SEO Site Migration Checklist: Safeguard Rankings End-to-End
Migrations are risky but manageable. Follow this checklist to retain equity and minimize volatility.
Published on 9/12/2025•15 min read
Pre-Launch
- Inventory current URLs, traffic, and backlinks; prioritize top performers.
- Map one-to-one redirects; avoid chains and loops.
- Replicate titles/meta, headers, and schema; preserve internal links.
- Stage CWV tests and crawl the staging site for issues.
Launch Day
- Deploy redirects; push updated sitemaps; verify canonicals.
- Check server logs for 404s/500s; fix high-priority errors immediately.
- Submit key URLs for indexing; monitor coverage in GSC.
Post-Launch
- Audit rankings and traffic; adjust internal links to reinforce target pages.
- Backfill missing content; rebuild lost links with outreach.
- Re-test CWV and JS rendering; fix regressions.
Summary
Great migrations are project-managed, not improvised. With clear mappings, vigilant monitoring, and quick fixes, you can protect rankings—and often improve them with cleaner architecture.