{"id":2816,"date":"2025-04-17T16:28:19","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/?p=2816"},"modified":"2025-04-17T16:28:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:28:59","slug":"website-migration-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/seo\/website-migration-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Position&#8217;s Website Migration Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2>\u2705 Pre-Migration Preparation<\/h2>\n<ul>\n  <li><strong>Develop in a Sandbox Environment:<\/strong> Ensure development occurs in a non-live environment to prevent customer disruption.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Schedule During Low-Traffic Periods:<\/strong> Plan the migration during times of minimal user activity.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Conduct a Pre-Migration Crawl:<\/strong> Use Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or similar to crawl the current site and export all live, indexable URLs, status codes, canonicals, metadata, and internal links.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Download all current XML Sitemap Files:<\/strong> Save your main XML sitemap (typically at \/sitemap.xml) and any other sitemaps linked from that that\u2019re specific to page groups locally and store them somewhere for future use.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Benchmark Current Performance:<\/strong> Record keyword rankings, Google Search Console data, and Google Analytics metrics for comparison post-migration.\u200b<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Inventory Your Backlink Profile:<\/strong> Export all referring domains and top backlinks from tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or GSC. This will help track post-migration link equity and inform outreach efforts later.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>\ud83e\uddf1 Architecture &amp; Internal Linking<\/h2>\n<ul>\n  <li><strong>Establish a Logical Site Hierarchy:<\/strong> Design a clear structure with main categories and subcategories.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Map Out New URL Structures:<\/strong> Create a comprehensive URL mapping spreadsheet aligning old URLs to their new equivalents. Include columns for redirect status, page type, and any change in intent or content.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Use Consistent URL Parameters:<\/strong> Ensure parameterized URLs are handled consistently to prevent crawl\/index issues. Canonicalize or block as needed to avoid index bloat.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Maintain Internal Linking:<\/strong> Ensure existing internal links are preserved to support SEO equity.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Review Page Layout Changes:<\/strong> Assess the impact of layout modifications, especially on mobile devices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>\ud83d\udcdd On-Page Optimization<\/h2>\n<ul>\n  <li><strong>Migrate Meta Titles &amp; Descriptions:<\/strong> Ensure all meta titles and meta descriptions are carried over to the exact same page on the new site.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Migrate Header Tags:<\/strong> Verify there is one clear H1 per page, aligned to the primary keyword. Check the semantic use of H2\u2013H6.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Migrate All Content:<\/strong> Ensure all on-page copy, tables, embedded media, and user-generated content (e.g., reviews) are preserved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>\u2699\ufe0f Technical SEO<\/h2>\n<ul>\n  <li><strong>Implement 301 Redirects:<\/strong> Redirect old URLs to their new counterparts precisely. Do not redirect to general pages.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Avoid Redirect Chains:<\/strong> Ensure redirects go directly to the final destination URL.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Configure Robots.txt Properly:<\/strong> Avoid blocking key pages from search engine crawlers.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Set Up Robots Meta &amp; Canonical Tags:<\/strong> Use these to properly manage indexing.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Create New XML Sitemaps:<\/strong> Generate sitemaps and organize them by page group. On Shopify, verify accuracy.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Host Old XML Sitemaps:<\/strong> Upload old sitemaps to the new site to help Google understand changes.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Implement Structured Data:<\/strong> Add schema based on page types for richer search results.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Ensure HTTPS Security:<\/strong> Secure your site with an SSL certificate.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Preserve Existing Pagination and Canonicals:<\/strong> Keep proper canonical structure on paginated content.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Disable Collection-Specific Product URLs:<\/strong> On Shopify, turn off collection-based product URLs to avoid duplication.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Utilize Product Variants and URL Parameters:<\/strong> Consolidate variants under one product page to reduce duplicate content.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Ensure Paginated URLs are Canonicalized to the Primary URL:<\/strong> Canonicalize ?pg=2 style URLs to the base collection\/blog\/product URL.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>\ud83c\udf10 External Brand &amp; Link Building<\/h2>\n<ul>\n  <li><strong>Update Social Profiles:<\/strong> Update URLs and details on all social platforms.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Modify External Links:<\/strong> Contact webmasters to update key backlinks if URL changes were made.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Announce the Change:<\/strong> Communicate the site update across marketing channels.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Update Business Listings:<\/strong> Change information in listings like Google Business, Bing Places, and Yelp.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>\ud83d\udcca Post-Launch Monitoring<\/h2>\n<ul>\n  <li><strong>Verify with Search Console &amp; Bing Webmaster Tools:<\/strong> Ensure your site is validated on both platforms.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Submit XML Sitemaps:<\/strong> Submit new and old sitemap URLs for faster indexing. Remove old sitemap URLs once redirects are established.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Monitor Crawl Stats:<\/strong> Check for crawl spikes or drops indicating technical issues.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Use Index Coverage Report:<\/strong> Identify issues with missed redirects or incorrectly indexed pages.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Monitor Analytics and Rankings:<\/strong> Track changes in traffic and visibility post-launch.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Check Conversion Rates:<\/strong> Ensure user behavior remains consistent or improves.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Identify 404 Errors:<\/strong> Use tools to find and fix broken pages\/links.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Validate Redirects:<\/strong> Confirm all 301s are functioning as intended using a tool like Screaming Frog.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Assess PPC Performance:<\/strong> Evaluate any drop in paid campaign performance due to landing page updates.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Annotate Launch Dates:<\/strong> Mark your analytics with the migration date for future reference.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ensure a smooth site migration without losing rankings. Follow Digital Position\u2019s step-by-step SEO website migration checklist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":2818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"thumbnail_src":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Digital-Position-Website-Migration-Checklist-Thumbnail-300x203.png","thumbnail_medium_src":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Digital-Position-Website-Migration-Checklist-Thumbnail.png","featured_image_src":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Digital-Position-Website-Migration-Checklist-Thumbnail.png","author_avatar_src":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/alucy-4-1.png","author_name":"Alan Lucy","category_labels":["SEO"],"tag_labels":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2816"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2816"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2819,"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2816\/revisions\/2819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.digitalposition.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}