A new website without losing your Google rankings: how to migrate safely

Why a new website can lose traffic

Google knows your website by its addresses. Every page, such as /services/bathroom-renovation, has a history: links from other sites, rankings for specific phrases, clicks. When the new website uses different addresses and the old ones simply disappear, Google finds a 404 error instead of the page it used to recommend.

It is like a business moving premises without leaving a note on the door. A customer who comes to the old address will not find the new one. Some will go back to the search results and choose a competitor.

Step 1: list what already works

Before the new website is built, it is worth knowing what brings customers to the old one. I start a migration by listing:

• Every address of pages, posts and PDF files, including those not in the menu.
• The pages that get the most visits from Google (data from Google Search Console).
• The phrases the website already ranks well for, so the new copy does not lose them.
• Links from other websites, such as industry directories and articles about the business.

Step 2: a 301 redirect for every old address

A 301 redirect tells the browser and Google: "this page has moved here for good". A customer who clicks an old link lands straight on the new page, and Google carries over what it already knew about it.

Each old address should lead to the closest matching new page. Redirecting everything to the home page is a common shortcut, and Google treats it almost as if the page were gone.

Step 3: content and search data move together

A new design is a good time to make improvements, but not to throw away what works. Together with the content, I carry over:

• Page titles and descriptions, the ones shown in search results.
• Headings and copy of pages that rank well: I improve them instead of rewriting them.
• Image descriptions (alt text) and structured data, such as the address and opening hours.
• The sitemap (sitemap.xml) with the new addresses.

Step 4: the switch and the first days

The new website is built next to the old one, on a test address that Google does not index. When everything is ready, I switch the domain over and then check:

• That no search engine block was left over from the test version. This is the most common and most expensive migration mistake.
• That the old addresses really redirect, using the list from step 1.
• The 404 and indexing reports in Google Search Console.
• That forms, the phone number and analytics work as they did before.

What to expect

Rankings may fluctuate a little in the first weeks. Google has to visit the new addresses and attach the history of the old ones to them. With a well-run migration, traffic usually recovers within a few weeks, and often grows, because the new website is faster.

If you are also changing the domain, you also report the change of address in Search Console. Keep paying for the old domain and keep its redirects in place for at least a year, preferably longer.