TL;DR. Crawl old site, map URL redirects, deploy redirects before launch, audit redirects post-launch, refresh sitemap + robots, monitor in GSC daily for 2 weeks. Done right, you keep 95%+ of traffic.
Site migrations are the highest-risk SEO project most brands run. Done wrong, you lose 30-70% of organic traffic for months. Done right, traffic dips for 1-2 weeks then fully recovers. This is the exact checklist our team uses for client migrations.
Key takeaways
- Phase 1: Pre-migration crawl + URL map
- Phase 2: Redirect logic
- Phase 3: Launch day execution
- Phase 4: Post-launch monitoring (2 weeks)
- When migrations go wrong
Phase 1: Pre-migration crawl + URL map
Crawl the old site with Screaming Frog. Export every URL with its title, traffic, backlinks, and rank. Build a URL map: every old URL → its new URL. Sign off the map with stakeholders before any redirects deploy.
Phase 2: Redirect logic
301 redirects, not 302. One-hop only (no redirect chains). Test every redirect locally before launching. Cover edge cases: trailing slashes, www vs non-www, http vs https, case sensitivity, query strings.
Phase 3: Launch day execution
Deploy redirects in batches. Update sitemap.xml. Update robots.txt. Submit new sitemap to Google Search Console. Verify the new site in GSC. Test 30+ random URLs manually.
Phase 4: Post-launch monitoring (2 weeks)
Check GSC Coverage report daily. Check redirect logs for 404s. Re-crawl with Screaming Frog. Compare pre-launch rank vs post-launch rank for top 100 URLs. Fix any unexpected 404s within 24 hours.
When migrations go wrong
Common failure modes: redirect chains, missed canonicals, broken internal linking, schema reset, lost backlinks. The fastest recovery is a full re-crawl, a fresh URL audit, and targeted fixes. Expect 4-8 weeks to fully recover from a botched migration.
Real-world example
A typical client in this category sees 3-5x organic traffic growth within 6-9 months on our Growth-tier plan, with AI search citations climbing from zero to 8-12 per month over the same period.
Authoritative sources we relied on
- Google Search Essentials — Primary source for ranking documentation
- Moz Learn SEO — Beginner-to-advanced SEO reference
- Ahrefs Blog — Data-backed SEO research
- SEMrush Blog — Industry trends and benchmarks
- Search Engine Land — Daily SEO industry news
Frequently asked questions
Who is SEOIndia?
A senior, AI-first SEO agency headquartered in Noida (Delhi NCR), India. We serve 30+ countries with 8 currency options.
How quickly will I see results?
Most clients see ranking movement in 30 days, meaningful traffic in 90 days, compounding revenue impact in 6 months.
What is the minimum contract?
Monthly billing, 7 days notice to cancel, 30-day money-back guarantee.
Do you optimise for ChatGPT and Perplexity?
Yes. AI search optimisation (GEO + AEO) is included on every Growth-tier plan and above.
What currencies do you accept?
USD, INR, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, AED, SGD — 8 currencies with live conversion at checkout.
What payment methods are accepted?
Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal, and wire transfer for enterprise deals.
How do I cancel?
Email us with 7 days notice. No claw-backs on work delivered.
Will I work with a junior or a senior?
Senior. Every account is led by a strategist with 8+ years of experience, named on your account.
Do you build PBNs or buy links?
Never. Only editorial mentions from real publications. PBNs destroy sites in 2026.
Can I see real case studies?
Yes — see our case studies page for specific client outcomes.
Do you offer paid ads?
Yes, Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Meta Ads as add-ons.
How is reporting done?
Live dashboards plus monthly strategy reports. No “trust us” PDFs.
What if my industry is niche?
Most industries are well-served. We have shipped strategies for SaaS, healthcare, real estate, fintech, education, eCommerce, B2B services, and more.
Do you handle international SEO?
Yes — hreflang, ccTLD strategy, multi-language content. We routinely run multi-country campaigns.
Is there a setup fee?
No setup fees. Month one is your first audit + roadmap, included in the first invoice.
How do you handle technical SEO fixes?
We coordinate with your developer or your CMS, or we do it ourselves on WordPress/Webflow/Shopify.
Will my account have a slack channel?
Yes, all Growth+ tier clients get a shared Slack or Teams channel with the strategist.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, standard. We will sign whatever NDA you provide.
Is my data secure?
GDPR + DPDPA compliant. We store the minimum data needed and you can request deletion any time.
How do I get started?
Run our free SEO audit first. It is free, fast, and gives you a 90-day roadmap — no commitment needed.
Next steps
Ready to apply this in your own business? Run our free 100-point AI audit and a senior strategist will email you a custom 90-day roadmap within 72 hours. No credit card, no commitment.