SEO Website Migrations

We are experts in website migrations involving SEO, with a track record of success for leading brands.

Bring Digital Performance can ensure a seamless transition that preserves search engine performance and maintains conversion rates.

What is an SEO Migration?

An SEO migration is a process designed to ensure that a website doesn’t lose its authority and visibility with the search engines when moving to a new online platform, a new hosting provider or when changing its domain name.

There are several moving parts that need to be managed to prevent any negative impact in search results performance.

An SEO migration checklist can contain actions like:

• URL modifications
• Site restructuring
• Domain changes
• Fixing internal links

If the site is using third-party systems like CMS suites, these will also have to be realigned. The ultimate aim is to prevent or minimise any drop in rankings, preserve traffic volume and maintain proper indexing in the search engine algorithms.

Thus, a successful website migration requires diligent planning, meticulous execution and precision. It’s a holistic process that includes post-migration monitoring, to ensure a seamless transition that maintains or can even enhance search engine rankings.

Bring Digital Performance SEO Website Migration Services

Without a detailed website migration plan, things can go pear-shaped very quickly when the site is switched over to its new domain or platform. It can result in years of SEO being lost, causing search engine indexing problems and a drop in traffic.

Broken links can also begin to crop up, hampering user engagement and losing the power of “link juice”. This can all add up to a decline in conversion rates or sales, directly affecting the bottom line, and reducing the website’s ROI.

Our expert SEO website migration services help to avoid all of this, maintaining a site’s existing ranking and its authority level with the search engines. Using methods like seamless redirection from old pages to new URLs, technical enhancements and content preservation, we can create a smooth transition that doesn’t detract from the user experience.

Pre-Migration Planning

To ensure a successful website migration, we conduct a detailed audit of the existing website. This includes a full SEO appraisal, where we examine the current technical health of the site’s information architecture, its search engine rankings and the extent of its existing SEO compatibility.

We map out everything visually, to make it easier to detect issues with metadata, linking structures and all on-page elements. This allows us to create a customised strategy for the SEO website migration that preserves rankings and also minimises user disruptions or confusion.

URL Redirection Using 301 Redirect

URL redirection is a critical part of website migration. It ensures that search engines properly index the new website location. If not implemented properly, Google and the like could display outdated pages, not realising that the site has migrated. It also solves the problem of broken incoming links.

Google has always used the number of external links to a website as a measure of its popularity, usefulness and authority. When a website is migrated, all those links can be broken, as the URLs have been replaced by new ones. By implementing a 301 redirect for each page, we make sure that the incoming links still work, as the server will automatically transfer users to the new pages.

This preserves the integrity of the site’s SEO link network.

Content Continuity

Content is often overlooked during the migration process. Typically optimised content is simply transferred into the new website. However, proper SEO website migration needs to ensure that high performing content isn’t compromised.

The content might need to be restructured to conform to new layouts or information architecture.

The aim is to ensure effective content continuity and preserve keyword integrity, to maintain search engine rankings and user engagement.

• Our content planning services

Technical SEO Maintenance

We have the expertise and experience to handle the complex technical issues of website migration SEO. There are several backend elements that need to be adapted to support the migration and ensure that it doesn’t disrupt search engine indexing and rankings.

These include updating XML sitemaps and the robot.txt file used to send instructions to search engine crawlers. We also insert canonical tags so that Google doesn’t penalise the site for having duplicate content across different domains.

• View our technical SEO services

Post-Migration Analysis and Reporting

In the post-migration phase we continuously monitor website performance on metrics like search engine rankings, traffic inflow and the extent to which visitors engage with it. We also do a post-implementation functionality audit, as a further safety net to make sure that there aren’t any final issues, like missing 301 redirects or Google indexing abnormalities.

We provide our clients with detailed reports that allow them to compare pre- and post-migration metrics, recommending any necessary adjustments.

Frequently Asked Questions about our SEO Migration services

When Should My Business Consider An SEO Migration?

Your business should consider an SEO migration during a website redesign, CMS platform change, domain change, or when moving from HTTP to HTTPS, to protect and enhance search performance.

What Are The Main Risks Associated With Performing An SEO Migration?

