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SEO Migration Checklist
A checklist for executing site migrations without losing SEO value.
What's included
- Pre-Migration
- Baseline documentation
- Redirect mapping
- Testing environment
- Stakeholder alignment
- Migration Execution
- Technical implementation
- Redirect deployment
- XML sitemap update
- Search console notification
- Post-Migration
- Crawl verification
- Ranking monitoring
- Traffic analysis
- Issue identification
- Recovery Playbook
- Issue diagnosis
- Remediation steps
Best used when
- Redesigning or replatforming website
- Changing domain or URL structure
- Moving to new CMS
- Consolidating multiple sites
Why this is Gold
Migrations often damage SEO. This checklist prevents the common mistakes that cause traffic loss.
The template
The Template
PRE-MIGRATION
Baseline Documentation
PRE-MIGRATION BASELINE
DOCUMENT CURRENT STATE:
☐ Total indexed pages: _____
☐ Total organic traffic: _____/month
☐ Top 50 pages by traffic (exported)
☐ Top 100 ranking keywords (exported)
☐ Current URL structure documented
☐ All redirects documented
☐ Sitemap saved
☐ Robots.txt saved
TECHNICAL BASELINE:
☐ Core Web Vitals scores
☐ Mobile usability status
☐ Current crawl rate
☐ Internal link structure
BACKUP:
☐ Full site crawl saved (Screaming Frog)
☐ Analytics export
☐ Search Console data export
Redirect Mapping
| Old URL | New URL | Priority | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1/P2/P3 | Mapped | ||
Pre-Migration Checklist
PRE-MIGRATION CHECKLIST
PLANNING:
☐ Migration timeline established
☐ Team responsibilities assigned
☐ Staging environment ready
☐ Rollback plan documented
REDIRECT PREPARATION:
☐ All URLs mapped (old → new)
☐ No 1:many redirects
☐ Redirect chains avoided
☐ Server-side 301s ready (not JavaScript)
TECHNICAL PREPARATION:
☐ New robots.txt ready
☐ New XML sitemap ready
☐ Schema markup ready
☐ Analytics tracking verified on staging
MIGRATION EXECUTION
Launch Day Checklist
MIGRATION DAY CHECKLIST
TECHNICAL DEPLOYMENT:
☐ DNS propagation complete
☐ SSL certificate active
☐ Redirects deployed and tested
☐ Old site returning 301s
VERIFICATION (within 2 hours):
☐ Homepage accessible
☐ Key pages loading
☐ Redirects working (test 20+)
☐ No 404 errors on key pages
☐ Analytics tracking firing
☐ Search Console verified
SEARCH ENGINE NOTIFICATION:
☐ New sitemap submitted
☐ Indexing requested for key pages
☐ Old site Change of Address (if domain change)
POST-MIGRATION
Post-Migration Monitoring
POST-MIGRATION MONITORING
DAY 1:
☐ Check GSC for crawl errors
☐ Verify key pages indexed
☐ Test sample of redirects
☐ Check analytics data flowing
WEEK 1:
☐ Review crawl stats in GSC
☐ Monitor ranking fluctuations
☐ Check for 404 errors
☐ Verify sitemap processing
WEEK 2-4:
☐ Compare traffic to baseline
☐ Identify pages not recovering
☐ Fix any remaining 404s
☐ Monitor keyword rankings
MONTH 2-3:
☐ Full traffic comparison
☐ Ranking recovery assessment
☐ Document lessons learned
Recovery Actions
| Issue | Indicator | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Pages not indexed | GSC coverage | Submit URL, check robots |
| Rankings dropped | Rank tracking | Check canonicals, content |
| Traffic not recovering | Analytics | Audit redirects, fix errors |
| 404 errors | GSC, crawl | Add missing redirects |
Frequently asked questions
What is the SEO Migration Checklist?
A checklist for executing site migrations without losing SEO value.
Who is the SEO Migration Checklist for?
It is built for CMOs and their teams working on SEO & Organic. The AI coach adapts it to your company, stage, and goals.
How long does the SEO Migration Checklist take to use?
It saves roughly 50+ hours versus building from scratch. Our AI coach can tailor the checklist to your situation in minutes, then hand you a step-by-step plan.
Is the SEO Migration Checklist free?
Yes. You can read the full checklist and start getting coached through it for free. Sign in to save your tailored version and track your next steps.
How does the AI coach help with the SEO Migration Checklist?
The coach teaches you the framework, asks a few questions about your business, tailors the checklist to you, and gives you measurable next steps to execute.