SEO Migration
SEO migration of a website
Website SEO migration is a complex and very important process that every company should pay attention to when approaching it.
The process can bring with it a number of risks (such as losing traffic and therefore potential sales), but don't worry, our job is to understand how to do it right, to avoid damage: taking SEO migration work lightly can easily affect the positioning of your website and your keywords, which you may have worked on for years.
RichClicks provides a support, consultancy and implementation service for all phases of website SEO migration, domain transfer and SEO redirect. Keyword after keyword, meta tag after meta tag. Keyword: don't lose the online visibility you have gained.
Do you need to perform an SEO migration of your website?
We'll take care of it, here's how.
SEO migration and SEO for E-Commerce: what is it for?
The SEO migration of a website serves to avoid losing your search engine rankings, to avoid a drop in organic traffic, and to improve and increase the visibility of your website content and incoming traffic. All of this, of course, if you are moving your website and domain elsewhere, means that you don't have to lose any boxes along the way: it is essential to ensure the continuity of the SEO approach implemented up to that point, especially at the organic level.
You will understand, however, that this is an important and delicate activity that needs to be studied and organised with care and precision. Yes, because in order to avoid damaging the traffic that guarantees the SEO positioning of a website (and yes: also in terms of SEO for e-commerce!), every potential change has its value.
At this stage, let's start by talking about some basics, telling you first of all that migrating a website from an SEO perspective differs from simple updates, because it can imply serious changes (the platform hosting the website, the structure, the content, the position or the design): all the components in play must be in place to change the setting or technology, favouring the passage of the keywords that have accompanied you so far.
In short, yes: it is a process that can be very challenging, especially if the authority acquired by the website over time is solid.
RichClicks intervenes in the SEO migration of a website of any type and feature, acting with the most dedicated tools with an all-round consultancy: from your old website to a new domain, the process is evaluated so that it is clear how to take care of every aspect.
Let's see together the most important points on which to intervene.
SEO Migration Strategy: How to do it and key factors
An SEO migration strategy is necessary, as we said, in order not to lose the value that your website has acquired so far, be it a strong Domain Authority, Link Popularity and other Google ranking factors that you have consolidated so far. So what do I need to keep an eye on, you may be wondering?
There are a few key factors to keep an eye on especially in the case of:
Domain change
If you are changing the name of your website, it is crucial to organise all the necessary steps from an SEO perspective: this is the basis of the migration
TLD (top level domain) change
If you have a multi-language website and you need to optimise one or more specific languages, the whole SEO structure will change from the domain mywebsite.co.uk/uk/ to the so-called "top level" domain, which will simply become mywebsite.uk
HTTP/HTTPS protocol change
If you already have an SSL certificate and you want to change the protocol of your website address, which is now standard practice to secure your website!
Changing platform
If you are moving to another content management system (CMS), from Wordpress to Webflow or from Webflow to Joomla, keep an eye on everything you need to implement correctly
Updating layout and graphics of current website
If you decide to combine the interface of the mobile version of your website with the desktop version using a single address, e.g. m.website.com to website.com
Updating a group of strategic pages
For example, updating the entire product catalogue of your e-commerce, your blog, etc.: SEO plays an important role here too (and how!).
Too much stuff? Don't worry, we'll explain it to you step by step.
From an old website page, from the pre-migration to the post-migration and analysis period (passing through 301 redirects to the right path and nice 404 errors): let's see together everything we need to know before and after our SEO migration.
Magento vs Shopify for SEO Migration
When migrating an SEO-focused website, it's important to consider the specific needs and expertise of your business. Magento's open-source nature allows for extensive control over SEO elements, such as meta tags, URLs, and structured data. This level of customization is beneficial for businesses with specific SEO requirements and the technical knowledge to optimize these elements effectively.
On the other hand, Shopify simplifies the migration process by handling technical SEO aspects automatically. Its user-friendly interface ensures that important factors like page speed, mobile responsiveness, and canonical tags are taken care of without requiring extensive technical expertise. This makes Shopify an attractive choice for businesses seeking a hassle-free SEO migration experience.
Magento vs Prestahop for SEO Migration
Similarly, PrestaShop offers flexibility in terms of SEO optimization and customization. As an open-source platform, it allows businesses to have granular control over SEO elements and implement specific SEO strategies. However, migrating to PrestaShop may require technical expertise to ensure a smooth transition and to optimize SEO elements effectively.
