One of the scariest SEO tasks is site migration because the stakes are so high and the pitfalls at every step. Here are five tips to help keep your site migration on track for a successful outcome.
Site migrations are not one thing
Site migrations are not one thing, they are actually different scenarios and the only thing they have in common is that there is always something that can go wrong.
Below are examples of some of the different types of site migrations:
Migrating to a new template Migrating to a new web host Combining two different websites Migrating to a new domain name Migrating to a new site architecture Migrating to a new content management system (CMS) Migrating to a new site builder from WordPress
There are many ways a site can change and more ways for those changes to have a negative outcome.
The following is not a site migration checklist. These are five suggestions to consider.
1. Prepare for migration: download everything
The number one rule is to prepare for site migration. One of my biggest concerns is that the old version of the website is properly documented.
Here are some ways to document a website:
Download the database and save it to at least two locations. I like to have a backup of the backup stored on a second device. Download all the files from the website. Again, I prefer to save a backup of the backup stored on a second device. Track the site, save the track, and export it as a CSV or XML sitemap. I prefer to have redundant backups in case something goes wrong.
One important thing to remember when downloading files via FTP is that there are two formats for downloading files: ASCII and Binary.
Use ASCII to download files that contain code, such as CSS, JS, PHP, and HTML. Use Binary for media like images, videos, and zip files.
Fortunately, most modern FTP software has automatic settings that should be able to tell the difference between the two file types. One sad thing that can happen is downloading image files using the ASCII format which results in corrupted images.
So, always check that your files are downloaded correctly and are not corrupted. Always consider downloading a copy if you have hired a third party to handle the migration or a client is doing so and is downloading files. That way, if they fail to download, you’ll have a non-corrupted backup.
The most important rule about backups: you can never have too many backups!
2. Track the website
Do a full website crawl. Create a backup copy of the trace. Then create a backup of the backup and store it on a separate hard drive.
After site migration, this crawl data can be used to generate a new list to crawl the old URLs to identify URLs that are missing (404), not redirecting, or redirecting to the wrong web page. Screaming Frog also has a list mode that can crawl a list of URLs saved in different formats, including as an XML sitemap, and enter them directly into a text field. This is a way to crawl a specific batch of URLs instead of crawling one site from one link to another.
3. Tips for migrating to a new template
Website redesigns can be a huge source of angst when they go wrong. On paper, migrating a site to a new template should be a one-to-one change with minimal issues. In practice this is not always the case. For one, you can’t use an off-the-shelf template, you have to modify it to fit what’s needed, which may mean removing and/or altering code.
Nigel Mordaunt, Search Marketing Expert (LinkedIn), who recently sold his search marketing agency, has experience migrating over a hundred sites and has important considerations for migrating to a new WordPress template.
Here’s Nigel’s advice:
“Make sure all images have the same URL, alt text, and image titles, especially if you’re using new images.
Sometimes templates have hard-coded heading elements, especially in the footer and sidebars. These should be CSS styled, not H tags. I had this problem with a template once where the ranges had moved unexpectedly, and then I found that the Contact Us links and other navigation links were marked as H2. I think a few years ago it was more of an issue. However, some themes have H-tags coded in less-than-ideal places.
Make sure all URLs are exactly the same, a common mistake. Also, if you plan to change the content, check that the staging environment has not been indexed, after the site goes live, make sure the new live site no longer contains the noindex robots meta tag.
If you change your content, prepare your site for Google to reevaluate it. Depending on the size of the site, even if the changes are positive, it may take several weeks to be rewarded, and in some cases several months. The customer must be informed of this prior to the migration.
Also, check that analytics and tracking codes have been inserted into the new site, review all image sizes to make sure there are no new images that are large and haven’t been shrunk. You can easily check image sizes and header tags with a post-migration Screaming Frog crawl. I can’t imagine doing any kind of site migration without Screaming Frog.”
4. Tips for migrating to a new web host
Mark Barrera (LinkedIn), VP SEO, Newfold Digital (parent company of Bluehost), had this to say about crawling before a site migration in preparation for a migration to a new web host:
“Thoroughly scan your existing site to identify any technical or SEO indexing issues prior to the move.
Maintain URL structure (if possible): Changing URL structures can confuse search engines and damage link equity. If possible, keep your URLs the same.
301 Redirects – 301 redirects are your friend. Search engines need to be informed that your old content now lives at a new address. Implementing 301 redirects from any old URLs to their new counterparts preserves link fairness and prevents 404 errors for both users and search engine crawlers.
Performance Optimization: Make sure your new host offers a fast and reliable experience. Site speed is important to user experience.
Be sure to do a final review of your new site before making the actual change. Visually check your homepage, landing pages and most popular search visits. Review any shopping/cart flows, comment/review threads, images, and any outbound links to your other sites or your partners.
SSL Certificate: A critical but sometimes overlooked aspect of hosting migrations is SSL certificate configuration. Ensuring that your new host correctly supports and implements your existing SSL certificate or provides a new one without causing errors is vital. SSL/TLS not only secures your site, but also affects SEO. Any misconfigurations during migration can result in warnings in browsers, which deters visitors and can temporarily affect rankings.
After migration, it is crucial to compare server response times not only from one location, but regionally or globally, especially if your audience is international. Sometimes a new hosting platform may perform well in one area, but lag behind in other parts of the world. These discrepancies can affect page load times, influencing bounce rates and search rankings. “
5. Accept limitations
Ethan Lazuk, SEO Strategist and Consultant, Ethan Lazuk Consulting, LLC, (LinkedIn, Twitter) provides an interesting perspective on site migrations in terms of anticipating client-imposed limitations on what you can do. It can be frustrating when a client rejects advice, and it’s important to hear their reasons for doing so.
I’ve consulted on Zoom with companies whose SEO departments had concerns about what they wanted an external SEO to do. Seeking third-party confirmation of a site migration plan is a reasonable thing to do. So if the in-house SEO department has concerns about the plan, it’s not a bad idea to have a trusted third party take a look at it.
Ethan shared his experience:
“The most memorable and challenging site migrations I’ve been a part of involved business decisions over which I had no control.
As an SEO, we can create a smart migration plan. We can follow the pre-launch and post-launch checklists, but sometimes, there are legal restrictions or other business realities behind the scenes that we need to address.
Not having access to a DNS, being restricted from using a brand name or certain content, having to use an intermediate domain and having to work days, weeks or months later to resolve any issues once internal situations have changed of the business are just a few of the complicated migration issues I’ve encountered.
The best way to deal with these situations requires working with client constraints is to increase the SEO tasks you can control, set honest expectations about how business issues could affect post-migration performance, and be vigilant with data monitoring post-launch and use. to defend the resources needed to finish the job.”
Different ways to migrate a website
Site migrations are a pain and should be approached with caution. I’ve done many different types of migrations myself and helped them with clients. I’m currently moving thousands of web pages from a root folder and it’s complicated by multiple redirects that have to be reconfigured, out of the blue. But migrations are sometimes unavoidable, so it’s best to do so after careful consideration.
Featured image by Shutterstock/Krakenimages.com
