WEBSITE MIGRATION SEO

Site migration SEO.Make the right move.

Migrating your website? Don’t leave it to chance. Effective website migration SEO ensures your site retains and boosts its SEO rankings, redirecting traffic and maintaining SERP results.

Technical SEO & redirects

Protect backlinks, traffic and ranking with extensive redirect and technical SEO support.

Site migration audits

Update internal links, optimise for keywords and retain valuable backlinks.

Site and SEO optimisation

We fix SEO issues and optimise content to rank more highly on your new site.

Reporting and analytics

Our SEO dashboards show site health, ranking and visibility pre and post-migration.

Protect traffic, retain backlinks and optimise your website for a seamless migration.

Making the leap to a new web hosting platform is a complex task. Our website migration SEO services ensure you retain traffic and get your new site off to the best start.

Keeping your website live, fully functional, and retaining all your hard-earned SEO rankings requires experts. That’s where our website migration services come into play – helping properly redirect traffic, maintain Google ranking positions, and boost overall SEO performance.

There’s more to a website migration than just moving files from one place to another. Your website needs to transition smoothly without any downtime or data loss. We can help you navigate this process and ensure you come out the other side with a perfectly migrated, fully functional website.

Our end-to-end web migration SEO services promise a smooth, secure and efficient transition, from initial planning to post-migration checks. We can help your business boost its online performance, enhance security and achieve scalability – all through a seamless and efficient website migration process. Experience smoother site operations, improved website speed, secured data and continuous post-migration support with our bespoke solutions.

SEMrush Agency Partner

We’re a fully Certified SEMrush Agency Partner – giving you a fast track to tried and tested SEO experts.

WP Engine Agency Partner

We’re a Certified WP Engine Agency Partner delivering professional SEO-ready web development at scale.

Cyber Essentials Certified

We’re Cyber Essentials certified and part of HMG’s Communication Marketplace for UK public procurement.

We work with brilliant brands

Technical SEO

With a keen focus on improving your website’s backend structure, our team ensures your site is easy to crawl and index, helping search engines understand and favour your site. Benefits from improved load times, optimised XML sitemaps, structured data and more.

We integrate with Google Search Console (GSC) and GA4 to identify critical pages, conduct in-depth site audits of the old and new site, and build 301 redirect maps to ensure link equity is passed to the new site. We use tools such as SEMrush and Screaming Frog to get beneath the bonnet and ensure your site is in perfect working order.

  • Ensure Google can crawl your new site more effectively.
  • Fix critical SEO issues during migration to rank highly.
  • Create 301 redirect maps to keep link equity and organic traffic.
Website migration Technical
Website migration SEO Audit

SEO audit

Before embarking on the migration process, we conduct a comprehensive SEO audit of your existing website. Armed with this data, we create a strategy that not only safeguards your current performance but also capitalises on opportunities for improvement. We use tools including Screaming Frog, SEMrush, Majestic, Ahrefs and Google Search Console to provide a comprehensive view of your site – what pages are critical and opportunities to improve SEO performance during migration. We benchmark SEO KPIs along with client SEO dashboards so we can monitor post-migration performance.

On page SEO Optimisation

Migrating a website isn’t just about setting up a server environment and migrating databases and files. We actively optimise site pages, conducting keyword research to identify ‘must win’ commercial keywords, and rewrite and update core site landing pages to help them rank better in Google.

We review and update internal links, ensuring the site can be found and crawled by Google, and create effective, accurate sitemaps including submission to Google Search Console. We build staging environments during migration, allowing you to test site functionality prior to migration so you know when it’s all systems go.

  • Build a better site that ranks higher and wins traffic.
  • Ensure Google can find, crawl and index your site.
  • Reduce the risk of lost traffic and broken backlinks.
Web migration onsite SEO
Website migration SEO reporting

SEO Reporting and Analytics

Post-migration, we provide a detailed report providing insights into your website’s performance, speed and other critical metrics. Trust us to provide precise, transparent, actionable insights throughout your website migration journey.

We use SEMrush, Google Looker Studio, Uptime Robot and SEOcrawl to provide live client dashboards that track traffic, ranking performance, keyword positions and traffic gains. With real-time monitoring, we spot broken links and 404 errors, identify orphaned pages and actively re-establish critical backlinks to your site to help boost organic traffic.

Start a website SEO migration project with us

Get on the road to SEO success!

Contact Us

Take the hassle out of website migration with our end-to-end SEO services that protect traffic, backlinks and rankings.

Don’t leave it to chance. Our 100% UK-based SEO and web development teams mean your website migration is in safe hands – from simple domain change to full rebranding and restructuring and from local to international SEO.


39.8%

Percentage of clicks that ranking in position #1 in Google drives to websites on average.

20%

Year-on-year growth of people using search engines to find, buy and discover websites.

88%

Percentage of marketing professionals actively investing in SEO for their business.

60%

Of pages ranking in the top 10 in Google are 3+ years old – so protect those backlinks!

“Submerge are SEO gurus – they go above and beyond.”

Julia Haycocks, Brew Republic Marketing Manager

Website migration without the hassle. And lost links. And lost traffic.

Successfuly website migrations are vital for maintaining business continuity. It’s crucial to protect your data, provide an uninterrupted experience for your users, and preserve your SEO rankings.

  • Retain SEO performance and traffic.
  • Keep vital SERP ranking positions.
  • Improve SEO metrics such as speed.

Our migration must not just transfer your website – it must lay a robust foundation for its future growth. We can help set you up for success in the long term.

