Websites and launch
Website migration: an SEO and URL checklist
Changing platforms, domains or page structure requires preserving routes to valuable content. This plan reduces avoidable mistakes but does not guarantee unchanged Google rankings.
Build an inventory of existing URLs
Combine sitemap URLs, crawled pages and Search Console pages with impressions and clicks. Include products, categories, articles, PDFs and pages receiving external links. Record the old URL, replacement, language, preserved content and decision: retain, redirect or remove. The main navigation alone is not a complete site inventory.
Choose relevant replacements
Each valuable old URL should lead to the same content or a meaningful equivalent. Do not redirect everything to the home page. If content is genuinely removed without a replacement, use an appropriate 404 or 410 response. Use server-side permanent redirects such as 301 for permanent moves. Avoid chains and loops. An old service URL should lead directly to its corresponding new service page.
Test staging separately
Before launch, review transferred content, images, forms, checkout and languages. Protect staging against unwanted publication. Include an explicit launch step to remove unintended login restrictions or noindex from public pages. Staging addresses must not remain in canonicals, sitemaps, structured data or hreflang. Make backups and define rollback procedures.
Verify the complete URL map at launch
Test old addresses, final replacement URLs and response codes. New pages need consistent canonicals and internal links; the sitemap should list intended new URLs. Language counterparts must reference each other and their own canonical versions. Check HTTP/HTTPS and www variants separately. After a domain change, verify TLS, DNS and mail: moving a website does not necessarily mean moving email.
Monitor Search Console and actual failures
Prepare Search Console ownership for a new domain and follow Google’s change-of-address procedure where applicable. Submit the sitemap. Monitor indexing, 404s, server errors, traffic and enquiries. Compare individual pages and queries rather than only daily totals. Maintain redirects according to migration guidance rather than removing them after a week.
Separate moving the site from rewriting it
Changing the domain, content, URLs and design at once makes results harder to interpret. Stage changes when possible and record them. Acceptance criteria should cover important old links, content preservation and form tests. Search engines process new URLs gradually; temporary fluctuations can occur even after a well-executed migration.
Quick checklist
- Important old URLs inventoried
- Each URL has a justified handling rule
- Redirects, languages and indexing settings checked
- Errors, search performance and enquiries monitored
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Sources and further instructions
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