Introduction
A domain change, a switch to another platform, or even a complete redesign can result in complex and severe implications in your search rankings. If one manages it without professional help, there would be lost traffic and broken links while also taking down SEO performance.
That is where the technical SEO expert comes in, managing the complexities behind website migrations with the search engine visibility intact.
Pre-Migration Audit and Planning
The first step in a successful website migration is thorough preparation. A technical SEO expert conducts a detailed audit of the existing site to identify potential challenges and opportunities.
Here’s what they concentrate on:
- Web Crawl: Tools such as Screaming Frog or Sitebulb are applied to create a comprehensive inventory of all the URLs.
- Benchmarking Performance: Collecting data for current traffic, rankings, and page load speeds to measure success post-migration.
- Key Pages: Highlight high-performing pages in terms of traffic and backlinks and give special attention to that page during migration.
- Defining the Migration Goal: Specifying the purpose of a migration such as rebranding, new technology, or any other reason that requires improvement in the users’ experience.
Once the plan is ready, the technical SEO expert ensures nothing is left to chance.
Old URL Mapping with New One
URL mapping is one of the most important aspects of website migration. A technical SEO expert ensures that every old URL redirects to its appropriate counterpart on the new site using 301 redirects.
Key steps include:
- Creating a Redirect Map: Listing current URLs and matching them with their new destinations.
- Testing Redirects: Ensuring that redirects work properly before launch to avoid broken links or redirect loops.
- Preservation of Link Equity Using 301 redirects: Proper URL mapping prevents users and search engines from getting 404 error pages, which hurts rankings and the user experience.
Ensure Crawlability and Indexability
Your new website must be properly crawled and indexed by search engines. A professional in technical SEO ensures there won’t be some technical issue hampering the web crawler.
That is done following these steps:
- Robot.txt file: It allows search engines to access every site page.
- XML sitemaps: Submitting the website structure to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster.
- Remove Noindex Tags: Ensure all the important pages are no longer tagged with “no index” after the new site goes live.
- Fix Crawl Errors: Address crawl issues that tools like Google Search Console might encounter.
Professionals ensure search engines can navigate the new site without any problem, and preserve rankings during and after the migration.
Preserving On-Page SEO Elements
A website migration can sometimes remove essential on-page SEO elements.
A technical SEO professional ensures that the following are brought over to the new site:
- Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Transferring optimized titles and descriptions for all pages.
- Header Tags (H1, H2, H3): Bringing over proper header hierarchy to ensure maintained SEO structure.
- Alt Text for Images: Ensuring all images on the new site have proper descriptive alt text.
- Internal Links: They update the internal links to the new URLs, not the old ones.
In this way, they ensure that all these elements are preserved so that your on-page SEO remains intact.
Testing the New Site Before Launch
A technical SEO expert conducts extensive testing before making the new site live. This is done to catch and fix potential issues before it goes live.
This includes:
- Staging environment testing: Tests the new site on a staging server so live website disruption is not caused.
- Mobile-friendliness: Testing to ensure the new site is fully responsive and has passed the Google Mobile Friendly test.
- Speed optimization: Verify that the site loading times are at or better than before migration.
- Cross-browser testing: Ensure compatibility across major search engines like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.
Assessing ensures the new site is ready for users and search engines.
Monitoring Post-Migration Performance
After launching the new site, the work is not done. A technical SEO expert watches performance metrics closely to find and fix issues that crop up.
What they monitor:
- Traffic Drops: Reviewing Google Analytics and Search Console data for unexpected drops in traffic.
- Indexing Issues: Checking whether search engines are indexing the new site correctly.
- Redirect Errors: Fixing any redirect chains or broken links missed during testing.
- Keyword Rankings: Comparing pre- and post-migration rankings to identify areas needing improvement.
Proactive monitoring ensures issues are resolved quickly, minimizing the impact on rankings.
Communicating with Search Engines
A technical SEO specialist ensures the search engines are alerted about the change. This entails;
- Uploading the new site tree: Submitting XML sitemaps to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Change of Address Tool: Let Google know your domain has been changed.
- Tracking crawl budget: Ensure search engines crawl the important pages first.
Clear communication with search engines helps speed and safeguard your rankings.
Why Technical SEO Expert to Help Migrate Websites
A website migration involves many parts in motion at the same time. A step in the wrong direction can wreak havoc on any website’s otherwise perfect SEO profile. A technical SEO expert ensures you have what you need to accomplish the task.
This is why this kind of individual is worth employing:
- They mitigate risks like traffic loss and ranking drops.
- They ensure a smooth user experience with no broken links or errors.
- They save you time and stress by handling the technical complexities.
A trusted technical SEO expert helps you focus on growing your business while they handle the heavy lifting behind the scenes.
Conclusion
Website migrations lose rankings or traffic without the right planning and execution. A technical SEO expert will ensure a seamless transition that preserves your SEO performance and sets your new site up for success.
If you are planning a migration, do not go it alone—partner with a technical SEO expert to ensure every detail is covered.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common mistake when migrating a website is failing to implement proper 301 redirects. This can result in broken links and lost SEO value.
A technical SEO expert should be able to manage migration in a way that allows rankings to be stable or even recover within weeks.
Yes! With careful planning, testing, and monitoring, an expert in technical SEO can minimize or eliminate traffic loss.
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About Author
Gary Katz
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