Website Migration SEO Agency — Redesign or Replatform Without Losing Your Rankings
Every URL mapped, every redirect tested, every page's content and metadata carried across, and Search Console watched daily after launch, by the same team that builds the new site.
At a glance
- 5.0 from 50 Google reviews
- Redesigns, CMS changes, domain moves and site consolidations
- Planned before the build starts, not after the drop
Website migration SEO is the work of protecting search rankings when a site is redesigned, moved to a new platform or domain, or restructured. It covers URL mapping, one-to-one 301 redirects, content and metadata parity, technical checks and post-launch monitoring in Search Console. Vimana Digital plans it before the build starts and monitors for 8–12 weeks after launch.
- Starts and monitors for 8–
- 12weeks
Why websites lose traffic after a redesign
Almost every ranking drop after a relaunch comes from one of these, and all of them are avoidable:
- URLs changed and nobody redirected themThe old page had links and history; the new page is a stranger to Google. One missing redirect per product or service page is enough.
- Redirects go to the homepageA blanket redirect of every old URL to the homepage is treated as a soft 404. The equity doesn't transfer and the page falls out of the index.
- Content was "tidied up"Pages merged, FAQs cut, 800 words trimmed to 200 because the new design looked cleaner. Google ranked the words, not the layout.
- Titles, meta descriptions and headings were resetby the new theme or CMS, so every page re-enters the index as something new.
- The live site was left blockedA `noindex` tag or robots.txt rule copied from staging to production is the most common catastrophic error we see.
- Internal links and sitemaps still point at old URLsSending Google through redirect chains.
Website migration SEO checklist
Before the build
- Full crawl and export of every live URL, with clicks, impressions and backlinks per page from Search Console and a link index
- Rankings baseline for the keyword groups that matter
- URL map: every old URL matched to a new one, one-to-one; decisions recorded for pages being merged or retired
- Content inventory: what moves as-is, what's rewritten, what's consolidated, and where the consolidated page redirects from
- Decision on domain, protocol and trailing-slash conventions, written down once
Before launch (on staging)
- Redirect file built from the URL map and tested on staging, every row
- Title tags, meta descriptions, headings, canonical tags and structured data checked page by page against the old site
- XML sitemap generated for the new URLs only; old sitemap kept ready to resubmit so Google crawls the redirects quickly
- Analytics and conversion tracking verified on staging
- Robots.txt and `noindex` reviewed so the live site is crawlable and staging is not
Launch and after
- Redirects live and spot-checked within the hour; old sitemap submitted; new sitemap submitted
- Search Console: Change of Address tool used for domain moves; crawl errors, coverage and the "Web" search type (which includes AI Overview clicks) checked daily for the first two weeks, then weekly
- Rankings and organic enquiries compared to the baseline at 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks
- Redirects kept in place for at least a year (Google's recommendation), and in practice indefinitely for pages with links
What Google says about site moves, and what we're doing on our own site
Our own rebuild. We're applying this process to vimanadigital.com as we move it to a new platform, starting from an inventory of around 990 URLs. Every page keeps its URL one-to-one, except a group of near-identical town pages being consolidated with 301 redirects after a review of what each earned in Search Console. We'll publish the before-and-after once there's enough data to be honest about.
Who owns it
- Google expects moves to take weeks, not days. Its site-move documentation says a medium-sized website can take a few weeks for most pages to move in the index, larger sites longer; it recommends keeping redirects for at least a year and using Search Console's Change of Address tool for domain changes (Google Search Central, "Site moves with URL changes"). Anyone promising "no dip at all" is guessing; the realistic aim is a shallow, short dip and full recovery.You
- Consolidation is sometimes the right migration. Google's spam policies (August 2026) describe "substantially similar pages that are closer to search results than a clearly defined, browseable hierarchy" as doorway abuse. If your site carries dozens of templated town or product pages, a migration is the moment to fold them into fewer, better pages with 301s rather than copy the problem onto a new design.You
- AI Overview clicks are part of your baseline now. Google counts them under the "Web" search type in Search Console (Google Search Central, December 2025). A migration that rewrites a cited page can lose the citation, so they go in the before-and-after comparison.You
Which kind of migration are you planning?
| Migration type | Example | Ranking risk | What it needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redesign, same URLs | New theme or design on the same WordPress site | Low–medium | Content and metadata parity, template checks, speed comparison, tracking |
| Platform change | Wix or Squarespace to WordPress; WordPress to bespoke; Magento to WooCommerce | Medium–high | Full URL map and redirects, structured data rebuilt, facet and pagination rules for shops |
| Domain change | Rebrand, .co.uk to .com, merger | High | Everything above plus Change of Address, backlink outreach, business-profile updates |
| Structural change | New category hierarchy, service pages split or merged | Medium–high | Redirect map with merge decisions, internal link rebuild, content consolidation |
| Consolidation | Several sites or dozens of doorway pages folded into one | Medium | Page-by-page equity review, 301s to the best equivalent, canonical strategy |
| HTTP to HTTPS or www change | Protocol or hostname only | Low | Server-level redirect, canonical update, Search Console property, sitemap |
Most projects combine two or three rows. A replatform rarely happens without a restructure, which is why the URL map is the first document we write.
How much does website migration SEO cost?
