Website migration SEO
SEO Support for Website Migrations
Changing your domain, platform or URL structure? We plan the SEO side of the move: a complete URL map, permanent redirects, pre-launch checks and monitoring after launch, following Google’s own site-move guidance.
URL mapping
Redirect plans
Pre-launch QA
Post-launch monitoring
Why migrations need SEO
A Move Can Undo Years of Search Signals
When URLs change, Google has to discover the new addresses, follow the redirects and work out that the new pages replace the old ones. Missing redirects, blocked staging settings or redirect chains slow that down and can lose pages from search.
Google says rankings may fluctuate during a move and settle over time. Careful planning reduces how much can go wrong.
What’s included
Our Migration SEO Services
The SEO work before, during and after a move.
URL inventory and mapping
Every important old URL matched to its new equivalent, including images, PDFs and other files.
Redirect specification
Server-side permanent redirects that go straight to the final URL, without chains or mass homepage redirects.
Staging review
Checks of the new site for noindex tags, robots.txt blocks, canonicals, internal links and missing content before launch.
Domain change steps
Search Console verification of both sites and the Change of Address tool where a domain or subdomain changes.
Sitemaps and annotations
New XML sitemaps, self-referencing canonicals and updated hreflang where relevant.
Post-launch monitoring
Crawl checks, redirect testing and Search Console reports in the weeks after launch.
Our process
Our Migration Process
Plan the move, test it, then watch it land.
01
Benchmark
Record current URLs, traffic, rankings and indexing.
02
Map
Match old URLs to new ones and write the redirect plan.
03
Test
Review the staging site and the redirect rules.
04
Launch
Check redirects, robots.txt and sitemaps on launch day.
05
Monitor
Track indexing, errors and traffic, and fix gaps.
What we check
Common Migration Mistakes We Catch
Most migration traffic losses come from a short list of problems.
- Old URLs with no redirect, or redirects to the homepage instead of the matching page
- Redirect chains and loops left over from earlier moves
- Staging noindex tags or robots.txt blocks carried over to the live site
- Canonical tags still pointing to the old domain or staging URLs
- Internal links that still go through redirects
- Content, headings or structured data lost in the new templates
What we will never do
- Promise no traffic change during a move
- Remove redirects early to “clean up”
- Recommend chaining a second move before the first settles
- Make server changes without your developer’s sign-off
Migrations We Support
The SEO side of common website changes.
Domain change
Platform change
HTTP to HTTPS
URL restructure
Site merge
Redesign
What an SEO migration plan covers
An SEO migration plan makes sure search engines can follow your site from its old URLs to its new ones. It covers a complete URL map, server-side permanent redirects, checks of the new site before launch, Search Console steps, new sitemaps and monitoring after launch.
Google’s site move guidance starts with a URL map built from your sitemaps, server logs, analytics and CMS, including images, videos, JavaScript and CSS files. That map becomes the redirect specification your developer implements.
Redirects
- Use server-side permanent redirects (301 or 308). Client-side redirects are a last resort.
- Redirect each old URL straight to its final destination and keep chains short.
- Avoid sending many unrelated old pages to one page such as the homepage.
- Keep redirects for at least a year; Google says permanent redirects don’t lose PageRank.
Domain changes and the Change of Address tool
If the domain or subdomain changes, Google recommends using the Change of Address tool in Search Console after the redirects are live. You need to own both properties with the same Google account, and the tool isn’t for HTTP-to-HTTPS changes, www changes or path changes. Google says the move signals last 180 days, and recommends keeping the old domain registered for at least a year.
Timing and expectations
Google says small and medium sites may take a few weeks for most pages to move, larger sites take longer, and rankings can fluctuate before settling. It also recommends changing one thing at a time: combining a domain move with a redesign or URL restructure makes it harder for signals to transfer. Where possible, we suggest separating those changes or at least planning for a longer monitoring period.
After launch
After launch we crawl the old URL list to confirm every redirect, submit the new sitemap, and keep the old sitemap for monitoring. We watch Search Console indexing and query reports, and server logs where available, for errors and unexpected drops. For the full step-by-step list, read our website migration SEO checklist.
Sources
Related services
Works Well Together With
Planning a Website Move?
Tell us what’s changing and when. We’ll explain what the SEO side of your migration needs and where the biggest risks are.
The free audit reviews
- Technical SEO health
- On-page SEO on key pages
- A prioritized list of fixes
Why Choose Laylar for Migration SEO?
Planning grounded in Google’s site-move guidance.
Complete URL maps
Built from several data sources, not guesswork.
Developer-ready specs
Redirect rules your team can implement and test.
Pre-launch QA
Staging checks before anything goes live.
Monitored landing
We watch indexing and errors after launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions.
When should SEO be involved in a migration?
Before development is finished, ideally at the planning stage. The URL map and redirect plan are much easier to build before launch than after traffic drops.
Will we lose traffic during the migration?
Google says rankings may fluctuate temporarily during a move. Good planning reduces the risk, but nobody can promise no change.
How long should redirects stay in place?
Google recommends keeping site-move redirects for at least a year, and longer if old URLs still receive search traffic.
Do we need the Change of Address tool?
Only for domain or subdomain changes. It isn’t used for HTTP-to-HTTPS, www or path changes.
Can you implement the redirects?
We write and test the redirect specification. Implementation depends on your platform and is usually done by your developer, or by us where we have suitable access and your approval.
Can you help if we’ve already migrated?
Yes. We can audit the old URL list against the live site, find missing or broken redirects and prioritize fixes.
Have Questions?
Talk to our team about your website and get a free on-page and technical SEO review.