# SEO Website Migration Checklist

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> Protect search visibility, tracking, and customer paths before, during, and after a redesign or domain move.

Canonical: https://vassalmarketing.com/information/resources/website-migration-checklist/

**Maintained by Vassal Marketing** · Last updated on September 26, 2026

Reviewed at least quarterly and whenever a platform or rule it cites changes.

General information, not legal or professional advice. Check rules that affect your business with a qualified professional.

Start a spreadsheet with one row per old page and these columns: Old URL, New URL, Redirect set up?, Checked on live site?, and Notes. Keep what already works, change as little as you can at once, and expect some short-term ups and downs in traffic.

## Before you build

Make a complete map of your current site before anything is changed or deleted.

- [ ] Export every known page address from Search Console, analytics, and a site crawl. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Mark your most important pages by traffic, leads, and links from other sites. — Either · Once
- [ ] Match each old page to the closest new page, never just the homepage. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Record current clicks, leads, and indexed pages as a starting point. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Confirm who controls the domain, DNS, and SSL/TLS certificate. — Owner · Once
- [ ] Agree on a launch date, a rollback plan, and who makes the call. — Either · Once

## Build and test

Test on a private copy of the site, and keep that copy out of search results.

- [ ] Keep useful titles, headings, and content unless you chose to change them. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Set up permanent (301) redirects that go straight to the matching new page. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Keep the test site out of search results with a password or noindex. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Crawl the test site and compare it with your page map. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Test forms, phone links, analytics, and the cookie banner on the test site. — Provider · Once

## Launch day

Check the live site right away and write down exactly what changed.

- [ ] Remove the test-site password or noindex from the live site. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Test your top old addresses and a sample of every redirect pattern. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Submit the new sitemap in Search Console. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Use Search Console's Change of Address tool if the domain changed. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Send a real test form and make a test call from a phone. — Owner · Once
- [ ] Save the redirect list, launch time, and known issues. — Provider · Once

## After launch

Keep checking for several months. Look for patterns before making big changes.

- [ ] Check Search Console for errors and pages not found. — Provider · Weekly
- [ ] Compare important pages with your starting numbers, allowing for seasonal changes. — Either · Monthly
- [ ] Fix broken internal links on the page where they appear. — Provider · When something changes
- [ ] Keep redirects in place for at least a year. — Provider · Once
- [ ] Investigate large drops by page group before making site-wide changes. — Provider · When something changes

## Questions business owners ask

### Will a migration cause traffic loss?

Some ups and downs are normal while Google processes the changes. Careful redirects, testing, and monitoring reduce avoidable losses, but traffic is not guaranteed to stay the same.

### How long should redirects remain?

Google recommends keeping redirects for at least one year. Keeping useful redirects longer helps people with old bookmarks and links.

### Should every old page redirect to the homepage?

No. Redirect to the closest matching page. If nothing matches, an honest "not found" page is clearer than sending people to the homepage.

## Primary guidance

- [Google: Site moves with URL changes](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes)
- [Google redirects guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/301-redirects)
- [Google: Change of Address tool](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9370220)

## Related guides

- [SEO during migrations and redesigns](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/seo-migrations.md)
- [Website repair vs. redesign](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/website-stewardship/website-repair-vs-redesign.md)
- [Domain and SSL renewals](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/website-stewardship/domain-and-ssl-renewals.md)

## Related resources

- [SEO Audit Checklist](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/resources/seo-audit-checklist.md): A step-by-step checklist for reviewing your website's search health, page quality, mobile experience, and tracking, without relying on a single tool score.
- [Marketing Account Ownership Inventory](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/resources/marketing-account-ownership-inventory.md): List every account your marketing depends on, who owns it, who has access, whether multi-factor authentication is on, and how to recover it.
- [Monthly SEO Reporting Template](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/resources/monthly-seo-reporting-template.md): A one-page monthly template that connects search visibility, completed work, and qualified leads to next month's decisions.

[Browse all information topics](https://vassalmarketing.com/information.md).