The main risks include:

• temporary ranking drops
• traffic loss, broken redirects, and 
• indexing issues

We mitigate these through careful planning, comprehensive testing, and strategic implementation to protect your organic visibility throughout the process.

How Does An SEO Migration Affect My Current Search Rankings?

A properly executed SEO migration aims to preserve or even improve your current search rankings.

However, a poorly managed migration can lead to substantial and long-lasting ranking declines.

What Is The Bring Digital Performance Process For A Successful SEO Migration?

We have a detailed SEO checklist. However, our migration process includes:

• Pre-migration audits
• Technical planning implementation with 301 redirect
• Google Search Console updates
• Monitoring post-launch optimisation 

We ensure every step protects your rankings while achieving your migration objectives.

What Types Of Rebranding And Website Migrations Do You Handle?

Bring Digital Performance handles various types of migrations and rebranding requests, including:

• Website domain migrations
• Platform changes
• URL structure reorganisations
• HTTPS migrations
• Subdomain consolidations
• International site migrations

Our team manages simple to complex migrations across all industries and website sizes.

Will My Organic Traffic Be Affected If I Move To A New CMS Platform?

Yes, your organic traffic can be significantly affected if not handled correctly. 

We mitigate this by meticulously planning and executing the migration, ensuring minimal impact and preserving performance.

Can You Migrate My Website To A New Domain Without Losing Traffic?

Yes, Bring Digital Performance specialises in migrating websites to new domains while meticulously preserving organic traffic and rankings through careful planning and execution.

How Long Does An SEO Migration Typically Take To Complete?

The duration of an SEO migration varies significantly based on the website’s complexity and size. 

We provide a precise timeline after thoroughly assessing your specific project requirements.

How Do You Communicate With Google About My Website Migration?

There are many steps involved. At a high level, we:

• update Google Search Console with change of address tools
• submit updated sitemaps, and 
• monitor indexation

We ensure Google recognizes your migration quickly to minimize ranking fluctuations and maintain search visibility.

Will My Website Experience Downtime During The Migration?

Yes, brief downtime can occur during the actual server switch, but we strategically plan and execute migrations to minimise any disruption to your users and maintain continuity.

How Do You Handle URL Structure Changes During An SEO Migration?

We meticulously map all old URLs to their corresponding new URLs using 301 redirects. 

This helps to ensure search engines and users are seamlessly directed to the correct content.

How Do You Ensure No Loss Of Organic Traffic And Rankings?

We conduct thorough pre-migration audits, implement proper redirects, maintain content quality, and monitor performance daily. Our strategic approach protects your rankings while optimising for improved visibility post-migration.

What Happens To My Old URLs After The Migration?

If there is a URL restructure as part of a migration or rebranding, then old URLs are permanently redirected using 301 redirects to their corresponding new URLs. This essential step preserves link equity, guides users, and informs search engines of the change.

What Information Do You Need From Our Team To Start?

We require access to your current website analytics, Google Search Console, the CMS backend, and any relevant development roadmaps to effectively initiate and plan the migration process.

We will need to work closely with your business to make sure that we’re both “on the same page” to make sure there has been no oversight.

• Our Google Analytics setup services

Can You Help With International Or Multi-Regional SEO Migrations?

Yes, absolutely! Bring Digital Performance specialises in managing complex international and multi-regional SEO migrations, ensuring correct hreflang implementation, local SEO considerations, and global visibility.

How Do You Ensure All My Backlinks Transfer Properly During Migration?

A snapshot of all backlinks and internal links is taken before any work is started. 

Any external backlinks that we have control over will be amended to the new URL, and any we can’t control will have 301 redirects to the new URL. 

Internal links will all be changed to suit the new structure.

This is a crucial part of any website migration that involves any kind of structure change.

What Post-Migration Support And Monitoring Do You Provide To My Business?

We provide post-migration monitoring of traffic, rankings, and indexing. 

The Bring Digital Performance team offers ongoing support and makes any necessary adjustments to ensure long-term success tailored to your means.

How Much Do SEO Migrations Cost With Bring Digital Performance

Each website is different and we can’t supply a cost or quotation until an understanding of requirements is finalised.

Please contact us to kick off this process.