Website Migration SEO Checklist: What to Verify Before and After Launch

The new website is ready to launch. An old service link is still in a customer’s email, a campaign points to a landing page and a brochure contains a QR code. A migration plan should account for all three.

Inventory the URLs that already serve customers

Combine the existing sitemap with analytics landing pages, Search Console data and links used in campaigns, email signatures and printed materials. Include important downloadable documents. A page with modest organic traffic can still matter if it is the route prospects use to request a quote.

For each important URL, record its purpose, status and replacement. Keeping a useful URL is often the simplest choice. If it must move, identify the closest equivalent. Where content has been intentionally removed and there is no relevant replacement, return an appropriate 404 or 410 response.

Build a redirect map that can be tested

Use a table with the old path, intended destination, expected status and verification result. For a permanent move, configure a server-side permanent redirect to the final destination. Avoid sending unrelated old pages to the home page. Check for redirect chains and loops, including variations with and without trailing slashes where they exist.

For example, if /services/website-maintenance/ moves to /website-care/, test that the old URL reaches the new page directly and the new page returns HTTP 200. Update internal links to use the destination URL. See Google Search Central’s site migration guide.

Define what must pass before launch

Check the main templates and a sample of important landing pages. Compare titles, descriptions, primary headings and the content customers use to decide whether to enquire. Inspect canonical URLs, indexing directives and the XML sitemap. If the preview environment uses access protection or noindex rules, verify that the public production pages have the intended settings after release.

Test one complete contact journey for each important route. Confirm that form validation works, successful submissions arrive at their destination, notifications go to the right team and the enquiry retains useful context. On mobile, check click-to-call, messaging and any sticky controls that can cover the form.

• Keep the pre-launch URL inventory and baseline metrics.
• Confirm access to hosting, DNS and analytics with the people responsible for launch.
• Agree who can pause or roll back the release and when.
• Decide which checks need to run immediately after the switch.

Test the public site after the switch

Check the live site from outside the hosting environment. Re-run the redirect map against the public URLs. Open the sitemap, inspect representative pages and submit a clearly marked test enquiry. Check a link from a campaign or brochure as a visitor would use it, including any query parameters relevant to tracking.

Review Search Console and analytics over the following days and weeks. Investigate important pages returning errors, URLs that point to the wrong canonical, and changes in genuine enquiries. Compare similar periods and separate traffic movement from a broken measurement setup. Search visibility can fluctuate while Google processes URL changes, so keep a record of what changed and when.

Prioritise problems by who they affect

A broken enquiry form or a missing redirect from a major landing page deserves prompt attention. An old URL with no equivalent may correctly return a 404. Use the inventory to distinguish unexpected failures from planned removals, and assign an owner to unresolved items.

CONSAI plans website redesigns and migrations around existing content and customer journeys. Share the current site and the scope of your planned move. If you are still deciding whether a rebuild is necessary, start with our guide to what to fix before buying more traffic.

Cover artwork generated for CONSAI.