SEO Fundamentals
Traffic Dropped After a Website Migration: How to Diagnose and Fix It
Some fluctuation after a move is normal. A drop that doesn’t recover usually comes from a short list of mistakes.
Google says changing URLs can cause ranking fluctuations while it recrawls and reindexes the site, and that a medium-sized site can take a few weeks for Google to notice the change; larger sites can take longer.
If traffic hasn’t recovered, Google’s site move guidance lists the common mistakes to check.
Short answer: If traffic dropped after a migration, check: old URLs redirect with a single server-side 301 or 308 to the most relevant new URL (not all to the homepage); no leftover noindex or robots.txt blocks from staging; new pages have self-referencing canonicals; the new XML sitemap is submitted; internal links point to new URLs; there’s no spike in crawl errors; and the server can handle increased crawling. For domain moves, also use the Change of Address tool.
Key Takeaways
- Some fluctuation is normal; medium sites can take a few weeks.
- Missing or wrong redirects are the most common cause of lasting losses.
- Staging noindex and robots.txt blocks often carry over to live.
- Redirect to the most relevant page, not the homepage.
- Keep redirects in place for at least a year.
Check these first
| Check | How | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Redirects | Test top old URLs from analytics and the Links report | Single server-side 301/308 to the closest equivalent |
| Redirect chains | Follow redirects hop by hop | Point straight to the final URL |
| Leftover noindex | URL Inspection on key pages | Remove staging noindex |
| robots.txt | Open /robots.txt on the new site | Remove staging Disallow rules |
| Canonicals | View source on new pages | Self-referencing canonicals on new URLs |
| Sitemaps | Sitemaps report | Submit the new sitemap; keep the old one temporarily to monitor |
| Internal links | Crawl the new site | Update links to new URLs, not via redirects |
| Crawl errors | Page indexing and Crawl stats reports | Fix 404s and server errors |
Find which pages lost traffic
In the Performance report, compare equal periods before and after the move and sort pages by clicks lost. For each, check where the old URL now goes and whether the new page is indexed. Our traffic drop guide covers the full process.
Domain moves
- Verify both old and new domains in Search Console.
- Use the Change of Address tool for domain or subdomain moves (not for HTTP to HTTPS or path changes).
- Check the new domain for any previous manual actions.
- Keep the old domain registered and redirecting for at least a year.
Content that didn’t make it across
If pages that brought traffic were removed or merged into thinner pages, rankings may not return. Consider restoring the content on the most relevant new URL.
Next time
Change one thing at a time where possible, and plan the URL map before launch. See the website migration SEO checklist.
Frequently asked questions
How long should traffic take to recover after a migration?
Google says a medium-sized site can take a few weeks for Google to notice the change, and larger sites longer.
Can I redirect all old pages to the homepage?
Google advises against irrelevant redirects like sending everything to the homepage. Redirect each URL to its closest equivalent.
How long should I keep redirects?
Google recommends keeping them for at least a year.
Planning or recovering from a migration?
We map URLs, check redirects and monitor indexing so a redesign or domain move doesn’t cost you your search traffic.
Sources
- Google Search Central: Site moves with URL changes
- Google Search Central: Debugging drops in Google Search traffic
- Google Search Central: Redirects and Google Search
Last reviewed October 14, 2026.
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