Website Migration Best Practices - Sukhjinder Singh - Brighton SEO - April 2022

Website Migration Best
Practices
Sukhjinder Singh | Anicca Digital
Slideshare.net/SukhjinderSingh35
@SukhSingh84

All rights reserved 2022
@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
What is a site
migration?

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
1. Site architecture or URL change
Home
/dog-tops /cat-tops
/dog-clothes /cat-clothes /tops-for-pets

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
2. Content consolidation/pruning
Dog Summer
Outfits 2019
Low rank
Slow loading
Good content
Cat Style
Guide 2020
High rank
High bounce
Poor content

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
2. Content consolidation/pruning
Dog Summer
Outfits 2019
Low rank
Slow loading
Good content
Cat Style
Guide 2020
High rank
High bounce
Poor content
Pet Style Guide
2022
High rank
Low bounce
Great content

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
3. Re-platforming (CMS)

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
3. Re-platforming (CMS)
FYI: 2021 Market shares:
3%
5%
2%
2% 2%
1%
64%
https://kinsta.com/cms-market-share/

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
4. Protocol change
http://not-secure...

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
4. Protocol change
http://not-secure...
https://secure.com

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
5. Domain name change
https://dog-tops.com

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
5. Domain name change
https://dog-tops.com
https://pet-clobber.com

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
5. Top-level domain name change
https://pet-clobber.com
https://pet-clobber.fr
https://pet-clobber.de
https://pet-clobber.co.uk

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
6. Merging sites
Website 1
Low rank
Low DA
Defunct brand
Good content
Website 2
High rank
High DA
Bad CMS
Poor content

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Website 2
High rank
High DA
Bad CMS
Bad content
6. Merging sites
Website 1
Low rank
Low DA
Defunct brand
Good content
Website 1
High rank
High DA
New CMS
Good content

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
What could go
wrong?

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Less traffic, engagement or conversions

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Fewer indexed pages

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Less visibility/rankings

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Migrating your
Website

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
The migration stages
1. Scoping and planning
2. Development and testing
3. Launch (live testing and changes)

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Scoping and
Planning

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Consider why you are migrating?
Low-Medium SEO impact
• Look and theme
• Site structure (not URLs)
• Re-platforming (CMS)
• Hosting provider

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Consider why you are migrating?
Low-Medium SEO impact
• Look and theme
• Site structure (not URLs)
• Re-platforming (CMS)
• Hosting provider
Medium-High SEO impact
• Site structure (URLs)
• HTTP protocol
• Domain name
• Merge sites
• Content consolidation

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Define and measure success (KPIs)
+CTR%
+Keyword visibility
+Traffic
-Bounce rate
+Conversion rates
+Core Web Vitals Scores

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Benchmark performance

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Project planning & management
Google Sheets/Excel

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Set realistic timelines
We recommend 6 months
to plan, develop, test,
launch…
How about 3 months?

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Project management tools
Slack
Trello
MS Teams – ‘Tasks’

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Development and
Testing

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Audit old & new site: Don’t migrate
issues!
Old site
Core Vitals
Dupe content
New site
Core Vitals
Dupe content

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
SEO elements checklist
https://bit.ly/anicca-tech-seo-checklist

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Do a content value audit
Gather as much data as possible:
1. Impressions, CTR
2. Ranking keywords and pages
3. Traffic, engagement, conversions
4. Domain authority, backlinks, social signals
5. Indexation, tech/on-page issues, Core Web Vitals

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Use SEMrush ‘Content Audit’
https://www.semrush.com/blog/content-audit-for-content-marketing-strategy/

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Use Data Studio: blend data

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Improve, consolidate, or redirect

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Wireframe site structure

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Wireframe site structure & pages
Miro.com Invisionapp.com

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Old content vs new templates
What do
SEOs use
when
fishing?
Linkbait.
What do
SEOs use…
...when
fishing?
Linkbait…..
sorry.

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Old content vs new templates
Word Invisionapp.com

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
A/B testing
https://optimize.google.com (free and paid)
https://www.hotjar.com (trial and paid)

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Add tracking, CTAs and goals
•Use the same ‘property’ with a new ‘beta view’
•Recreate/migrate micro and macro conversion
points and goals

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Test: view source, Tag Assistant

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Test: Tag Manager ‘preview mode’

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Back-up your site (regularly!)
Yes, I
migrated the
content
Yes, I’m sure What blog?

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Back-up: manually using FTP
https://filezilla-project.org/

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Back-up: cPanel

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Back-up: WP plugins
https://updraftplus.com

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Launch and Live
Testing

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Choose a good day & time
•Early in the week
•Use Google Analytics: ‘Users by
time of day’ report

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Soft launch - Ideal
•No announcement, no marketing
•Allows you to test a live site
•Ideal

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Incremental launch - Ideal
•If cover multiple regions or have an enterprise site
•Test and fix each section in stages
•Ideal

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Test redirects
Check: redirect loops, 404 errors, planned vs final URLs.
=D2=F2

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Re-audit technical SEO issues
https://www.deepcrawl.com/

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Test tracking
‘Real-Time’ report in Google Analytics

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
KPIs: Monitor 3-6 months+

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Summary

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Summary
1. Qualify why you are migrating
2. Define what success means (KPIs)
3. Plan and project-manage
4. Audit and resolve before and after launch
5. Monitor 3-6 months+ after launch
https://bit.ly/anicca-tech-seo-checklist

@SukhSingh84
#BrightonSEO
Disclaimer
The materials set out in this document are concepts only (the “Concepts”) and, in addition to any rights
vesting in Anicca Digital Limited (“Anicca”), may be the subject of existing third party intellectual property
rights.
If the client wishes to utilise any of the Concepts, it should notify Anicca in writing and Anicca will then put
in place the appropriate intellectual property searches (the “Searches”). The use of the Concepts is
therefore subject to the results of the Searches.
Anicca shall not be liable for any damages, costs or losses whether direct or indirect (and including,
without limitation, loss of profits, loss of business and loss of goodwill) arising out of any claim by any third
party relating to the Concepts proposed by Anicca where the client uses a Concept:
prior to Anicca confirming whether or not the Concept is subject to existing third party intellectual property
rights; and/or
in breach of existing third party intellectual property rights following the Searches.
All Anicca rights to proposed technical, content and creative concepts belong to Anicca unless paid for
by the client. Should the client subsequently use any concepts without payment to Anicca (unless agreed
otherwise by both parties in writing), Anicca reserves the right to take action to recoup, without limitation,
damages for breach of intellectual property rights and/or any lost costs associated with the development
of such concepts from the client.
Thank you
Sukh@anicca.co.uk

Website Migration Best Practices - Sukhjinder Singh - Brighton SEO - April 2022

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