How to Manage a Site Migration Successfully (SEO POV) | Prepare & Plan

Successfully migrating a site requires meticulous planning and thorough preparation. In this phase, you’ll focus on aligning objectives, gathering the right resources, and setting expectations for all involved. This ensures the migration is smooth, avoids pitfalls, and meets the desired business and SEO goals.

Here’s how to approach the Preparation & Planning phase:

1. Define Clear Migration Goals, Objectives, and Scope

The foundation of a successful migration starts with understanding why the business is embarking on this project. Whether you’re addressing technical debt, refreshing the design, or expanding to new markets, clear goals are essential.

Actions:

• Define the business, SEO, and technical goals. For example:
  • Business Goals: Expansion, legal requirements, or infrastructure improvements.
  • SEO Goals: Improve organic traffic, resolve technical SEO issues, and fix performance problems.
• Identify the scope of the migration, including all assets (domains, pages, subdomains, and integrations).
• Consider geographic and language-targeting aspects, if applicable.
• List all potential changes to the business and technology aspects, such as domain, design, CMS, and URLs.

Milestone Deliverable: Migration project definition brief

2. Secure Access to Necessary Resources

To successfully execute the migration, you’ll need access to various tools and resources across teams and platforms. This includes project management tools, design resources, testing environments, and analytics.

Actions:

• Ensure access to Google Search Console (GSC) accounts, analytics accounts, and test environments.
• Review existing migration materials (if available), including past designs and technical documentation.
• Secure tools needed for tracking performance, such as Crawling Solutions (e.g., Screaming Frog, Ryte) and site performance trackers.

Milestone Deliverable: Access granted to all necessary platforms and tools

3. Define the Timeline and Set Expectations

A well-structured timeline is essential for aligning all parties involved and keeping the migration process on track. It’s important to understand the execution capabilities and set realistic deadlines for each task.

Actions:

• Create a detailed project timeline (Gantt chart) outlining all key milestones.
• Define responsibilities clearly: Who is responsible for what, and who owns the SEO aspects of the migration?
• Identify any flexibility in the timeline and be prepared for possible delays or setbacks.
• Ensure your team understands their role and what is expected, from technical implementations to communication with stakeholders.

Milestone Deliverable: Finalised project timeline and roles

4. Audit Existing Migration Materials and Assets

Before diving into the execution, you need to assess what’s already in place. Reviewing existing migration materials and understanding how they align with the overall project scope can save time and prevent duplication of effort.

Actions:

• Audit any current documentation, including designs, wireframes, and site maps.
• Examine existing pages, URL structures, and integrations to determine if changes are needed.
• Revisit the original scope—if the audit reveals discrepancies or new information, update the project scope and brief accordingly.

Milestone Deliverable: Revised migration brief (if necessary)

5. Define Collaboration Tools and Communication Channels

Clear and consistent communication is key. Define your communication channels early on to ensure smooth collaboration across teams and stakeholders throughout the migration process.

Actions:

• Choose project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Google Sheets, Monday.com, Jira).
• Set up channels for regular communication (e.g., Slack for quick updates, Zoom for project meetings).
• Establish recurring check-ins and meetings to monitor progress and resolve issues as they arise.

Milestone Deliverable: Collaboration tools set up and communication plan in place

6. Plan for SEO-Specific Tasks

SEO is often the most critical aspect of site migration. A clear SEO strategy, including URL mapping, redirects, and performance monitoring, is essential for preserving or improving your rankings and organic traffic.

Actions:

• Map out the URL structure of the current site and plan for necessary redirects.
• Plan for any content changes that might impact SEO, such as new page types or deprecated pages.
• Monitor site performance pre- and post-migration using tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and specialized SEO platforms (e.g., Screaming Frog).

Milestone Deliverable: Detailed SEO migration plan (redirects, page types, performance tracking)

7. Set Milestones and Track Progress

To ensure that you’re moving in the right direction, break down the migration process into clear, actionable milestones. This helps track progress, ensure that tasks are completed on time, and identify issues early.

Actions:

• Define the major milestones of the migration, such as completing the audit, setting up redirects, and launching the new site.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for SEO success, such as traffic growth, ranking improvements, and user engagement.
• Make sure all tasks are broken down and assigned to the right team members.

Milestone Deliverable: Milestone tracking system set up

Final Checklist for Prepare & Plan Phase:

• Define clear business and SEO goals, objectives, and migration scope.
• Secure access to all necessary tools, platforms, and resources.
• Create a project timeline and align on roles and responsibilities.
• Conduct an audit of existing migration materials and revise project scope if needed.
• Set up collaboration and communication tools.
• Plan for SEO-specific tasks (redirects, URL structure, performance monitoring).
• Establish milestones and track progress.

By the end of this phase, you’ll have a fully prepared migration strategy with clearly defined roles, objectives, and resources in place. This solid foundation will set your team up for success in the migration execution phase.

Stay tuned for the next part, where we dive into development and Pre-Migration.