Summary
- If you're migrating a domain, prepare because things can go wrong. But here's how to make sure it goes smoothly.
- Understand why you might do a site migration. This could be to change your domain name, upgrade your CMS, or move from a platform like Wix.
- Choose a smart date for migration. Pick a time when the least number of people are on your site, avoiding busy days like Black Friday.
- Crawl your existing website using tools like Screaming Frog to get a full list of all URLs. This ensures nothing is lost during migration.
- Always create a backup of your website. If something goes wrong, you will have everything saved.
- Set up a staging site, such as staging.yourwebsite.com. This helps test your migration before it goes live.
- Implement 301 redirects for each page of content. This tells Google that your URLs have moved to a new location, helping maintain your rankings and traffic.
- Remember, if you don't handle redirects properly, you risk losing all your rankings and traffic.
Video
How To Take Action
I would suggest starting with a thorough plan if you're thinking about migrating your website. First, pick a smart migration date. Choose a time when the fewest people are likely visiting your site, avoiding major sales days like Black Friday. This reduces the impact of any hiccups.
A good way to start is by using a tool like Screaming Frog to crawl your site. This will give you a full list of all your site's URLs, ensuring that nothing is lost during the switch.
Creating a backup of your website is an essential step. If something goes wrong, the backup allows you to restore your website to its original state.
Set up a staging site, such as staging.yourwebsite.com. This is where you can test your migration without affecting the live site. It allows you to find and fix any issues before going public.
Implement 301 redirects for each page. This step is crucial because it tells search engines like Google that your pages have moved to a new address. Proper redirects help maintain your site's rankings and traffic.
By following these steps, you can lower the risk of problems and protect your website’s performance during the migration process.
Full Transcript
if you've ever done a domain migration you know that chances are that everything will go fine but there's a decent chance too that everything will explode in your faith here's how to make sure it'll go smoothly guaranteed but first why do a site migration in the first place maybe you want to change your domain name maybe you're upgrading your CMS and getting your client's dinosaur website off Wix the list goes on what happens when a migration goes wrong oh stuff like losing all your rankings and traffic because you didn't properly map your redirect never mess it up with the following plan pick a smart date for migration you want a date when a minimal amount of people will be on your site and clearly not a huge day for sales like Black Friday crawl your existing website I'll use screaming frog to get a complete list of all the URLs on my original site so that nothing gets lost create the backup of your website in case the poop hits the fan create a staging site like staging DIY marketing.com you need to do three one redirects on each page of content to tell Google that the URLs exist in a new location on the new site now if you mess this up you will lose your rankings in traffic
