As we near the end of Magento 1, platform migrations are front of mind and the topic of conversations. You may or may not be aware that migrating to a new platform and other major changes to your website can affect all the hard work your marketing team has done on SEO and getting you to page one!

Thankfully, our friends at Reload Media have kindly given us the low down on SEO migration.

What is an SEO migration?

An SEO migration is a type of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) project that takes place when you replace an old website with a new one, or your website undergoes substantial changes in structure, content, design or user experience. When this happens, Google and other search engines need to know what’s changed. If you don’t migrate your site properly, you run the risk of losing your search engine rankings and organic traffic.

Do I need an SEO migration?

Yes, if you are:

– Moving your site to a new hosting platform or server (e.g. moving from Magento to Shopify)
– Changing your site’s domain
– Changing the substantial structure of your site (pages and URLs)
– Changing substantial content on your site
– Changing the substantial design of your site
– Changing the substantial UX on your site

What can be the impact of not migrating my website?

– If you don’t migrate your website properly, Google and other search engines won’t have a complete view of your website anymore
– A poorly executed SEO migration can result in organic traffic drops of up to 50%
– The average time to recover from a poorly executed SEO migration is 12 months
– The process of implementing a new website can cost thousands of dollars. You don’t want to invest significant amounts of time and money into your new site, only to find that your search engine rankings and organic traffic has dropped as a result
– If you don’t migrate your site properly you risk losing all your past SEO efforts

How do I migrate?

It’s important to undertake a properly planned and executed SEO migration. Reload advises starting the SEO migration process the moment you know you’re going to be upgrading your website. At the very least, allow 3-4 weeks before the website changeover. The migration itself is made up of many components, and varies greatly depending on your existing website’s size, platform and content.

At Reload Media, the approach to SEO migrations involves six steps to ensure that nothing is missed:

– Identify all Current & Past URLs
– Undertake a Risk Assessment for Current Rankings & Traffic
– Map all URLs
– Pre-Launch Checks
– Post-Launch Actions
– Post-Launch Audit & Monitoring

Reload Media is a leading digital marketing agency headquartered in Brisbane, working with you to deliver a tailored solution to your digital problems.

If you’re looking to migrate your online store, get in touch with Convert Digital to find out what the right platform for your business is.