SEO Website Migration - Choosing The Appropriate Digital Marketing Platform For Your Organization
You will almost certainly participate in an SEO website migration project at some point in your career, regardless of whether you are a digital marketer or an SEO.
For the highest probability of success, it is essential that any site migration is executed with caution and forethought.
If the process is not handled effectively, it could result in significant drops in your organic search rankings, leading to a significant drop in both visitors and revenue.
Regardless of your reasons for transferring your SEO website, it is essential that you do so correctly.
If your website's visibility in search engines declines, it could take months to regain its previous status.
COPYRIGHT_SBG: Published on https://www.small-business-guide.com/seo-website-migration/ by Matt Robinson on 2022-07-22T11:00:52.383Z
For this reason, a solid SEO strategy should be an integral part of your overall website migration planning during any migration project.
A Simple SEO Website Migration Plan (SEO for Beginners)
What Is Website Migration?
As its name suggests, site migration is the process of transferring a website from one domain to another.
There are a few instances in which the scope of a website migration extends beyond a domain switch, including the transfer of servers, CMS platforms, and the development or consolidation of numerous branded subdomains.
This article will focus on the concept of domain migration, specifically the transition from an HTTP domain to a more secure HTTPS domain.
Even though it is considered one of the more "simple" methods of migration, it is fraught with potential SEO risks for those who are unsure of what they are doing when moving a website and do not have the proper SEO platform and operational support.
Why Do You Need To Consider SEO In A Website Migration?
Your website has acquired organic exposure and equity over time, resulting in rankings for keywords and searches that your prospects and customers use to find your website.
When you modify your URLs, content, or website in general, you alter what search engines know about your site and the metrics they use to determine your ranking.
The goal of every website transfer is to minimize traffic loss as much as possible; a comprehensive SEO website migration ensures that no traffic is lost.
Common Pitfalls Of Website Migration Plans
Poorly Defined Strategy
The initial point of failure for some website transfers is the absence of clearly defined and attainable goals.
If there is no quantifiable goal to identify the desired impact of the project, there is no organizing principle to keep all participants focused on the desired outcome and unify the criteria for success.
The primary objective of a site migration strategy should be to preserve existing organic traffic and the site's ability to generate revenue.
Remember the following regarding your site migration goals:
- Keep up their realism
- Distribute them frequently and broadly to all project participants.
Lack Of Planning
A savvy website migration strategy examines each phase of the procedure in depth.
There are dozens of stages in the Victorious migration strategy from beginning to end.
Start the planning process early and leave room for additional tasks to be added if previously unknown obstacles are encountered along the way.
Plan your website migration around seasonal peaks in order to avoid being in a bind during your strongest income months.
Limited Resources
No organization can function without a budget, but the sum allocated for site relocation should be reasonable.
Clarify the resources you'll need to complete the task, and don't begin the project if you have doubts about your ability to do so successfully.
If you need to make a case for a larger budget, provide precise information on the estimated ROI of the website migration.
No SEO Expertise
No organization can function without a budget, but the sum allocated for site relocation should be reasonable.
Clarify the resources you'll need to complete the task, and don't begin the project if you have doubts about your ability to do so successfully.
If you need to make a case for a larger budget, provide precise information on the estimated ROI of the website migration.
Waiting Too Long To Seek Help
Large-scale website updates must strike a balance between user experience objectives and search engine optimization requirements.
If reorganizing or paring down massive amounts of data improves the user experience, consult with an SEO consultant about how such changes may affect your search engine rankings.
Without a comprehensive understanding of search engine optimization, your team could make changes that render your website invisible to search engines, causing your business to suffer for years.
Inadequate Testing
The proverb "measure twice, cut once" is also applicable to website migrations: test twice, implement once.
If significant issues arise during the migration project, it is preferable to discover them during testing as opposed to implementing them at launch.
Before going live, you'll want your UX and SEO professionals to verify and resolve any issues with the moved files on a staging server.
No Plan For Bug Fixes
Even with the most meticulously planned website transfer, there will inevitably be issues that evade your quality assurance efforts and appear concurrently with your new website.
Prior to the launch of your new website, have a plan to prioritize and address any issues that may arise.
How Long Should An SEO Migration Take?
The duration of an SEO website migration depends on the size of your website, the quantity of content being moved, and the number of pre - and post-migration audits required.
A 100-page website will require significantly less time than a 1,000-page website, which will require significantly less time than a 50,000-page website, etc.
Some SEO migrations require one month to plan and execute, while others require three.
Allow ample time for planning, creating a staging site, quality assurance, and auditing, followed by execution.
We recommend allowing at least three months as a precaution.
Nonetheless, as usual, it is contingent on your and your team's resources; therefore, you should address it thoroughly.
People Also Ask
Does Website Migration Affect SEO?
You are aware that redesigning your website or moving to a new domain requires more than just making design decisions or selecting a new domain; it also requires careful planning for URL redirection.
Consequently, this type of change could have a significant impact on your website's SEO ranking.
What Is A Website Migration?
SEO practitioners use the term site migration to refer to any event in which a website undergoes significant changes in areas that could have a significant impact on its search engine visibility — typically changes to the site's location, platform, structure, content, design, or UX.
How Do You Tell Google About Site Migration?
Use the Change of Address tool when moving your website from one domain or subdomain to another, such as from example.com to example.org or example2.com.
This tool notifies Google of your relocation and facilitates the transfer of Google Search results from your old site to your new one.
How Do I Migrate My New Website?
If you're determined to migrate your site manually to a new host, here's an overview of the steps you'll take in this tutorial:
Register your domain with your new hosting provider.
FTP is used to transfer the website's files.
The database from your previous host should be exported.
Conclusion
SEO website migration is a difficult process that, if performed improperly, can result in the loss of both visitors and customers.
However, if you have a strategy, you can increase your search rankings and traffic substantially over time.
The most important thing is to comprehend each phase of the process, what must be accomplished, and to devise a transition strategy.
If performed correctly, SEO website migration may offer several advantages.
Changing to a more stable server, creating a website with an intuitive user interface, switching to a local or international top-level domain, and even switching from HTTP to HTTPS can all improve your search engine ranking.
A well-planned SEO website migration is nothing to be frightened of.
About The Authors
Matt Robinson - Since the late 1990s, I've been helping companies of all kinds flourish online, with a focus on SEO, local search marketing, and blogging/social media. I've worked as a consultant for businesses as large as Target.com and as small as a mom and pop shop selling handmade wooden pens out of their garage. My whole life has been surrounded by small businesses. I like public speaking and am always excited to have the opportunity to teach/train businesses, groups, or people on effective internet marketing strategies and approaches. Since 2004, I've been giving talks at search marketing and social media conferences on a regular basis.
