SEO MigrationIt is a set of tools to maintain the integrity of a website when it undergoes a major change or migration.search rankingcap (a poem) SEO SettingsSEO migration is usually applied in the following situations: - Search engines are the main source of traffic for most websites. Since search engines are the primary source of traffic for most websites, it is critical to ensure that no traffic is lost during the migration process.SEO migrations are typically applied to the following situations:

1. Migrate your WordPress website to a new domain.
2. Migrate the site to a new WordPress hosting provider.
3. Switch to the Better WordPress SEO plugin.

In this article, we'll detail how to avoid losing rankings and traffic by following a set of step-by-step checklists for proper SEO migration when doing a WordPress website migration.

Preparing the website for migration

First and foremost, it is vital to prepare for the migration. Proper SEO tracking needs to be set up and a full site backup performed.

Step 1: Track SEO Performance

Before starting the migration, make sure that you are able to get a proper understanding of how your website will perform in search. This will help you compare search performance after the migration and determine the impact of the migration on traffic. The following two tools are required to track this data.

1. Setting up Google Analytics

The easiest way to track and monitor website traffic is to use the MonsterInsightsThe

It helps you to easily install Google Analytics on your website to monitor website traffic and show user sources. After installing MonsterInsights, you can view your website traffic performance by visiting the Insights " Reports page.

2. Setting up the Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool that helps website owners track their performance in Google search results. After registering and adding your website to Google Search Console, you will be asked to verify the ownership of your website. We recommend using All in One SEO for WordPress to verify website ownership.

Once verified, you can view your site's performance in search results under the "Performance" tab in the Google Search Console dashboard, including frequency of appearances, number of clicks, keywords ranked, and search ranking positions.

3. Download XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap lists all the content of a website in XML format so that search engines like Google can easily find and index it. For a better XML sitemap, it is recommended to use All in One SEO for WordPress. after creating the XML sitemap, download it to your computer.

4. Download URL with Screaming Frog SEO Spider (paid)

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is an application designed for SEO professionals. It allows you to crawl any website like a search engine and collect important data for SEO. Once the crawl is complete, the data is stored in the application's database and after migration you can compare the data to find missing URLs, broken links, and more.

5. Compare with Semrush Site Audit (paid)

Semrush is one of the best SEO platforms used by marketers and SEO professionals. A complete site audit can be performed before and after the migration, catching missing files, broken links, non-indexable URLs, 404 errors and other SEO warnings.

Step 2: Backup your website

Backups are one of the most important tools for keeping all your data safe. A full WordPress backup must be created before initiating major site changes such as a migration. It is recommended to use Duplicator plugin as it is the full backup and migration plugin for WordPress.

1. Installation and activation Duplicator Plug-ins.
2. Go to the Duplicator " Packages page and click "newly built" button and follow the on-screen instructions to create the package.

3. After creating the package, download it to your computer.

Step 3: Migrate your WordPress site (optional)

You can skip this step if you are not migrating your WordPress website to a new host or a new domain.

1. Migrating WordPress to a New HostAfter setting up a new hosting account, follow the step-by-step tutorial to move WordPress to a new host.
2. Migrating WordPress to a New DomainSwitching to a new domain name may temporarily impact search rankings and traffic. By switching domains correctly and following this SEO migration guide, you can minimize the impact and recover quickly.

Post-Migration SEO Inventory

After moving your WordPress website (to new hosting or a new domain), it's crucial to perform a post-migration SEO check. These steps will prevent the migration from having any negative impact on SEO and address potential issues before they become problems.

Step 4: Setupredirects

If you are migrating a WordPress website to a new domain, you must redirect users from the old domain to the new domain. This is crucial for a successful SEO migration. This can be done using the All in One SEO for WordPress or redirection plugin to set up redirection.

Step 5: Compare URLs

Perform a full site crawl, comparing all URLs on the new site with the old data. This can be done through XML sitemaps, Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Semrush's site audit tool.

Step 6: Fix Crawl Issues and URLs

When comparing URLs, you may encounter issues such as missing URLs, missing media, and so on. Check and manually fix any issues found.

Step 7: Migrate WordPress SEO Data

When switching WordPress SEO plugins, you need to migrate SEO data. all in One SEO plugin and other SEO plugins come with a built-in SEO data importer.

Step 8: Monitor SEO Performance After Migration

Keep a close eye on Google Analytics and Google Search Console reports to monitor traffic loss or search ranking drops after migration.

If you change your domain name, you need to reconfigure Google Analytics and Google Search Console and notify Google of the address change.

reach a verdict

SEO migration is a complex but necessary task, and by following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that you don't lose traffic and rankings during your website migration. Whether you are migrating your WordPress website to a new domain or a new host, proper SEO migration practices can help you maintain and improve your website's search performance.