Website migration that moves everything except your rankings
Platform, host or domain, the risk is the same: URLs change, content gets dropped, redirects get skipped and traffic falls. We inventory first, map every URL, migrate on staging and watch Search Console until it is settled.
At a glance
- Who it is for
- Businesses moving to WordPress from a closed builder, changing hosts, or consolidating domains
- Time to first signal
- Typically three to eight weeks depending on page count and platform
- Typical scope
- SEO baseline, URL and content inventory, redirect map, migration on staging, launch, 30-day monitoring
How do you migrate a website without losing SEO?
Inventory everything before touching anything: every URL with its traffic, rankings and backlinks, plus titles, headings and schema. Build the new site on staging with matching URLs where possible and a one-to-one redirect map for everything else. Carry content over intact, not trimmed. Test redirects, canonicals and the sitemap on staging, launch in a quiet window, submit the new sitemap and change of address if the domain moved, then watch Search Console daily for a month.
The migrations that go wrong share a pattern: the new site was built from a fresh sitemap with no reference to the old one, the redirects were written on launch day, and nobody checked Search Console until the phone stopped ringing. Every step in our process exists because of one of those.
Who this is for
- Businesses moving off Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy Website Builder or a proprietary agency platform
- Companies changing hosts because the current one is slow, expensive or unsupported
- Businesses rebranding to a new domain or merging two sites into one
- Owners who migrated once before, lost traffic, and do not want to repeat it
What you get
Named deliverables, so the monthly invoice always maps to work you can see.
SEO baseline
Rankings, traffic, backlinks and conversions recorded per URL before anything changes, so we can prove the migration held.
URL and content inventory
Every page, image, PDF and redirect on the old site, with a decision for each: keep, merge, improve or retire.
Redirect map
One-to-one 301 redirects for every changed or retired URL, including old redirects already in place, tested on staging and verified after launch.
Migration on staging
Content, media and metadata moved to WordPress on a private staging site, with titles, headings, alt text and schema preserved.
Launch checklist and execution
DNS, SSL, robots, sitemap, Search Console change of address (for domain moves), analytics and tracking all handled in one planned window.
30-day monitoring
Daily Search Console and analytics checks, crawl error handling and redirect fixes for the first month, included.
How the work runs
In order. Each step produces something you can review before the next one starts.
- 1
Baseline and inventory
We crawl the old site, export Search Console and analytics history, and build the URL inventory with a decision per page.
- 2
Mapping and plan
New URL structure (matching the old wherever sensible), the redirect map and the launch plan, approved by you.
- 3
Build or migrate on staging
Content and media moved, templates set up, metadata and schema carried over, internal links updated.
- 4
Pre-launch QA
Redirect tests, crawl comparison old versus new, speed and mobile checks, forms and tracking verified.
- 5
Launch and watch
Cutover in a quiet window, immediate checks, sitemap submitted, then thirty days of monitoring with fixes.
Platform, host and domain migrations compared
People say "migration" for three different projects. Each carries a different risk and a different checklist.
| Dimension | Platform (to WordPress) | Host change | Domain change |
|---|---|---|---|
| What changes | The CMS, templates and usually URLs | The server; the site should look identical | The address of every URL |
| Main SEO risk | Dropped content and unmapped URLs | Downtime, DNS errors, lost redirects or SSL | Google needing to re-associate authority with the new domain |
| Key safeguards | Inventory, redirect map, content parity checks | Staged copy, DNS plan, post-move crawl comparison | One-to-one redirects, Search Console change of address, updated citations and links |
| Typical timeline | Three to eight weeks | Days to two weeks | Two to six weeks plus a settling period |
How we measure it
- Organic clicks and impressions per URL before and after, from the baseline
- Redirect coverage and health: every old URL resolving correctly with no chains or 404s
- Index coverage on the new site matching or exceeding the old
- Crawl errors and Core Web Vitals in Search Console during the 30-day watch
What this cannot do
- Some fluctuation in the weeks after launch is normal while Google recrawls; monitoring catches problems, it does not prevent the recrawl
- Domain changes take longer to settle than platform or host moves, even when done perfectly
- Content that is deliberately retired will lose its rankings; the baseline tells us what we can afford to drop
- Closed platforms sometimes limit what can be exported; design is rebuilt, content is migrated
Website Migration questions, answered
Direct answers first. If your question is not here, ask it on the call.
Can you migrate my site from Wix or Squarespace to WordPress?
Yes. Content, images and metadata are exported or captured, URLs are matched where WordPress allows and redirected where they cannot be, and the design is rebuilt rather than copied. The rankings are protected with the same baseline and redirect process we use for every migration.
Will I lose rankings when I change my domain?
A domain change is the riskiest kind of migration, but with one-to-one redirects, Search Console's change of address tool, and updated citations and backlinks where possible, most sites recover within weeks to a few months. We set expectations up front and monitor closely.
How long does a website migration take?
A host change can be done in days. A platform migration to WordPress typically takes three to eight weeks depending on page count and how much content needs rebuilding. Domain changes add a settling period after launch. We give you a schedule in the proposal.
Do you handle hosting?
We recommend hosting that fits your traffic and budget, set it up and perform the move. The account is in your name. If you already have good hosting, we use it.
What about my email, DNS and SSL?
They are part of the launch checklist. DNS changes are planned so email is not interrupted, SSL is issued and tested on staging before cutover, and we verify everything after the switch.
What if something breaks after launch?
Thirty days of monitoring and fixes are included. We watch Search Console and analytics daily, fix redirect gaps and crawl errors as they appear, and remain available for anything that surfaces.
What we need to scope the project
- The goal of the site: more calls, quotes, bookings or orders
- New build or redesign, and the current platform if any
- Approximate page count and whether you sell online
- Examples of sites you like and your timeline
What happens next
- 1We review the details within one business day.
- 2A 20-minute scoping call to confirm pages, integrations and timeline.
- 3A fixed-price proposal with deliverables and a schedule you can hold us to.
Related services
Plan a migration that protects what you have built
Tell us where the site is today and where it is going. We will outline the inventory, the redirect plan and the timeline before anything moves.