What is an SEO migration?
SEO migration is a process that occurs when you make major changes to your website, such as changing the URL structure, revamping the website or moving to a new platform. These changes can have a big impact on how well your website is found in search engines such as Google. The goal of an SEO migration is to ensure that you maintain or even improve your current position in search results after these changes. This process requires careful planning and execution, otherwise there is a risk of losing much of your organic traffic.
An important part of SEO migration is setting up redirects properly. Redirects are like signposts that redirect visitors (and search engines) from old URLs to new ones. Imagine changing the URL of a particular page. Without a redirect, visitors using the old URL would get an error message, which is not only frustrating for them, but also bad for search engine rankings. A well-designed redirect scheme ensures that all old URLs redirect neatly to the new one, thus preserving your organic traffic. This scheme helps search engines understand the changes on your website, so they can continue to properly display your new pages in search results.
During an SEO migration, it is also important to work in a test environment before you actually make the changes on the live website. In this test environment, you can thoroughly test all changes without them immediately affecting the live website. For example, you can check that the redirects are working properly and that the new pages display correctly in the search engines. When everything works properly, you can put the changes live with confidence. This whole process ensures that you maintain or even improve your website's organic rankings. Ultimately, SEO migration is all about carefully guiding your website through a major change without losing the valuable visibility and traffic you've already built.
