Website Migration SEO Checklist: URLs, Redirects, and Launch Checks
Protect useful URLs during a website rebuild with a redirect map, crawl checks, and a deliberate launch verification process.
Rootscratch ·
Before replacing a website, make an inventory of its useful URLs and decide where each one belongs in the new site. A redesign can look successful while existing links lead to missing pages or the production site remains blocked from indexing.
Treat migration as a content and routing project as well as a design project. Preserve the purpose of valuable pages where possible, and document intentional changes so the launch team can test them.
Build the URL map before development ends
Collect URLs from the current sitemap, internal navigation, analytics, and Search Console when access is available. Include downloads and frequently linked landing pages. A crawl alone may miss pages that are still receiving visitors from external links.
For each old URL, record the new destination or the decision to remove it. Redirect a retired service page to a relevant replacement, not automatically to the homepage. If there is no suitable replacement, use an appropriate missing-page response instead of creating a misleading match.
Google's site-move guidance recommends URL mapping, permanent redirects for moved pages, updated internal links, and monitoring after the move. It also explains that search visibility can fluctuate while the move is processed.
Separate staging rules from production rules
A preview site may deliberately prevent indexing. Your release checklist must verify that those restrictions are removed from the public pages that should appear in search. At the same time, administrative and private pages must keep their intended protection.
Check the canonical URL on representative pages. A production service page should not identify a preview hostname as its preferred address. Confirm that sitemap entries use the public domain and return the intended content.
| Check | What a reviewer should observe |
|---|---|
| Old service URL | A direct redirect to the relevant new service page |
| New article | A successful response, correct canonical, and readable content |
| Navigation | Links use current destinations without unnecessary redirects |
| Missing content | A useful error page with the correct response status |
| Private area | Authentication and indexing rules remain appropriate |
Test beyond the homepage
Sample a service page, article, project, contact form, and any important campaign landing page. Check both the old and new addresses. Test query parameters used by legitimate campaigns and make sure they do not send visitors to the wrong destination.
Keep screenshots or a small response-status report from the candidate release. That evidence makes a rollback or follow-up investigation easier than trying to remember what was checked.
Monitor the transition
After launch, inspect crawl errors, unexpected redirects, form delivery, and traffic to important landing pages. Keep a record of the launch date so later changes can be compared against it. Do not interpret a single day's movement as proof that a migration has succeeded or failed.
Rootscratch's website development and SEO services can include migration planning. The post-launch website checklist covers the operational work that continues after the new design is live.