GUIDE
SEO for a website redesign or migration
SEO work for a website change begins before launch. Record what currently works, map each changing URL to its destination and agree who verifies content, redirects, tracking and language versions.
Define the type of change
A new design, a platform change, a domain move and a content consolidation affect different parts of the site. Document the planned changes and the systems involved. Identify which URLs, templates, forms and integrations are expected to change.
Assign an owner for the migration checklist and decision log. Coordinate the marketing, content, development and hosting teams around the same release plan.
Inventory the existing website
Collect URLs from a crawl, the CMS, the sitemap and available search or analytics data. Include important landing pages, linked resources, images and downloadable files. Record the page purpose, language, status and destination decision.
Save a baseline for priority pages: title, main content, canonical, internal links and relevant performance. This gives the team something concrete to compare with the new site.
Build a URL mapping
Decide whether each existing URL stays, moves, merges into another page or is removed. Map a changing page to the closest relevant destination. Keep the reason for each decision in the sheet.
For permanent URL changes, plan server-side permanent redirects. Check for loops, chains and destinations that return errors. Review internal links so they point to the intended final page.
Test content and templates before launch
Compare priority page content, headings, titles, descriptions and structured data. Check navigation, images, mobile use and forms. For multilingual sites, verify the corresponding pages and language links.
Keep the test environment access-controlled. Record the production settings that need to change at launch, including indexing restrictions. Test using both administrative and public visitor views.
Use a release checklist
At release, check the important old URLs and their destinations, canonical tags, robots settings, sitemap output and contact forms. Confirm that links use the correct hostname and protocol. Test the agreed analytics events with the actual consent flow.
Create a list of high-priority pages for immediate manual checks. Set up a communication route for errors and keep a practical rollback or repair plan with the technical team.
Monitor the new site
Review response errors, redirects, indexing, search visibility and enquiries after launch. Compare the priority pages with the recorded baseline and investigate changes by page group. Keep the old-to-new mapping available for the follow-up work.
For a domain move, check whether Search Console’s Change of Address process applies. Follow the current documentation for the specific move, including maintaining redirects and reviewing verification.
What to send for a review
Share the current site, planned launch, type of change and the people responsible. Existing URL inventories, mapping sheets and a test-site link help define the review.
The technical SEO service can cover the review and verification work. The indexing checklist supports investigating individual pages after launch.
Sources
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Share the affected page and what you have noticed. We can work through crawling, indexing, site structure or performance.