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Website Migration SEO Checklist

By Jeremy Kenerson, Founder and CEO at DeskTeam360

Last updated . Every Google rule on this page was checked October 1, 2026.

A website migration SEO checklist has three parts. Before the move, save a baseline, list every page and map each old address to its new one. During the move, set up permanent redirects, such as 301 or 308, which Google recommends when addresses change, and make sure the new site isn't hidden from Google. After the move, file a Change of Address if the domain changed, submit the new sitemap, test every redirect, and leave the redirects in place for at least a year.

What goes on a website migration checklist?

Every step that gets your pages, redirects and accounts safely to the new address, with who does it. Tick each box as you go.

Before the move

# Step Who does it Done
1 Confirm the domain, hosting and every login are in your name You ☐
2 Back up the full site: files and database Your developer ☐
3 List every page address and its title Your developer ☐
4 Save a baseline: top pages, their visits, and their search terms from Search Console You ☐
5 Build the redirect map: each old address next to its new one Your developer, and you approve it ☐
6 Ask your developer about the DNS TTL. A shorter TTL lets a change reach visitors sooner Your developer ☐
7 Set up the new site on a test copy behind a password Your developer ☐

During the move

# Step Who does it Done
8 Move the content, keeping titles and main text for pages that stay Your developer ☐
9 Turn on permanent redirects (301 or 308), each straight to its final page Your developer ☐
10 Update links inside the site to the new addresses Your developer ☐
11 Point canonical tags at the new addresses Your developer ☐
12 Make HTTPS work on every page. A switch from HTTP to HTTPS is a site move too Your developer ☐
13 Move analytics and tracking codes to the new site Your developer ☐
14 Remove the password and any noindex tags, and check robots.txt doesn't block real pages Your developer ☐
15 Submit the new sitemap in Search Console Your developer ☐

After the move

# Step Who does it Done
16 If the domain changed, file a Change of Address in Search Console You or your developer ☐
17 Test old addresses. Each should land on the right page in one step Your developer ☐
18 Fix broken pages and error messages Your developer ☐
19 Compare top pages with your baseline every week You ☐
20 Keep the redirects as long as possible, generally at least 1 year You ☐
21 If the domain changed, keep paying for the old one for at least a year You ☐
22 Turn off access for anyone who no longer needs it You ☐

Step 1 comes first for a reason. For what happens when a helper controls the hosting, see the story in website migration.

What does SEO need from a website migration?

SEO needs every old address to lead straight to the right new page, and the content people found you for to come through the move. Google's rules for that:

  • Redirect type: permanent and on the server. Google names 301 and 308 as examples.
  • No chains: Googlebot follows up to 10 hops, but Google advises sending each address straight to its final page.
  • How long: keep the redirects as long as possible, generally at least 1 year.
  • Finding the new pages: submit the new sitemap in Search Console. A sitemap helps Google find pages, though it doesn't promise they'll be indexed.
  • Not hidden: a noindex tag drops a page from Google's results, and robots.txt isn't a way to keep pages out of Google. Remove both blocks from the live site.

If you're redesigning at the same time, see website redesign SEO for what to keep on each page.

A migration has a long list of small jobs. The Ultimate Task Delegation Template helps you sort which ones to hand off. You get the template plus a video walkthrough.

Get the Task Delegation Template

The button opens the template page on DeskTeam360's site.

How do you use Google's Change of Address tool?

Use it when you move to a new domain or subdomain. You don't need it for a move from HTTP to HTTPS. It's a step in Google Search Console that tells Google the old domain now lives at the new one.

  1. Set up the redirects first, from every old address to its new one.
  2. Check that both sites are in Search Console under your account.
  3. File the Change of Address for the old domain, pointing to the new one.
  4. Keep the redirects for at least 180 days. That's the floor in Google's Change of Address help. Google's site-move guide says to keep them generally at least 1 year.
  5. Keep paying for the old domain for at least a year, so no one else buys it and uses it.

What should you check after the migration?

Check that old addresses redirect to the right pages, that nothing is blocked or broken, and that Google is visiting the new pages. Google says a move isn't done until Googlebot has visited every old and new address at least once, and there's no fixed crawl speed, so keep checking for a while.

  1. Redirects. Open a sample of old addresses, starting with your top pages. Each should land on its new page in one step.
  2. Blocks. No noindex tags or robots.txt rules on real pages.
  3. Canonical tags. Each page's canonical points at its own new address.
  4. HTTPS. Every page loads securely, with no warnings.
  5. Analytics. Visits are being recorded on the new site.
  6. Sitemap. The new sitemap lists only new addresses, and Search Console has it.
  7. Errors. "Not found" pages get a redirect or a fix.
  8. Traffic. Top pages compared with your baseline, every week.

For the bigger picture of a move, see how moving a website works from start to finish.

More on redesign and migration

Most of this list is developer work. The template helps you decide which steps to hand off, and to whom.

Get the Task Delegation Template

The button opens the template page on DeskTeam360's site. You get the template plus a video walkthrough.

Sources

All checked October 1, 2026.

What changed

  • October 1, 2026: First version of this page.
  • October 1, 2026: Added the Change of Address steps, DNS TTL, HTTPS, canonical, analytics, noindex and sitemap checks. Fixed the old-domain line to match Google's Change of Address help. The checklist is now three tables.
  • October 1, 2026: Cut the old-sitemap step (no source) and reworded the DNS TTL step to match Cloudflare's guidance.