In summary, Magento and PrestaShop offer extensive customization and control over SEO elements, making them suitable for businesses with specific SEO requirements and technical expertise. On the other hand, Shopify provides a user-friendly interface and handles technical SEO aspects automatically, making it an ideal choice for businesses looking for a streamlined and efficient SEO migration process.
Planning migration, new domain and SEO redirects
If we have optimised our website for SEO from the start, it will over time become more and more valuable in the eyes of the search engine algorithm.
This is a lengthy process that needs to be taken care of over time, and is determined by the design of the content originally chosen, an optimal search for meta tags or any incoming links acquired over time through various activities. In order for a given page to gain value and position, it must be optimised for search engines, be able to be read and analysed by spiders, and always be in good shape (and up to date) for the keywords it is targeting.
So what does a transfer of SEO information or even a move to a new domain entail?
That there is content to move and a new sitemap to build: you will have to update and redirect all your URLs and their SEO meta descriptions, not to mention your internal links, alt-texts, various backlinks and tags. And, of course, you need to let Google know that your site will be moving house.
Any migration project will cause a temporary drop in traffic while the search engines process the changes and update their indexes accordingly. But if you want to minimise the disruption and avoid a potential catastrophe, there is a way: plan your SEO migration well before your project starts.
By taking the time to draw up a detailed roadmap to perform the migration, you greatly increase the chances that Google and Bing will eventually treat your new website as they did the original. In fact, if everything is done right, definitely better!
Optimisation of the user experience, both before and after the whole process, search engine rankings to be preserved, content structure following the right SEO guidelines, from homepage to blog, from contacts to footer.
So, if you're redesigning your website, switching to another CMS, changing domain or subdomain, converting from HTTP to HTTPS, or revamping the architecture of your site, well, you've got a lot to think about in terms of SEO (not to mention Sitemap.xml, robots.txt, structured data, and much more, but OK: we'll take care of the technique!).
Before we take a compulsive ride on Google Analytics to monitor traffic, let's take a look at a list of things to know.
SEO migration: objectives and to-do list
Well, there you have it: the goal now is to ensure an optimal migration setup, assisted by the guarantee of maximum attention to the existing structure we are working on, which will be modified: our agency specialised in SEO migration takes care of all these steps, during and especially after the domain transfer phase.
It is very important to understand the differences between a website migration and a simple update, so that we can identify situations where this is the only solution to improve performance.
So let's review some of the reasons for choosing a website migration, with all the whys:
Changing the structure, navigation or design of your website
When it comes to a complete change in website structure or navigation improvements, migration is the most efficient process. However, it must be considered that structural changes often involve altering the taxonomy of your website which can affect site navigation and internal links.
Moving to a new framework or CMS
Before making any big decisions: do we need to switch to a new technology? It is crucial to understand if it is what our website really needs, if it is the right time to do it and if it is the only option we have to improve its structure.
Adding a mobile version
In the era of mobile-first indexing and considering the immense ratio between mobile and desktop traffic, it is impossible not to think about optimising for mobile platforms. We are at a time when a mobile version is no longer an option, it is a must! If you have a website that is only ready to browse from a desktop, you simply don't exist for the market (and for Google!). For this reason, adding a mobile version is definitely one of the best reasons to migrate a website.
Switching from HTTP to HTTPS
Another good reason to consider a website migration is to implement the HTTPS protocol on your website. This is not only important from a security point of view, but also to ensure a good user experience, as most browsers will display a warning for unprotected pages. If implementing HTTPS is your reason for a website migration, let us give you some advice: you can start with the pages that store users' personal information, instead of switching your entire website to HTTPS immediately.
Switch to a new server
If you are not satisfied with the performance of your server or your hosting conditions, you might consider switching to another host. Changing your server is one of the reasons why you might consider migrating your website.
Changing the domain name
Re-branding or finding a better URL are great reasons to want to change your domain name. If this is the case, you will need a website migration, and also a concrete SEO migration.
SEO Agency for Consulting, Positioning and Migration
Website SEO migration can be very useful for improving the layout and performance, but as we have seen it is important to understand all the right reasons for doing it. It is more challenging than a simple update, and involves planning, testing, and constant monitoring, if we decide to go through with it (making sure, in the case, that there are no other possible ways to improve our website).
SEO positioning is an endeavour that requires perseverance and work on which a digital marketing agency concentrates its efforts during each daily activity. RichClicks makes SEO consultancy a must for clients with an ever-changing background, needs and characteristics, striving for perfection.
Looking for the perfect SEO migration for your website?
