# SEO Migration Plan > Plans website migrations with redirect mapping, risk assessment, and monitoring checklist. Use when changing domains, platforms, or redesigning your site. - Skill: `reaperinvest/seo-migration-plan` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/seo-migration-plan` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/seo-migration-plan/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Marketing & Growth - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/seo-migration-plan --- # SEO Migration Plan ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Migrate a website to a new domain, platform, or URL structure - Create a comprehensive redirect map to preserve SEO value - Assess and mitigate risks of traffic loss during migration - Build a monitoring plan for post-migration recovery **DO NOT** use this skill for routine site updates, content changes, or adding new pages. This is for structural website changes that affect URLs, domains, or platforms. --- ## Core Principle A BOTCHED MIGRATION CAN DESTROY YEARS OF SEO PROGRESS OVERNIGHT — THE GOAL IS ZERO LOST PAGES, ZERO BROKEN LINKS, AND MINIMAL RANKING DISRUPTION THROUGH METICULOUS REDIRECT PLANNING. --- ## Phase 1: Migration Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Migration type** | "What is changing? (domain, platform, URL structure, redesign, HTTPS)" | No default — must be provided | | **Current site** | "What is the current domain and platform?" | No default — must be provided | | **New site** | "What is the new domain/platform?" | No default — must be provided | | **Timeline** | "When is the migration planned?" | No default — must be provided | | **Current traffic** | "How much organic traffic does the site get monthly?" | Unknown | | **Page count** | "Approximately how many pages does the current site have?" | Under 100 | **GATE: Confirm migration details before building the plan.** --- ## Phase 2: Pre-Migration Audit ### Current Site Inventory ``` ## Site Crawl Checklist - [ ] Crawl entire current site (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or manual) - [ ] Export all URLs with status codes - [ ] Document all pages with organic traffic (Google Analytics) - [ ] Document all pages with backlinks (Google Search Console or Ahrefs) - [ ] Save current rankings for top 50 keywords - [ ] Screenshot key pages (homepage, top landing pages) - [ ] Export Google Search Console data (last 16 months) - [ ] Document all current redirects already in place ``` ### Redirect Map ``` ## Redirect Map Template | Old URL | New URL | Status | Priority | |---------|---------|--------|----------| | /old-page-1 | /new-page-1 | 301 | High (has traffic) | | /old-page-2 | /new-page-2 | 301 | High (has backlinks) | | /old-page-3 | / (homepage) | 301 | Low (no traffic) | | /removed-page | /relevant-alternative | 301 | Medium | **Rules:** - EVERY old URL gets a 301 redirect — no exceptions - Redirect to the most relevant equivalent page - If no equivalent exists, redirect to the parent category or homepage - Preserve redirect chains from previous migrations ``` ### Risk Assessment ``` ## Migration Risk Level **Low Risk:** HTTPS migration, minor URL changes - Expected traffic dip: 5-10% for 2-4 weeks **Medium Risk:** Platform migration with URL changes - Expected traffic dip: 10-20% for 4-8 weeks **High Risk:** Domain change or major restructure - Expected traffic dip: 20-40% for 2-4 months **Mitigation:** Thorough redirect mapping, staged rollout if possible, immediate monitoring ``` **GATE: Approve the redirect map and risk assessment before proceeding.** --- ## Phase 3: Migration Execution Plan ### Pre-Launch Checklist ``` ## Before Flipping the Switch - [ ] All redirects configured and tested on staging - [ ] New sitemap.xml generated - [ ] Robots.txt updated for new site structure - [ ] Canonical tags pointing to new URLs - [ ] Internal links updated to new URLs (not relying on redirects) - [ ] Google Analytics/tracking code installed on new site - [ ] Google Search Console verified for new domain (if domain change) - [ ] Schema markup updated with new URLs - [ ] Social media profiles updated (if domain change) - [ ] Email links and signatures updated ``` ### Launch Day Checklist ``` ## Migration Day - [ ] Deploy redirects - [ ] Submit new sitemap to Google Search Console - [ ] Request indexing for top 20 pages via URL Inspection - [ ] Test 20 random old URLs — confirm redirects work - [ ] Test all main navigation links on new site - [ ] Verify analytics tracking is firing on new site - [ ] Check for crawl errors in Search Console - [ ] Monitor server response times (migration load) ``` ### Post-Migration Monitoring (First 30 Days) ``` ## Daily (Week 1): - Check Google Search Console for crawl errors - Monitor organic traffic vs. pre-migration baseline - Test random URLs for redirect functionality - Check server logs for 404 errors ## Weekly (Weeks 2-4): - Compare keyword rankings to pre-migration snapshot - Review indexation rate of new URLs - Check for redirect chains or loops - Monitor Core Web Vitals on new platform ## Monthly (Months 2-4): - Full ranking comparison vs. pre-migration - Traffic recovery trend analysis - Backlink profile check (ensure links pass through redirects) - Address any remaining 404s or redirect issues ``` --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### 1. Communication Plan - Notify key stakeholders of expected traffic dip - Prepare customer-facing communication if domain changes - Update third-party listings and directory citations ### 2. Recovery Timeline Set expectations: most sites recover within 4-12 weeks. Full recovery to pre-migration levels takes 2-4 months for medium-risk migrations. ### 3. Rollback Plan If critical issues arise: - Define rollback triggers (traffic drop >50%, major functionality broken) - Keep old site accessible on staging for 30 days - Document how to reverse redirects if needed --- ## Anti-Patterns - **No redirect map** — launching a new site without redirecting old URLs is the fastest way to lose all organic traffic. - **Using 302 redirects instead of 301** — 302 is temporary and does not pass full SEO value. Always use 301 for permanent migrations. - **Redirect chains** — old-page → intermediate-page → new-page loses value at each hop. Redirect directly from old to final URL. - **Removing old content without redirecting** — even "low traffic" pages may have backlinks. Redirect everything. - **Not monitoring after launch** — problems surface in the first 48 hours. Watch closely or they compound. --- ## Recovery - **Migration already happened without redirects:** Implement redirects immediately. Some rankings can be recovered even weeks later. Check Search Console for crawl errors. - **Traffic dropped more than expected:** Verify all redirects are working, check for noindex tags on new pages, and ensure the sitemap is submitted. - **Too many pages for manual redirect mapping:** Group old URLs by pattern (e.g., /blog/YYYY/MM/slug → /blog/slug) and use regex-based redirect rules. - **Old domain expiring:** Renew the old domain and keep redirects active for at least 12 months, ideally 24 months.