SEO Site Migrations
A site migration can be one of the most beneficial changes a brand can make to its online presence if done correctly. Not only may the new site be faster, but the user experience, content, and other SEO elements may have significantly improved. Having a trusted SEO partner such as Pattern assist throughout the migration process will help give your brand peace of mind that the process will be followed to best practice SEO standards every step of the way.
With every site migration we do, the ultimate goal is to ensure that your brand’s search engine rankings and organic traffic are not negatively impacted. This process requires careful planning, technical expertise, and a comprehensive understanding of search engine algorithms.
By implementing best practices recommendations in website design, site speed, and mobile optimisation, as part of our time-tested migration process, Ecommerce brands can create a seamless and user-friendly browsing experience, leading to higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction. In today’s competitive online market, investing in a detailed SEO migration plan is essential for Ecommerce brands to maintain their visibility, attract organic traffic, and drive business growth.
Information Architecture Recommendations
Our SEO Information Architecture Review combines an in-depth analysis of a website’s navigation structure and organisation to optimise its visibility and ranking in SERPs. This part of the migration involves evaluating the website’s current and planned navigation, URL structure, internal linking, and content hierarchy to ensure that it aligns with the best practice SEO.
Confirm URL Structure
When confirming the URL structure for an SEO migration, part of our process is ensuring that the new URLs accurately reflect the new content management system (CMS) and align with the recommended Information Architecture recommendations. This involves several key considerations, including:
- URLs are descriptive and user-friendly
- URLs incorporate relevant keywords that accurately represent the content of each page
- URL structure is consistent and logical, following a hierarchical structure that makes it easy for both users and search engines to navigate and understand the website’s organisation
By confirming the URL structure in line with the new CMS and IA recommendations, brands can optimise their SEO performance and enhance user experience.
Prepare URL Redirect Mapping
During an SEO migration, URL redirect mapping is crucial to ensure a smooth transition without losing organic search traffic and rankings. Our process involves mapping old URLs to new ones, ensuring that when a user or search engine crawls the old URL, they are automatically redirected to the corresponding new URL.
This mapping should be done on a one-to-one basis, meaning each old URL should have a specific new URL to redirect to. By carefully planning and executing URL redirect mapping, brands can maintain their search engine visibility and prevent any negative impact on their organic search performance during an SEO migration.
Technical SEO Recommendations
When undertaking an SEO migration, our SEO experts take into consideration various technical recommendations to ensure a smooth transition. Our technical recommendations are based on a comprehensive website audit to identify any technical issues that may hinder SEO performance. This includes checking for broken links, duplicate content, crawlability issues, identifying response codes and page load speed recommendations by compressing images, minifying code, and leveraging browser caching.
Our process monitors website performance using tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics to track any fluctuations in organic traffic and promptly address any issues that may arise during the migration process.
Sitemap Submissions
Site map submissions are an integral part of an SEO migration process, and are something our team works closely with a brand’s developers for. When undergoing a migration, it is crucial to ensure that search engines can easily navigate and index the new site.
Site map submissions serve as a roadmap for search engine crawlers, providing them with a comprehensive list of all the pages on the website. By submitting the sitemap to search engines, brands can expedite the indexing process and help search engines understand the new site’s structure and content.
Reviewing Internal Links
Reviewing internal links is a crucial step as part of the post-migration process. By reviewing internal links, our team can identify any broken or redirecting links that may negatively impact the new website’s SEO performance.
It is essential to update or fix these links to maintain a smooth user experience and avoid losing valuable organic traffic. Additionally, reviewing internal links allows for the opportunity to optimise anchor text and distribute link equity effectively.
Post-Migration Support
As part of the migration process, our SEO team’s post-migration process plays a crucial role in ensuring a smooth transition and continued success after a site has migrated. This support involves ongoing monitoring, analysis, and optimisation to address any potential issues that may arise post-migration.
Our team will conduct a post-migration audit and checks to identify any technical or content-related issues and provide recommendations to resolve them. Additionally, we will closely monitor website performance, traffic, and rankings to track the impact of the migration and make necessary adjustments.
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