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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Bastian Grimm, Peak Ace AG | @basgr
Successfully relaunching your website >> the tech edition
Migration Best Practices

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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Never change a running system!

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3 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Every (big) change brings (loads of) opportunity!
But always keep in mind: the price tag for failure is immense!
Risk Reward
User acceptance “Once in a lifetime” opportunity
Project complexity Greenfield project: question everything
Resilience/freeze Best chance to really “get shit done”
Interruption Opportunity to eliminate “legacy problems”
Politics Usually more agile vs regular, daily business
Performance Rethink RWD/dynamic serving, HTTPS, URL design, etc.

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4 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Migration types and their potential impact on SEO
Often these types overlap – or multiple things are done at once.
Inspired by @jonoalderson: http://pa.ag/2xUCMnJ
Type Example
Hosting migrations You’re changing hosting or CDN provider(s).
You’re changing, adding, or removing server locations.
You’re changing your tech stack/caching/lbs.
Software migrations You’re changing CMS (or its version/plugins, etc.).
You’re changing the language used to render the website.
You’re merging platforms; e.g., a blog which operated on a separate domain.
Domain migrations You’re changing the main domain of your website.
You’re buying/adding new domains/subdomains to your ecosystem.
You’re moving a website, or part of a website, between domains.
Template migrations You’re changing the layout/structure/navigation of important pages.
You’re adding or removing template components.
You’re changing elements in your code, like title, canonical, or hreflang tags.
… and there are more: design migrations, strategy migrations, content migrations, protocol migrations, etc.

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5 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Make it a granular, multi-step approach
Doing everything at once will make debugging & rolling back an almost impossible task!
Source: http://pa.ag/2yJqT1N

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6 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
What is your goal for the migration?
The right mindset is super, super important!
I want to lose as little as
possible!” – isn’t really the
right goal for a migration!

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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Thorough documentation, in-depth definition of requirements
and ongoing testing are essential!
Be crazy about details

8.
@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
…from someone who has successfully
done this type of work before.
Ask for help…

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9 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
▪ Google Search Console: manual actions,
server errors (DNS, 5XX response codes),
mark-up validation errors (AMP, schema.org,
rich cards), robots.txt
▪ Web crawl: internal redirects as well as
redirect chains, broken URLs, and internal links
▪ Log files: broken URLs, suspicious status
codes, crawler traps
▪ Algo issues? Relocating with Panda, Penguin
& Co. makes very little sense
Pre-migration site health check & clean-up
A properly optimised domain migrates easier and more efficiently.
Getting your house in order before the move minimises the risk of losing rankings.

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10 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Be careful with broken pages & broken internal linking

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11 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
You will need an arsenal of tools!
A lot depends on personal taste, but you’ll need at least one tool each for crawling, log
file analysis as well as search intelligence – and yes, this costs money!

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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Figure out well in advance how to get access to all relevant server
access logs, e.g., native access or using a SaaS solution.
Get access to server logs

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13 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Gather all URLs including static assets #1
Must haves: log files, XML sitemaps as well as a full website crawl
Extras: analytics (top ranking URLs and/or URLs generating the most traffic)
Mode > List > Upload
small domains
large domains

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14 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Gather all URLs including static assets #2
Additionally: get the URLs that are strongly linked, bring a lot of traffic and /or have
been shared the most, etc.

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15 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Switch to monitor your keyword rankings daily
Check critical keywords daily to ensure you are only working with the most recent data.

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16 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Establishing a status quo performance benchmark
Lighthouse (via Chrome DevTools) or webpagetest.org provide relevant metrics.
Important: don’t just test the homepage, but also category/product pages.

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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
As a rule of thumb: 1-to-1 redirects from old to new!
Prepare URL redirect mapping

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18 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Provide staging/test server
Make sure the server is locked-down properly to ensure your content doesn’t get
indexed in advance (i.a. duplicate content problems).
Methodology Pros Cons
noindex (meta tag/header)
- External tools can access without
separate access rules
- URLs are definitely not indexed
- Indexing rules cannot fully be tested
(all noindex)
- Waste of crawl budget
robots.txt
- External tools can access without
separate access rules
- No crawl budget is wasted
- Indexing rules cannot fully be tested
(only with robots.txt override)
- If linked, test URLs may appear in the index
(without title/metas).
password secured (.htaccess)
- No crawl budget is wasted
- URLs are definitely not indexed
- Everything can be tested properly
- External tools must be able to handle password
authentication.
IP-based access
- No crawl budget is wasted
- URLs are definitely not indexed
- Everything can be tested properly
- External tools must be able to handle IP-based
authentication.
VPN - Absolutely safe! - So safe, only a few tools can handle it!