Migration SEO is priced as a one-off project, scoped by the number of URLs, the type of move and whether we're also building the new site. To confirm: Vimana to confirm a from-price or day rate
Where we build the new site, the migration work is planned into the build: small business websites start from around £1,000, medium to large sites typically run £3,000–£6,000 and complex or bespoke platforms from £5,000 (see web design). Where another agency is building and you want us to protect the rankings, we work alongside them from the URL map onward. All prices exclude VAT.
Timeline: pre-build planning takes one to two weeks for a typical business site; pre-launch checks one week; monitoring runs for 8–12 weeks after launch. Straightforward sites we build go live in one to three weeks; ecommerce and bespoke in four to eight.
"Although its still early days to see the results we were impressed with the design and flexibility of Amit and his team to deliver the customer focused site we were seeking to achieve, alongside key messages that were important to the business."
Madi Sharma
Planning a redesign? Talk to us before the designer starts: 0115 647 0444 or request a pre-migration audit.
How we run a website migration
- 1BaselineCrawl, Search Console export, backlink export and rankings snapshot, so every later comparison has a before.
- 2URL map and content decisionsOld to new, one-to-one, with merge and retire decisions agreed with you in writing.
- 3Build with parityWhether we build or another agency does, every page is checked against its predecessor for content, metadata, structured data and internal links.
- 4Staging testRedirect file run against every old URL; crawl of staging compared to the map; tracking verified.
- 5Launch windowRedirects, sitemaps, robots.txt and Search Console actions done in sequence, same day, with a rollback plan.
- 6Monitor and fixDaily checks for two weeks, weekly to twelve; chains, 404s and missed redirects fixed as they appear; a written comparison at 12 weeks.
Rebuilds and replatforms we've handled
Bradgate Financial SolutionsA long-standing client's dated WordPress site redesigned and rebuilt as a bespoke PHP platform, carrying an extensive service catalogue across.Result: the rebuilt site is now cited inside Google's AI Overview for a Leicester self-employed mortgage search.
D&M WindowsCame to us for SEO with a site too outdated to optimise. We migrated the valuable existing content into a new WordPress build before the campaign started.
Emma Harris LingerieLuxury ecommerce store replatformed from a system where every product change needed the previous developer, with collections, sizes and colours carried into a CMS the client controls.
LJM SolutionsSite rebuilt from the ground up after the previous one was compromised by a hack, removing the risk of search-engine penalties.
"I had built a website but the theme had broken and it was due to go live in 48hrs. Amit met up with me on a Saturday morning and dissected the issues… Within 3 days the website was built, content and media added and my booking calendar integrated onto pt54.fitness and it was live."
Paul Thompson
Related services
Migration SEO is part of our SEO services and digital marketing. The new site itself: web design, WordPress web design, ecommerce web design or bespoke web development. Afterwards, website management keeps it updated, and local SEO or ecommerce SEO builds on the protected base.
Website migrationSEO questions,answered
Not covered here? Call and ask. We reply within 24 hours.
Will I lose rankings if I redesign my website?
Not if the migration is planned. Rankings drop after redesigns when URLs change without redirects, content is cut, or metadata is reset by the new theme. With a URL map, one-to-one 301s, content parity checks and Search Console monitoring, most sites see at worst a shallow dip for a few weeks before recovering.
What is a 301 redirect and why does it matter?
A 301 is a permanent redirect: it tells browsers and Google that a page has moved to a new address for good, and passes the old page's ranking signals to the new one. Every old URL that changes needs its own 301 to its closest equivalent, not a blanket redirect to the homepage.
How long should I keep redirects in place after a migration?
At least a year, which is Google's own recommendation, and indefinitely for any page that still has links pointing at it. Removing redirects early breaks those links and hands back whatever equity they carried. Redirects cost nothing to keep; we build them into the server configuration so they survive future changes.
How long does it take for Google to process a site migration?
Google says a medium-sized site can take a few weeks for most pages to move in its index, and larger sites take longer. Submitting the old and new sitemaps and keeping internal links clean speeds it up. We monitor daily for the first fortnight and expect positions to settle within four to twelve weeks.
Can I change my domain name without losing SEO?
Yes, but it's the highest-risk migration type. It needs one-to-one redirects for every URL, the Change of Address tool in Search Console, updated Google Business Profile and directory listings, and outreach to sites linking to the old domain. Expect a longer settling period than a same-domain redesign, and plan it outside your busiest season.
Should I migrate my website in stages or all at once?
For most business sites, all at once, in a planned launch window with a rollback option. Google's guidance allows staged moves for very large sites with many sections, but staging adds months of mixed signals. The exception is consolidation of many pages into few, which we sometimes phase so each batch can be checked.
Do you work with another agency that's building our site?
Yes. We often protect rankings while another designer or developer builds. We supply the URL map, content parity requirements and redirect file, check their staging build against the old site, and run post-launch monitoring. It works best when we're involved before the information architecture is finalised.
Does a site migration affect my AI Overview citations?
It can. Google cites specific passages, so if the page that was being quoted is merged, trimmed or rewritten, the citation may go. We include AI Overview clicks, which Search Console counts under the "Web" search type, in the pre-migration baseline and keep the cited content intact wherever possible.
Talk to us before the redesign starts
Send your current website address and the reason for the change. We'll reply with what's at risk, what the URL map would involve, and whether the migration can be planned into your build timeline.
- 0115 647 0444
- contact@vimanadigital.com
- Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm
- 1 Union Street, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 1HH
"Amit is very knowledgeable and has been very patient with us, responding quickly to any changes we have asked for (and there has been a lot of changes!)." — Excel Process Systems Ltd