-wideLet’s build
what’s next.
15 minutes with Garreth.
A real conversation about your business.