Before anything moves: take stock
Start by recording what you have. Crawl the current site with a tool, export the page list from your CMS, and pull the pages that earn traffic or links from your analytics and Search Console. You need the full list of addresses, because anything missing from it is something you might break.
Add the unglamorous items too, such as forms, thank-you pages, downloads, embedded maps, and the logins to your domain, hosting and email. Note which pages bring in enquiries, since those are the ones to protect first.
- A full list of live addresses from a crawl and from the CMS
- Pages with traffic, links or enquiries marked as priority
- Forms, downloads, PDFs and embedded tools
- Logins for domain, hosting, email and analytics
- A complete backup of files and database
Map every old address to a new one
URL mapping is the heart of the job. Put each old address in one column and its new home in the next. If the address stays the same, say so. If a page is retired, choose the closest useful page, not the home page. Redirects that dump everything on the home page confuse visitors and search engines alike.
Where possible keep addresses the same, because a redirect you do not need is a risk you do not take. When addresses must change, set permanent redirects, the kind often called 301, and test a sample before launch. Avoid chains where one redirect leads to another.
- Same address kept wherever possible
- Permanent redirects for everything that changes
- Retired pages sent to the closest relevant page
- No redirect chains or loops
- Printed material and QR codes checked for old addresses
Carry the search signals across
Search engines judge each page by its title, description, headings, content, image text and internal links. A new design often loses these by accident, because the fields on the new platform start empty. Export titles and descriptions from the old site, load them into the new one, then spot check the key pages.
Check the technical signals as well. Canonical tags, the XML sitemap, the robots file, structured data and image text all need to be present on the new site. On the private staging copy, keep search engines out with a noindex setting, and remember to remove it at launch, a classic and costly oversight.
- Page titles and meta descriptions copied across
- Headings, body text and image descriptions intact
- Canonical tags and the XML sitemap in place
- Structured data present, and your Google Business Profile link updated
- Noindex on staging, removed on launch day
Keep the measuring tools running
A migration is the worst time to lose your data. Make sure the analytics tag, Tag Manager container, conversion events, ad pixels and Search Console property carry over, and test that a form submission is recorded. Note today's traffic and enquiry levels as a baseline, so you can tell a dip from normal change.
Do not forget email. If the domain or hosting is changing, check the records that keep your business email delivering, and confirm that contact forms still reach a real inbox. Ask whoever manages your domain to shorten the DNS timing setting a few days ahead, so the switch takes effect quickly.
- Analytics, Tag Manager and conversion events firing
- Search Console property verified on the new site
- Ad landing pages and tracking links pointing to live pages
- Forms delivering to an inbox someone reads
- Email records checked before any DNS change
Test, launch, then watch closely
On the staging copy, click through every template on a phone and a laptop. Test forms, search, menus, checkout if you have one, and the redirects from your map. Fix the list in order of what customers use, and give someone who did not build the site a go at breaking it.
Launch when the phones are quiet, not in the middle of your busy season. After the switch, check the live site again, submit the new sitemap, and watch Search Console and analytics for errors over the following weeks. Keep the old files until you are sure. Our team can handle the whole move, and a free marketing audit will show what to fix first.
- Every page type tested on phone and desktop
- A sample of redirects tested from the old addresses
- Live site checked right after the switch
- Not-found errors reviewed weekly for the first month
- Old site backup kept somewhere safe
Old addresses live on in assistants
Search tools and AI assistants keep a memory of your old pages, and they can go on repeating outdated addresses, hours and services for a while after a move. Redirects send visitors to the right place, and an updated About page, fresh listings and consistent business details help the new facts take over. Keep a list of everything that changed so nothing stale lingers.
- 01A changed-facts list covering hours, names, services and addresses
- 02Listings and profiles updated to match the new site
- 03Redirects kept in place long after launch
Questions & answers
Keep them for as long as you can, ideally indefinitely. Old addresses survive in links, bookmarks, printed material and search results for years. Redirects cost little to maintain, and removing them early turns working links into error pages.
A temporary wobble is common, and a careful move keeps it small. Redirects, carried-over titles and content, working sitemaps and prompt fixes for errors all help. Nobody can promise that rankings will hold, so record a baseline before launch and compare it afterwards.
If only the platform changes and addresses stay the same, there is no notice to file; just keep your Search Console property working. If the domain changes, Search Console offers a change-of-address tool to use alongside redirects. Check Google's current instructions before you start.
Pick a quiet stretch for your own business, not the weeks you depend on. A farm with a summer rush, a retailer before the holidays or a contractor in the busy building season should aim for a calmer window, with a few days of attention on the site afterwards.
