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Website Migration SEO Checklist

Purpose and Scope:
The Website Migration SEO Checklist is a comprehensive guide for successfully migrating a website while preserving search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. It outlines the steps and considerations to ensure a smooth transition and minimize any negative impact on search visibility, rankings, and user experience. This checklist is intended for website owners, developers, marketers, and SEO professionals, providing them with a clear roadmap to plan, execute, and optimize website migrations. It covers pre-migration planning, technical considerations, content migration, testing and quality assurance, post-migration monitoring, optimization, communication, and stakeholder management. By following this checklist, users can ensure a seamless migration, preserve SEO value, and achieve optimal performance in search engine results pages (SERPs).
  1. 1

    Define Migration Goals and Objectives

    Identify the aims and targets you intend to accomplish through website migration. This could include improving site performance, enhancing user experience, or expanding your target audience.
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  2. 2

    Conduct a Thorough Audit of the Current Website's Performance, Structure, and Assets

    Evaluate the website's overall performance, including its loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and user-friendliness. Next, assess the website's structure, such as the organization of pages and navigation menus. Finally, please review the website's assets, such as images, videos, and files, to ensure they are up-to-date and optimized.
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  3. 3

    Create a Visual Sitemap, and Identify Key Pages and Their URLs

    Using a sitemap, develop a visual representation of your website's structure and hierarchy. Then identify the key pages for your website's success and note their URLs.
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  4. 4

    Perform Keyword Research, Competitor Analysis, and Impact Assessment on Local Search Visibility

    Perform a comprehensive analysis of keywords to discover the appropriate terms and phrases employed by your desired audience. Analyze your competitor's websites to understand their SEO strategies and identify opportunities. If your business operates locally, assess the impact of the migration on your local search visibility and make necessary adjustments.
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  5. 5

    Set Up Tracking, Analytics, and Communication Channels to Monitor Website Performance During and After Migration

    Implement tracking tools, like Google Analytics, to monitor website performance and gather data during migration. In addition, set up communication channels, such as email or chat, to stay in touch with your team and promptly address any issues.
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  6. 6

    Conduct a Comprehensive Content Audit to Identify Top-Performing and Underperforming Pages

    Review all existing website content and assess its performance. Identify pages that drive significant traffic, engagement, and conversions (top-performing) and need to meet expectations (underperforming). This analysis will help you prioritize content migration and optimization efforts.
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  7. 7

    Analyze the Website's Backlink Profile and Plan for Preservation or Acquisition Strategies

    Evaluate the current backlink profile of your website and identify high-quality and relevant links. Determine whether any backlinks need to be preserved during the migration process. Additionally, plan for strategies to acquire new backlinks and improve your website's authority and visibility.
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  8. 8

    Identify and Plan for Potential Keyword Cannibalization Issues to Avoid Conflicts Between New and Existing Content

    Identify instances where multiple website pages target the same or similar keywords. Develop a plan to address these keyword cannibalization issues by restructuring or optimizing the content to avoid conflicts and improve search engine rankings.
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  9. 9

    Ensure Proper Website Architecture, URL Structure, and Server Configuration for Optimal Performance

    Review and optimize your website's architecture, ensuring a logical and user-friendly structure. Check the URL structure to ensure it is clean, descriptive, and follows best practices. Configure your server settings to optimize performance, such as enabling caching and compression.
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  10. 10

    Implement 301 Redirects, Canonical Tags, and Structured Data Markup for Search Engine Understanding

    Set up 301 redirects to redirect old URLs to their corresponding new URLs, preserving SEO value and preventing broken links. Implement canonical tags on duplicate content pages to indicate the preferred version to search engines. Use structured data markup, such as Schema.org, to provide additional context and enhance search engine understanding of your website's content.
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  11. 11

    Update Internal Links and Navigation, and Implement Hreflang Tags for Multiple Languages or Regions

    Update internal links throughout your website to ensure they point to the correct URLs after migration. Evaluate and enhance the navigational structure of your website to improve user experience and facilitate effortless access to information for visitors. If your website caters to multiple languages or regions, implement hreflang tags to indicate language and regional variations of your pages to search engines.
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  12. 12

    Monitor and Optimize Server Response Times, Website Load Time, and Page Speed for a Better User Experience

    Regularly monitor your server's response times to ensure it is fast and reliable. Optimize your website's load time by optimizing image sizes, minimizing CSS and JavaScript files, and leveraging browser caching. Continuously evaluate and improve page speed to enhance user experience and search engine rankings.
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    Implement 302 Temporary Redirects for Staging or Testing Environments to Prevent Unnecessary Indexing

    When working in staging or testing environments, use 302 temporary redirects instead of 301 redirects. This prevents search engines from indexing your website's staging or testing version and avoids potential duplicate content issues.
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  14. 14

    Migrate All Existing Content, Maintaining Consistency in Structure, Formatting, and Readability

    Transfer all content from the old website to the new one while ensuring that the content's structure, formatting, and readability remain consistent. This includes preserving headings, paragraphs, bullet points, and other formatting elements to maintain the overall look and feel of the content.
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    Optimize Page Titles, Meta Descriptions, Header Tags, Image Alt Text, and File Names for SEO

    Review and optimize critical on-page elements for SEO. Ensure that page titles, meta descriptions, header tags, image alt text, and file names are descriptive, keyword-rich, and aligned with your SEO goals. This optimization assists search engines in comprehending the content and enhances the discoverability of your website in search results.
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    Create a 404 Error Page with Relevant Information and Links for Broken or Missing Pages

    Design a custom 404 error page that provides valuable information to users when they encounter broken or missing pages. Include a clear message explaining the error, provide suggestions or links to navigate relevant content, and consider adding a search function to help users find what they're looking for.
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  17. 17

