Website migration is a significant process that, when done incorrectly, can lead to major disruptions, including traffic loss, broken pages, and a decline in search engine rankings. While Web3 may interact largely on-chain, your website is an essential touchpoint for users.

Whether you’re switching domains, updating your site structure, or moving to a new platform, it’s essential to approach the migration carefully. This guide will take you through the best practices to follow, as well as common mistakes to avoid, ensuring a smooth transition without negatively impacting your SEO or user experience.

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What is Website Migration?

Website migration refers to any substantial change in a website’s setup that affects its visibility, structure, or user experience. There are several types of migrations, and each comes with its own set of challenges.

For example, if you are changing your domain name, such as moving from example.com to example.xyz, it requires updating all URLs and ensuring redirects are properly implemented. Similarly, if you are switching website platforms, such as moving from WordPress to a new CMS, you’ll need to ensure that your content, SEO settings, and site functionality are preserved in the new environment.

Other common migrations include moving from HTTP to HTTPS, which improves security but requires careful handling of redirects, and URL structure changes, where categories, slugs, or entire navigation structures are altered. Additionally, a major redesign or user experience overhaul can also count as a migration, especially if it affects how search engines understand and index your content.

Each of these scenarios involves risk, particularly in terms of search engine rankings and user experience. That’s why careful planning, testing, and monitoring are crucial.

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Conduct Due Diligence

Google, and other search engines make it fairly clear that elements such as domain age, backlinks, domain authority, referring domains etc. are leading ranking factors when it comes to your website. The leaked Yandex algo and Google’s own leaks looks to confirm this.

Your project should ask, would this new domain outweigh the potential risk we expose ourselves to? It is always worth consulting an SEO expert on this, and how best to approach your migration.

Do’s: Best Practices for a Smooth Migration

1. Plan the Migration Well in Advance

A successful migration starts with a well-structured plan. Before making any changes, outline a detailed roadmap that includes every step of the process, from pre-migration audits to post-migration monitoring. This should include clear responsibilities for each team member involved, ensuring that developers, marketers, and SEO specialists are all aligned.

• Create a step-by-step migration plan with deadlines and assigned tasks.
• Conduct a full website audit before migration to identify all important pages, backlinks, and technical settings.
• Make a list of all URLs that will be affected to ensure proper tracking and redirection.

2. Set Up a Staging Environment for Testing

Before making any live changes, it’s crucial to test everything in a staging environment, which is a duplicate version of your website that allows you to preview changes without affecting visitors.

• Use a staging site to test redesigns, URL updates, and platform changes.
• Ensure that all essential features, plugins, and content display correctly before pushing changes live.
• Check for broken links, missing images, or functionality issues during testing.

3. Implement Proper Redirects to Maintain SEO Value

One of the most common mistakes during a migration is failing to set up proper 301 redirects, which tell search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new location. Without these, your old pages may return 404 errors, leading to a significant drop in traffic and rankings.

• Set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones to ensure users and search engines find the right pages.
• Avoid redirect chains where a page is redirected multiple times (e.g., Page A → Page B → Page C should go directly from Page A → Page C).
• Keep a spreadsheet of all redirects to track them efficiently.
• Look to incorporate server-level redirects and ensure all URLs and subdomains pass value to your new site.

4. Update Internal Links and Sitemap

Once the migration is complete, all internal links should be updated to reflect the new URLs rather than relying on redirects. Additionally, an updated XML sitemap should be submitted to search engines to help them discover the new structure quickly.

• Replace old internal links with direct links to the new pages to improve site speed and avoid unnecessary redirects.
• Update the XML sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
• Check that canonical tags, which indicate the preferred version of a page, are correctly set up.

5. Inform Google About the Migration

If your migration involves a domain change, you should officially notify Google using the Change of Address tool in Google Search Console. Even for other types of migrations, resubmitting your sitemap and monitoring indexing errors is crucial.

