Website migrations
A migration is the moment a site is most likely to lose what it built in search. I help before the move, during the launch, and after it.
Every migration changes something search engines rely on: URLs, templates, internal links, rendering, or the domain itself. When those changes are mapped and tested, rankings carry over. When they aren't, pages vanish from the index, links point at 404s, and nobody notices until traffic is gone. I make sure each change is deliberate.
Kinds of migration
- Platform changes: WordPress to a headless or static build, Wix or Squarespace to WordPress, Magento to Shopify, a CMS upgrade with new templates.
- Domain changes: rebrands, consolidations of several domains into one, country domains into folders, and HTTP to HTTPS.
- Structure changes: new URL patterns, merged or retired sections, and new navigation.
- Redesigns: the same URLs with new templates, which can still change rendering, headings, internal links, and speed.
Before launch
- An inventory of every URL that matters, built from a crawl, the XML sitemaps, Search Console, analytics, and backlink data, so pages with traffic or links can't slip through.
- A 301 redirect map from every old URL to its closest new equivalent, and deliberate decisions about pages you're retiring.
- A review of the new templates on staging: titles, canonicals, headings, structured data, internal links, and content crawlers can read without running JavaScript.
- A plan for analytics, Search Console, sitemaps, and robots rules on launch day.
At launch
- Redirects tested in bulk on the live site, including status codes, chains, and destinations.
- Staging blocks removed and production robots rules confirmed.
- New XML sitemaps submitted, and Google's Change of Address tool used for domain moves.
- A quick round of fixes with your developer or host while the launch is fresh.
After launch
I watch crawl stats, the page indexing report, 404s, and organic landing pages for the weeks Google needs to process the move, and fix gaps as they appear. If the launch already happened and something went wrong, I reconcile old and new URLs, find orphaned pages and broken media, repair redirect gaps, and track down what changed. I'm useful when the marketing team, the developer, the host, and the owner each hold part of the answer.
Platforms
WordPress, Umbraco, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, Magento, Netlify, GitHub Pages, Jekyll, and hand-built static sites, including a WordPress to Netlify migration and a Movable Type to GitHub Pages move.
Common questions
When should I bring you into a migration?
As early as the URL structure and templates are being decided. The earlier the redirect map and template review start, the cheaper every fix is.
How long should redirects stay in place?
Google recommends keeping redirects for at least a year. I recommend keeping them indefinitely unless they cause a real problem, because old links keep arriving for years.
Can you help after a migration that already went wrong?
Yes. Post-launch cleanup is a common engagement: I rebuild the URL mapping from crawl, log, Search Console, and backlink data and repair what's missing.
Talk to me about your migration
Updated October 5, 2026