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19 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Build your very own migration Q&A check-list
Depending on what type of changes you’re undergoing, this needs to be adapted.
Use Aleyda’s template for more inspiration: https://pa.ag/2H6bOLH
Canonical tags & other rel-alternate annotations
Remember to annotate your dedicated mobile site and to
adapt your RSS feeds
Stage: Pre-migration Who? Bastian When? 23.05.18
Multilingual setup: Customize hreflang target URLs
Keep in mind: Various locations can be affected (e.g. head
section, server headers, xml sitemaps)
Stage: Pre-migration Who? Bastian When? 23.05.18
Update pel=next/prev pagination annotations
Are you using Google´s recommendation for pagination?
Stage: Pre-migration Who? Bastian When? 23.05.18
Update XML Sitemaps
Sitemap index file needs to be changed also, if you
reference it in robots.txt
Stage: Pre-migration Who? Bastian When? 23.05.18
Structured data update (schema.org)
Update your schema.org mark-up references. Short annotations
like “//schema.org“ don´t validate!
Stage: Pre-migration Who? Bastian When? 23.05.18
Update CDN settings and resource hints
Update requests for assets to CDNs & any resource hints
(preconnect, dns-prefetch)
Stage: Pre-migration Who? Bastian When? 23.05.18
Update HTTP header & customize cookie settings
If applicable, customize X-Robots header tags. Use Chrome
DevTools!
Stage: Pre-migration Who? Bastian When? 23.05.18

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20 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Update internal links
Simply relying on redirects is no migration strategy
▪ Links to other internal
URLs
▪ Links to internal image
files
▪ Links to internal video
files
▪ Links to internal web
fonts
▪ Links to internal
JavaScript files
▪ Links to internal CSS
files
JS
HTML
Source code

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21 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Update internal links (within JavaScript files)
Simply relying on redirects is no migration strategy
▪ Links to other internal
URLs
▪ Links to internal CSS
files
JAVASCRIPT
Files
▪ Links to internal image
files

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22 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Update internal links (within CSS files)
Simply relying on redirects is no migration strategy
▪ Links to internal image
files
▪ Links to internal
web fonts
CSS
Files
▪ Any other internal links

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23 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Be careful with internal redirects!
Avoid redirect chains: old URLs should lead directly to the corresponding new URL
Source: Redirect Chain Report via DeepCrawl

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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Better safe than sorry: let’s test crawl the staging server
and run a comparison
Everything updated?

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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Work your search console

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26 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Prerequisites for a migration:
▪ No manual actions
▪ No significant amount of crawl errors (DNS,
availability)
▪ No problems with the XML sitemaps
▪ Valid structured data/rich cards mark-up, no
AMP and hreflang errors
Create new properties & eventually merge them into a set
Properties for HTTP and HTTPS with and without www = 4 domains
If you use separate mobile domains, there are 6 domains in total!

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27 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Transfer disavow links file in time
Especially for domains with a “questionable” link profile: GSC setup and disavow file
transfer should be done approximately 48 hours before going live!

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28 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Set your preferred domain and (if necessary) crawl rate
You don’t need to set the crawl rate, but, if you have done so previously, I would
suggest transferring the original settings (for now).

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29 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Configure geo targeting for gTLDs
Synchronise settings for handling URL parameters if necessary (i.e. for “.com” gTLDs)

30.
@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
After all this preparation, all you need to do now
is to "just" redirect URLs.
301 redirect all the things!

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31 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Even if, as some Googlers say, all redirects are equal…
…all we did for this client was change the (chained) 302/307 to 301 redirects!

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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Note: it only works for domain migrations!
Use the GSC “site move” feature

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33 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Before you send to the index: test GSCs fetch & render
Make sure Google includes and displays all requested components properly!

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34 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Test and re-submit all XML sitemaps
Also: synchronise URL parameter settings, if you were using them or if you need them
for your site’s functionality.

