Website Migration Checklist: 30 Steps to Switch Platforms Without Losing Rankings

Why Migrations Fail

Most website migrations that lose rankings fail for the same reasons: changed URLs without redirects, altered meta tags, broken internal links, or missing schema markup. Every one of these is preventable with a systematic checklist.

This 30-step checklist covers pre-migration (planning and documentation), during migration (building and testing), and post-migration (launch and monitoring). Follow it in order and your rankings will survive the transition. In many cases, the speed improvement from a better platform actually improves rankings within weeks.

For platform-specific guidance, see our WordPress migration guide and Webflow migration guide.

Pre-Migration: Steps 1-10

1. Crawl your current site. Use Screaming Frog (free under 500 URLs) to export every URL, title tag, meta description, H1, canonical URL, and internal link.
2. Export your sitemap. Save your current sitemap.xml as a baseline reference.
3. Record current PageSpeed scores. Test your top 10 pages on mobile. These are your "before" numbers.
4. Record current keyword rankings. Use Google Search Console or a rank tracker to document positions for your top 20 keywords.
5. Document all redirects. If your current site has any 301 redirects in place, document them. They need to carry over to the new platform.
6. Export CMS content. Blog posts, team bios, portfolio items, testimonials. WordPress: use the built-in XML export. Webflow: use the CMS API or manual copy.
7. Download all media files. Images, PDFs, videos. Organize by page so nothing is missed.
8. Document schema markup. If your site has Organization, LocalBusiness, Article, FAQ, or other structured data, capture it for replication.
9. List all third-party integrations. Forms (Formspree, HubSpot), analytics (GA4), tracking (Meta Pixel), chat, booking tools. Each needs reconnecting on the new site.
10. Set a launch date. Tuesday or Wednesday. Not Friday. You want 3 business days to monitor and fix issues before the weekend.

During Migration: Steps 11-20

11. Match URL structure exactly. If the old site used /about/, the new site must serve /about/. Not /about-us/. Not /about without the trailing slash. Exact match.
12. Replicate all title tags exactly. Copy from your crawl export. Do not "improve" them during migration. Optimize after the migration stabilizes (4-6 weeks).
13. Replicate all meta descriptions exactly. Same principle. Preservation first, optimization later.
14. Replicate heading structure. Same H1 on each page. Same H2 organization. Google uses heading structure as a content signal.
15. Replicate schema markup. Copy structured data from the old site or improve it. Use the same @type, same properties. Test with Google's Rich Results Test.
16. Set up 301 redirects for changed URLs. Any URL that changed needs a 301 redirect from old to new. WordPress admin URLs (/wp-admin/, /wp-login.php), feed URLs, and pagination URLs all need redirects.
17. Reconnect third-party integrations. GA4 tracking code, Meta Pixel, form endpoints, chat widgets. Test each one on the staging site.
18. Optimize images during rebuild. Convert to WebP, add srcset, add explicit dimensions. This is the one improvement you should make during migration because it compounds with the platform speed improvement.
19. Test on a staging URL. Deploy the new site to a staging domain. Crawl it with Screaming Frog. Compare every URL and meta tag against the original crawl export.
20. Fix all discrepancies. Every missing URL, changed title, or broken link found in step 19 must be fixed before launch.

Post-Migration: Steps 21-30

21. Update DNS. Point your domain to the new hosting. Propagation takes 1-24 hours. During propagation, some visitors see the old site, some see the new one.
22. Submit new sitemap to Search Console. Go to Google Search Console > Sitemaps > submit the new sitemap URL. Google will re-crawl your pages within hours.
23. Request indexing for top pages. Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console to manually request indexing for your 10 most important pages.
24. Monitor Search Console for 404 errors. Check the Coverage report daily for the first 2 weeks. Any new 404 means a URL was missed in migration.
25. Monitor keyword rankings daily. Minor fluctuations (1-3 positions) are normal during re-indexing. Drops of 10+ positions indicate a migration issue.
26. Verify all forms work. Submit a test through every form on the site. Verify the submission arrives at the correct email.
27. Verify all tracking fires. Check GA4 real-time report, Meta Events Manager, and any other tracking tools. Confirm events are recording.
28. Run PageSpeed on all key pages. Record your "after" scores. Compare against the pre-migration baselines from step 3.
29. Check Core Web Vitals in Search Console. The report uses a 28-day rolling average. Check weekly for the first month. All pages should move from "poor" or "needs improvement" to "good" as the faster site accumulates field data.
30. Wait 4-6 weeks before optimizing. Let the migration stabilize. Do not change title tags, URLs, or meta descriptions during this period. After 4-6 weeks with stable rankings, you can begin optimizing.

Need help with your migration? We handle steps 1-30 for every client. WordPress migrations start at $2,500. Webflow migrations start at $3,000. Start with a free audit or see pricing.