Do you have experience with website migrations? Then you know better than anyone that it can be a difficult and time-consuming job. In addition, each migration is different, so the necessary attention and precision is also required to carry it out correctly. Especially in the field of search engine optimization, it is important that websites are migrated correctly. However, there are different types of website migrations that each require a different approach. In this article we will discuss the most common migrations, how to implement them correctly and what impact this has on the rankings in search engines.

What is a website migration?
A website migration involves transferring a site to a new domain. So from the old URL, a website moves to a new URL. Often this is done when a company is rebranding where a whole new corporate identity is developed and a different direction is taken. On the other hand, website migrations can also be done on a smaller scale. Think for example of pimping a website where a new web design is applied. Or when a new URL structure is developed.

What types of website migrations are there?
Website migrations occur to varying degrees. This can be the renewal of a web design to the complete transfer of a website to another domain name. Whatever migration is involved, it is always important that you know what to do and how to do it correctly. If you don’t do this correctly, it can have a major impact on your complete SEO strategy and, in the worst case scenario, you can disappear from the search results altogether. What types of migrations are commonly used that you may one day have to deal with as well?

Content migration: if you feel that your website is ready for a different look, you could choose to apply a different template or change certain elements.
Website security: anno 2019 it is important that websites are equipped with an SSL certificate. So this should always be switched from http to https.
New URL structure: if you want to redesign the website with other categories and new pages, it is common to have to change URLs.
Rebranding: if you want to go in a different direction with a new name and focus, then the entire website needs to be moved to a different domain name.
In addition to the above situations, you may also have to deal with migrations in other ways. Think for example of a content migration or even a server migration. No matter what situations you are dealing with, it is important that everything is carried out correctly according to a step-by-step plan.

What preparation does a website migration require?
It is important that every website migration is done in the right way. Otherwise it will be at the expense of your organic findability and you will lose certain positions in search results. Therefore, make sure you have figured out what you need to do before you actually start turning the knobs. In this example, let’s assume that a website is transferred to a new domain. What do you need to pay attention to?

Step 1: Determine the period
Does your business have a certain peak period in the year or do you continue to operate throughout the year? This affects the moment you want to perform the website migration. After all, you do not want to do this at a time when there is a lot of traffic to your website and you have a lot of conversion. Therefore, it is better to apply a website migration when things are quieter so that you have as little damage as possible if it unexpectedly does not turn out well.

Step 2: Map out all URLs
Do you already have insight into which pages are on your website? This is crucial information, because these pages must be transferred correctly during a migration. You can find this, among other things, in the sitemap that you submitted to Google Search Console at the start. But tools like Screaming Frog can make a complete analysis of all URLs on your website. This way you know that you haven’t overlooked any URLs and that everything is taken into account during the transfer.

Step 3: Monitor your current positions
To make sure you keep your old positions, you need to monitor in advance what position you are in the search results for a certain keyword. If something goes wrong, you may lose positions and you will have to figure out how to bring them back. Therefore, map out all the keywords that your website is found on and then go and see what positioning it has.

Step 4: Look at incoming links
Now that you know what positions you are scoring at per keyword and what URL is associated with it, you can assign certain values to pages. Also check in Google Analytics if this data is consistent with the pages that receive the most traffic and have the highest conversions. You can also look at the backlinks per page to see how much authority it has built up. Tools like Ahrefs or Majestic lend themselves perfectly to this.

Step 5: Work out a URL structure
This step only applies if you plan to implement other pages and therefore create new URLs. Work this out in advance and see which old pages should point to the new URL. By thinking out the website structure first, you get a complete picture of what your website should look like and you can start setting up the new website right away.

Step 6: Preserve all content
Redirecting URLs also involves analyzing your content. Which can be taken to your new site or which pages need new text. It is best to save all your content in one document or to divide it by category so that you can keep it organized. If things go wrong, at least you won’t lose all your content.

What steps are involved in the migration process?
If all preparations have been made it is time to move the website. Again, there are a number of steps. What order should you follow?

Step 1: First place all content
Before finalizing the URLs it is important to first transfer the content to the new environment. This way you can get an idea of what it will look like and you can be sure that it is in good shape before it goes live.

Step 2: Link the URLs together
Once all the content is live, you’re going to see if all the old and new URLs can be linked together. Does each old URL have a new destination on the website? If so, then you’ll know for sure which pages should link to each other.

Step 3 Setting Up Redirects
Then comes the time when all the redirects can be set up. This way you can check in advance whether pages are being redirected correctly or whether something is still going wrong. Also check the status of these new URLs so you can be sure that things are going well. All new URLs must have a 301 redirect. If all goes well, the web builder can also implement the redirects on the live environment.

Step 4: Monitoring URLs
Are the redirects set up properly? It is essential that you keep a close eye on this. The loss of URLs can cost you organic positions and therefore lost visitors and ultimately turnover. Keep monitoring everything so you can be sure it is going well.

Step 5: Look at your positions in the search results
If everything is properly monitored, it is also important that you look at the organic positions. Are the new URLs being adopted by the robots and are you maintaining your current positions? If yes, then you know that things have gone well. Keep in mind that sometimes this can take a while for the search engine to process this. So be patient and check your own findability regularly.