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35 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
List crawl of old URLs & manual SERP checks
Import old URLs, e.g., to ScreamingFrog (list mode), only 301s should appear here.
Additional manual check of indexed URLs, e.g., via LinkClump add-on in Chrome.
1 3
4
2

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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
The most common problem with migrations gone wrong?
Missing or wrong redirects!
Seriously: check your redirects

37.
@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
More post migration to-do‘s

38.
@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Focus on 4XX and 5XX status codes first, tackle those “live”!
Log file, GSC & GA error monitoring

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39 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#1 Migration performance monitoring
HTTP error status code monitoring (e.g., 40X for Googlebot & Bingbot)

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40 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#2 Migration performance monitoring
HTTP redirects over time and split by user-agent containing *bot*

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41 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#3 Migration performance monitoring
Top crawled pages breakdown (daily & weekly)

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42 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Prefer an easier way? ScreamingFrog Log File Analyzer

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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Re-test: no broken URLs (4/5XXer), tracking in place,
correct metadata & other tags, indexing rules, etc.
Complete crawl of the new domain

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44 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Test and apply an “if... then... logic”
Based on your previously built Q&A checklist, make sure to double-check everything!
IF
Google news listings are available,
then test the Google news sitemap.
IF
you work internationally, then test
hreflang tags/sitemap annotations.
IF ratings (featured snippets) are available,
then test schema.org mark-up.
IF PPC ads are shown, then update and test
the landing page URLs.
IF SSL is also used on other subdomains,
then test these as well.
etc.

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45 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
AMP, structured data, and rich cards error monitoring

46.
@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Short-term peaks are completely normal, dramatic drops rather not!
Keep an eye on the crawl frequency

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47 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Compare performances side-by-side
HTTPs is usually a little bit slower: compare your results.
Clear goal: never slower than before (always use HTTP/2 for HTTPs)
Try it out: https://www.webpagetest.org/

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@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
Some tips to make your life easier

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49 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#1 Bulk testing all the things: mobile-friendliness
Mobile-friendliness at scale: technicalseo.com
Check it out: https://technicalseo.com/seo-tools/mobile-friendly/

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50 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#2 Bulk testing all the things: hreflang tags
hreflang tags (in sitemaps) at scale: technicalseo.com
Check it out: https://technicalseo.com/seo-tools/hreflang/

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51 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#3 Bulk testing all the things: redirects & other headers
HTTP status codes (errors, redirects, etc.) at scale: httpstatus.io
Check it out: https://httpstatus.io/

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52 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#4 Simulate Googlebot for smartphones with JS-rendering
ScreamingFrog can do that easily at scale; pay close attention to rendered output!
Also pretty cool: Extract > Xpath > //head/link[@rel="amphtml"]/@href

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53 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#5 Don’t forget to redirect your images as well!
When changing URLs/domains, make sure to implement redirect rules for images.
Read the entire post: http://pa.ag/2yJtTLz

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54 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#6 Move your robots.txt file
When changing domains, make sure to transfer (the contents of) robots.txt!

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55 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#7 HTTP 503 is your friend
Combine with “revisit-after” to throttle crawling; never use “noindex”/4XX instead!
Webmasters should return a 503 HTTP header for all
the URLs participating in the blackout […] Googlebot's
crawling rate will drop when it sees a spike in 503 […]
as Googlebot is currently configured, it will halt all
crawling of the site if the site’s robots.txt file returns a
503 status code for robots.txt.”
Source: http://pa.ag/2xRiA5T

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56 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#8 GSC’s DNS verification can be pretty helpful
No need to worry about missing meta tags; plus you can verify before deploying a
site/frontend to a new domain – and it’s faster as well!
More: http://pa.ag/2yJ7xtH

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57 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#9 Fix those redirect chains, especially on legacy sites…
…as multiple requests waste valuable performance and crawl budget!

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58 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
#10 Careful: JavaScript frameworks are still tricky
Check out Bartosz‘ massive research on crawlability and indexability!
Read more: http://pa.ag/2qLqlqH

59.
59 @peakaceag pa.ag@basgr from @peakaceag#SMX #29A
http://pa.ag/smx18mig
Always looking for talent! Check out jobs.pa.ag
Bastian Grimm
bg@pa.ag
twitter.com/peakaceag
facebook.com/peakaceag
www.pa.ag
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