• Use Google’s Change of Address tool if moving to a new domain.
• Submit the updated XML sitemap to help Google re-index the website faster.
• Monitor for any crawl errors, missing pages, or duplicate content issues in Google Search Console.

6. Keep a Full Backup of the Original Website

Since migrations involve many moving parts, it’s always a good idea to create a full backup of your existing website before making any changes.

• Backup all website files, databases, and DNS records before migration.
• Keep an archived copy of the old site for reference in case anything goes wrong.
• Ensure that the backup is stored securely and can be restored if needed.

7. Monitor Performance After Migration

The work doesn’t stop once the migration is complete. In the weeks that follow, you should closely monitor how the new website performs in terms of traffic, SEO rankings, and user experience.

• Track organic traffic and keyword rankings using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
• Set up 404 error tracking to identify and fix any broken links.
• Run crawl tests using tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to check for missing redirects and technical issues.

Examples of Migrations

Successful Migration:

Refinitiv.com -> LSEG.com

A strong example of a website migration, and rebrand due to acquisition, is that of Fintech data software, Refinitiv. Following being acquired by LSEG, their data-focused site migrated to LSEG’s data arm.

The charts below show clear value transfer, resulting in overall growth for LSEG’s domain authority, backlink profile, traffic and brand. This was due to a thorough migration that allowed the former domain to pass its value entirely, and build a strong, relevant domain authority. Over time, it has continue to strengthen LSEG and serves as a clear, net positive migration.

Unsuccessful Migration:

Polkadot.network -> polkadot.com

Polkadot, a leading layer 0 blockchain conducted a rebrand to freshen and update the website’s aesthetic and messaging. They also decided to move from polkadot.network, a powerful, established domain, to the new .com.

As a result of not fully migration the previous site and keeping multiple subdomains live on the former .network, (docs, etc.) the domain authority (DA) and links were not passed over. Since July, there has been a near -50% consistent loss of net traffic, and over 6 months later the new website has yet to reach previous levels of traffic and SEO value.

For a cosmetic change, a huge SEO cost has been paid, deeming this a fairly unsuccessful migration. The main reasons for this are established and are seen as going against SEO best-practices.

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Don’ts: Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Don’t Migrate During Peak Traffic Times (Or just before or during an expected bullrun)

Timing is crucial when it comes to website migration. If possible, avoid making major changes during high-traffic periods, such as TGEs, airdrops, bull runs, or important marketing campaigns.

• Choose a low-traffic period to reduce the impact on users.
• Ensure customer support and technical teams are available in case issues arise.

2. Don’t Ignore SEO Best Practices

Many businesses see a drop in rankings after migration because they neglect SEO fundamentals. Failing to implement proper 301 redirects, drastically changing URL structures, or not preserving meta titles and descriptions can all negatively impact search visibility.

• Avoid unnecessary changes to URL structures and content hierarchy unless absolutely necessary.
• Maintain meta descriptions, title tags, and structured data to retain SEO strength.

3. Don’t Forget to Test Everything Thoroughly

A migration is not just about moving pages; it involves maintaining the functionality and usability of the entire website. Testing should cover everything from page speed to mobile responsiveness.

• Perform a full site crawl to check for errors, missing pages, or incorrect redirects.
• Test for mobile-friendliness, speed, and browser compatibility.

4. Don’t Assume Search Engines Will Adapt Instantly

Google and other search engines may take weeks or even months to fully process a migration. During this time, fluctuations in rankings and traffic are normal.

• Continue tracking performance and be prepared to fix any unexpected issues.
• Be patient while search engines re-crawl and re-index the new structure.

5. Don’t Forget to Communicate the Change

If your migration involves a significant update, such as a domain change or a major redesign, let your customers and stakeholders know in advance.

• Announce the migration on your website, social media, and email newsletters.
• Update your Google NAP, email signatures, and marketing materials with the new URL.

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Final Thoughts

Website migrations are complex but manageable with the right approach. By carefully planning the transition, implementing best practices, and avoiding common pitfalls, you can ensure a smooth migration without harming your SEO or user experience.

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