When executed right, the success of a website migration provides tangible results, impacting both the user experience and your SEO rankings. A well-executed migration paves the way for scalability, enabling your website to accommodate business growth and increased traffic.

Website migrations can also encourage stronger security provisions, protecting vital business and customer data from potential threats. Our team of experts ensures your site’s smooth transition to its new environment while maintaining its full functionality and performance.

Position your business for future growth.

Website migration SEO - FAQs

A website migration is a process where a website undergoes substantial changes to significantly improve search engine visibility. These changes typically occur on the website’s CMS platform, structure, content, design, UX or location. It often involves moving the site from one domain to another, changing the site’s structure or layout, or moving it from one hosting provider to another.

Here are some of the key elements involved in a website migration:

  • Domain change – moving the site to a completely new domain. This may be due to rebranding or switching to a domain that better represents the business.
  • Content changes – changing the website’s content, like adding multiple new pages, removing pages, or changing the text significantly on important landing pages.
  • Platform change – moving from one CMS to another, such as moving from WordPress to Drupal or from a static HTML site to a CMS.
  • Site location change – changing the hosting provider or upgrading from an HTTP site to HTTPS for better security.
  • Site structure change – changing the website’s layout, such as changes in the URL structure, changes in the site’s navigation, or when merging or splitting content.

Website migration, when done correctly, can bring numerous benefits, including improved site performance and user experience, and even improved SEO performance.

However, if done incorrectly, it can lead to traffic loss, reduced search rankings, and poor site performance. This is why it’s usually recommended to have experts (like us!) handle the process to ensure a seamless and successful migration, from start to finish.

The duration of a website migration largely depends on the size and complexity of your website. Simple migrations can be completed within a few hours, while more challenging migrations involving large websites with numerous pages and custom features can take several days or even a few weeks.

Several factors can impact the duration of a website migration, including:

  • Size of the website – Large websites with numerous pages, images, and other assets typically require more time to migrate than smaller sites.
  • Custom applications/features – Custom-built features or applications may require careful reconfiguration during the migration process to ensure they function correctly in the new environment.
  • Size of the database – Sites with large or complex databases require precise handling to ensure no data is lost during the migration, which can extend the process.
  • Email accounts – Migrating email accounts associated with the domain can add additional time to the migration process.
  • DNS propagation – After the website migration is complete, the Domain Name System (DNS) records need to be updated. It can take anywhere from a few hours to 48 hours for these changes to propagate worldwide.

It’s essential to plan for these factors in advance and allow sufficient time for the migration. Plus, it’s generally best to schedule the migration during a period of low traffic to minimise potential disruptions.

Our team of experts always ensures a well-planned migration with proper execution and validation, providing continuous communication and support throughout the process.

Migrating your website to another host is a critical task that requires careful planning and execution to ensure a smooth transition and maintain your site’s search engine rankings – and Submerge can help. Here’s our step-by-step guide focusing on the key aspects and SEO techniques to consider.

Preparation

  • Audit your current website – Before anything else, perform a thorough audit of your current website. Identify all the URLs, the structure of your content, any existing SEO work, and metrics using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. This audit will be invaluable for comparing pre- and post-migration performance. Struggling? Our website migration SEO services can help.
  • Back up everything – Ensure you have a complete backup of your website, including all files, databases, and email accounts. Tools like cPanel or plugins for WordPress sites, such as UpdraftPlus, can facilitate this process.

Choose a new web host

  • Research – Look for a hosting provider that meets your needs in terms of performance, reliability, security, and customer support. Consider hosting companies with a strong presence in the UK market, such as SiteGround, Kinsta, or WP Engine, especially if your audience is primarily UK-based. We’re a WP Engine Agency Partner.
  • Purchase and set up – Once you’ve chosen a provider, purchase your plan and set up your account. Prepare the new environment by ensuring that it meets the technical requirements of your website, such as PHP version, MySQL database support, and any other specific technology your site uses.

Migrate your website

  • Manual migration – You can manually migrate your website by transferring files via FTP and importing your database through phpMyAdmin. This method gives you full control but does require technical knowledge.
  • Use a migration plugin or tool – Many hosting providers offer migration services or plugins, especially for popular CMS platforms like WordPress. Tools like Migrate Guru, Duplicator, or the hosting provider’s own migration tool can simplify the process.
  • DNS changes – After migrating your site, update your DNS settings to point to the new hosting provider. This involves changing the nameservers or A records through your domain registrar’s panel. Remember, DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate worldwide.

SEO checks

  • Maintain URL structure – To preserve your SEO rankings, keep your URL structure consistent. If changes are necessary, implement 301 redirects for all altered URLs.
  • Update internal links – Ensure all internal links point to the new URLs. Broken links can negatively impact your SEO and user experience.
  • Check and update Webmaster tools – Re-verify your site with Google Search Console and update your sitemap. This step is crucial for Google to understand your site’s new location and structure.
  • Monitor performance – After migration, closely monitor your website’s performance and SEO rankings. Look out for crawl errors in Google Search Console and use tools like Screaming Frog to identify any SEO issues.

Any business can benefit from a website migration.

Regardless of your business domain, the size of your organisation, or the nature of your website, website migration services can unlock a host of benefits. Whether your goals are faster site speed, stronger SEO, enhanced security, or preparing for the next phase of your business expansion – website migration can be a game changer!

We have helped an array of businesses – from digital storefronts to learning platforms – to migrate their websites successfully. Our dedicated team of migration experts is well-equipped to handle any challenges that come along the way, ensuring a migration process that is smooth, secure and specifically aligned with your unique business requirements. With our services, you can expect reduced downtime, increased SEO rankings and superior site functionality.

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