Website Migration Checklist

Migrations fail when redirects are incomplete, tracking breaks, or important URLs disappear. Use this as a working list - adapt to your stack (CMS, CDN, tag manager) and tick items off in order.

Before you migrate

• Baseline SEO: Export or document top landing URLs, rankings or impressions (Search Console), and backlinks worth protecting.
• Full URL inventory: Crawl the live site (and use server logs or analytics if helpful) so the redirect map is complete, not just the main nav.
• Redirect map: Old URL → new URL in a spreadsheet; one destination per old URL; note intentional removals (410/404) where nothing replaces a page.
• Staging: Build and test on staging with the same hosting, caching, and TLS behaviour you expect in production.
• Backups: Database, files, and DNS/export anything needed to roll back or compare.
• Robots and noindex: Staging blocked from index; production ready to allow indexing when you go live.

Redirects and URLs

• 301 for permanent moves: Use permanent redirects for URL changes you intend to keep; avoid long chains and loops.
• HTTPS and host consistency: Decide canonical host (www vs non-www) and enforce with redirects plus internal links.
• Spot-check high-value URLs: Manually test priority URLs after deploy (status codes, final destination, key content present).
• Update internal links: Prefer direct links to new URLs in HTML and nav, not only reliance on redirects.

Content parity

• Page-level match: Important pages exist on the new site with equivalent intent (or a deliberate merge/consolidation plan).
• Metadata: Titles, meta descriptions, and main headings sensible per page; structured data re-validated where you use it.
• Media: Images and files present; alt text carried over; broken asset checks after cutover.
• Internal linking: Key hubs still link to supporting pages; orphan pages identified and fixed.

Tracking and tags

• Analytics IDs: GA4 (or equivalent) fires on production; hostname filters and internal IP exclusions updated if needed.
• Tag Manager: Container published; triggers match new URLs, forms, and data layer events.
• Goals and events: Conversions, forms, and e-commerce events tested end-to-end on production.
• Ads and pixels: Conversion pixels, remarketing tags, and consent mode (if used) verified after go-live.

At and after launch

• Sitemaps: New XML sitemap(s) reflect the live URL set; submitted in Search Console (and Bing Webmaster Tools if you use it).
• Search Console: Property for the correct protocol/host; monitor coverage, redirects, and performance after launch.
• Performance: Core Web Vitals and key templates checked on real devices or field data.
• Monitor 404s and soft issues: Log or crawl for unexpected 404s, redirect chains, and major traffic shifts for several weeks.

Contact us if you want help planning a migration, building a redirect map, or recovering after a rough cutover.