    Develop a Content Mapping Plan for Proper Transfer and Optimization of Content

    Create a content mapping plan that outlines how each piece of content from the old website will be transferred and optimized on the new website. Ensure that content is mapped to the appropriate pages, and consider any necessary changes or improvements to enhance SEO and user experience during the migration process.
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    Conduct a Content Gap Analysis to Identify Missing or New Content Opportunities

    Conduct an analysis of your existing content and evaluate it against the needs and preferences of your target audience. Identify any gaps in your content that need to be filled and opportunities for creating new content that aligns with your SEO and business objectives. This analysis helps ensure your new website provides a comprehensive and valuable range.
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    Conduct Comprehensive Testing for Broken Links, Functionality, HTML/CSS Validation, and Speed Optimization

    Perform thorough website testing to identify and fix broken links, ensure proper functionality of forms, buttons, and interactive elements, validate HTML and CSS code for compliance with standards, and optimize page load speed for improved user experience.
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    Implement a Comprehensive Backup Strategy for Roll-Back Capability

    Establish a backup strategy to regularly and securely back up your website's data and files. By doing so, you establish a backup plan that can be utilized for roll-back and restoration purposes in case of any complications or unforeseen circumstances that may arise during or after the migration process.
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  21. 21

    Test and Optimize Mobile Responsiveness, Cross-Device, and Cross-Browser Compatibility

    Test the website on various mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to ensure it displays correctly and functions seamlessly on different screen sizes. Additionally, check its compatibility across other web browsers (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari) and optimize any inconsistencies or issues.
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  22. 22

    Implement Proper 404 Error Handling and Exact Content Resolution

    Set up a mechanism to handle 404 errors by providing a user-friendly error page with relevant information and alternative navigation options. Additionally, address duplicate content issues by implementing canonical tags or redirecting duplicate pages to a single, preferred version.
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  23. 23

    Monitor Website Traffic, Rankings, User Behavior, Backlinks, and SEO Performance

    Continuously monitor and analyze website traffic, search rankings, user behavior metrics (e.g., time on site, bounce rate), backlink profile, and overall SEO performance. Employ tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and third-party SEO platforms to gather valuable data and gain insightful information.
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  24. 24

    Address Issues Promptly, Make Necessary Adjustments, and Optimize Content Based on Performance

    Actively address any issues or errors that arise after the migration, such as broken links, slow page load times, or declining rankings. Based on performance data and user feedback, adjust the website's structure, content, and technical elements. Continuously optimize content to improve search engine visibility and user engagement.
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  25. 25

    Utilize SEO Tools for Keyword Tracking, User Engagement, and Crawl Analysis

    Take advantage of SEO tools to track keyword rankings, monitor changes in search engine rankings, analyze user engagement metrics, and conduct crawl analysis to ensure proper indexing and identification of any crawling issues. These tools can provide valuable insights to inform your optimization efforts.
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    Regularly Update XML Sitemaps and Monitor Crawl Budget for Efficient Indexing

    Keep your XML sitemap up to date by regularly adding new pages and removing outdated ones. This aids search engines in efficiently discovering and indexing your content. In addition, monitor the crawl budget allocated by search engines and optimize your website's structure and internal linking to ensure important pages are prioritized during the crawling process.
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  27. 27

    Inform Search Engines, Stakeholders, Third-Party Websites, Customers, and Social Media Followers About the Migration

    Communicate the upcoming website migration to search engines by submitting updated sitemaps and notifying them through webmaster tools. Inform stakeholders, such as internal teams, clients, partners, and vendors, about the migration plans and any potential impact. Additionally, notify third-party websites that link to your site to update their links if necessary. Inform customers and social media followers about the migration through various channels, such as email newsletters, website banners, social media posts, and blog announcements.
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  28. 28

    Collaborate with Teams (Development, Marketing, Content Creators, Customer Support, PR, Paid Advertising) for Seamless Execution

    Foster collaboration and coordination among various teams involved in the website migration process. Engage with development teams to ensure technical aspects are implemented correctly. Collaborate with marketing, content creators, and PR teams to align messaging and promotional efforts. Coordinate with customer support to address any potential issues or concerns from customers. Involve paid advertising teams to adjust campaigns and messaging accordingly.
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    Additional Tools and Resources: Botify

    Harness the capabilities of Botify's website crawling and analysis tools to acquire valuable insights into your website's SEO performance, detect technical issues, and optimize your site for improved visibility in search engine results. This tool can help you understand how search engine bots interact with your website and identify areas for improvement.
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    Additional Tools and Resources: Conductor

    Leverage Conductor's comprehensive website migration checklist and SEO guidance to ensure you have covered all the steps and best practices for successful website migration. Their checklist can be a valuable resource to ensure all crucial aspects are noticed during migration.
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    Additional Tools and Resources: Semrush

    Take advantage of Semrush's SEO tools for keyword research to identify relevant keywords for your content, analyze your website's and competitors' backlinks, and monitor your website's performance in search results. These tools can provide valuable insights to enhance your SEO strategies and improve your website's visibility.
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    Additional Tools and Resources: Google Search Console

    Utilize Google Search Console to monitor your website's performance in search results, identify indexing issues, submit sitemaps, and analyze search queries that drive traffic to your website. It provides valuable data and insights to optimize your website's visibility and performance in Google's search engine.
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    Additional Tools and Resources: Google Analytics

    Implement Google Analytics to track and analyze website traffic, understand user behavior, measure engagement metrics, and track conversions. It provides valuable data that can guide your optimization efforts and help you make data-driven decisions to improve your website's performance.
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