How to move or rebuild your website without losing SEO
A step-by-step guide to website migrations: URL mapping, 301 redirects, content, testing and monitoring after launch.
Why migrations go wrong
When URLs change without redirects, Google sees your old pages disappear and your links point nowhere. Rankings built over years can drop overnight.
Step by step
- Benchmark: export rankings, traffic and top landing pages.
- Crawl: list every URL on the current site, including PDFs and images that get traffic.
- Map: match each old URL to the most relevant new page.
- Redirect: set up permanent 301 redirects for every mapped URL.
- Preserve: keep titles, headings and content that rank, improving rather than replacing them.
- Test: before launch, check a sample of redirects, internal links and canonical tags.
- Launch: submit the new sitemap and request indexing of key pages.
- Monitor: watch Search Console coverage, 404 errors and rankings daily for two weeks.
Domain changes
Changing domain adds risk. Use Search Console’s change of address tool and keep the old domain redirecting for the long term.
How long recovery takes
A well-planned migration often shows little disruption. Small dips usually settle within a few weeks.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 301 redirect?
A permanent redirect telling browsers and search engines a page has moved, passing most of its ranking value to the new URL.
How long should I keep redirects?
Indefinitely if you can. At minimum, keep them for at least a year.
Will changing my domain hurt SEO?
There’s usually a temporary dip. Careful redirects and Search Console’s change of address tool reduce the impact.
