Master Your WordPress SEO Migration: The Essential Beginner’s Checklist

Migrating a WordPress website or switching to a new SEO plugin can be daunting. We understand this challenge from our own experience at CanadaCreate, where we were concerned about losing the traffic we had worked so hard to achieve.

Search traffic is crucial for any website’s success. It’s understandable to feel anxious about making a mistake that could impact your rankings. Remember, you are not alone in navigating this process.

With years of experience in helping users transition smoothly, we have valuable insights to share. This checklist is designed from real-world scenarios to help you manage the SEO migration process effectively and without issues.

Together, we will go through this process step by step, ensuring that your SEO settings are preserved and your website continues to succeed. You can count on our full support to make this transition a success.

In this guide, we will cover the following topics:

What Is SEO Migration?

SEO migration refers to a series of best practices aimed at preserving search rankings and SEO configurations during significant website changes.

Over the past 16 years, we have changed SEO plugins multiple times and migrated numerous websites. We’ve witnessed how these changes impact search rankings and learned how to prevent traffic loss.

By reflecting on our own successes and challenges, we have assisted many users in navigating SEO migrations to safeguard their valuable search rankings.

Search traffic often constitutes the majority of a website’s visitors. Even a small loss of this traffic during migration can greatly affect your site’s overall performance.

Based on our experience, here are some typical situations that may require SEO migration:

• Relocating a WordPress website to a new domain.
• Moving your site to a different WordPress hosting provider.
• Upgrading to a more robust WordPress SEO plugin.

To achieve a seamless migration, it’s essential to take necessary precautions to safeguard your website’s data and SEO settings.

Follow our comprehensive checklist to successfully migrate your WordPress SEO without sacrificing your rankings or traffic.

Preparing Your Website for Migration

Begin by preparing your WordPress website for migration. This includes setting up effective SEO tracking and creating a complete backup of your website.

Step 1: Monitor Your SEO Performance

Before initiating the migration, it’s crucial to assess your website’s current search performance. Understanding this data will help you compare results after the migration is complete.

Monitoring your SEO performance in advance enables you to identify any positive or negative shifts in traffic following the migration. This step is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of your migration efforts.

To accurately track this information, you will need two key tools.

1. Install Google Analytics

We suggest using MonsterInsights, the simplest way to set up and utilize Google Analytics on your WordPress site. It provides in-depth insights into your traffic, including visitor origins and their interactions with your site.

We rely on MonsterInsights across all our websites to ensure we have comprehensive traffic performance data. For more information, check out our MonsterInsights review.

For detailed instructions, refer to our guide on installing Google Analytics in WordPress.

Important:If you’re unfamiliar with Google Analytics, it might take some time for data to begin collecting and appearing.

After setting up MonsterInsights, you can track your traffic performance by going to the Insights » Reports section in your WordPress dashboard. This feature streamlines your workflow by providing analytics directly on your site.

For further information, check out our guide on tracking website visitors in WordPress to ensure you’re well-prepared for the migration.

2. Configure Google Search Console

We implement Google Search Console on all our websites to monitor search performance and gain valuable insights for website optimization. This free tool from Google is crucial for tracking your site’s performance in search results.

To begin, sign up and add your website to Google Search Console. The process is simple and provides access to essential data about your site.

You will need to verify ownership of your website by inserting a code snippet into your site’s header. This step guarantees that you have complete control over the data displayed in the Search Console.

We utilize the All in One SEO plugin for WordPress, which streamlines the process of adding verification codes, saving you both time and effort during the setup phase.

One of the standout features of All in One SEO is its advanced XML sitemaps. Unlike the basic sitemap generated by WordPress, AIOSEO enables you to incorporate additional content types.

For example, you can create sitemaps for Videos or News, which significantly enhance your site’s visibility, and you can also adjust priorities to assist search engines like Google in understanding and indexing your site more effectively. 👍

Submitting these sitemaps to Google Search Console allows Google to crawl and index your site more efficiently, boosting your search visibility. For further information, check out our review of All in One SEO.

After verifying your site, you’ll gain access to a wealth of insights. Navigate to the ‘Performance’ tab in your Search Console dashboard to examine essential metrics related to your site.

In this section, you can track how frequently your site appears in search results, monitor the number of clicks, analyze ranking keywords, and keep an eye on your search positions. It’s an invaluable tool for enhancing your SEO strategy.

For comprehensive guidance, refer to our tutorial on how to add your WordPress website to Google Search Console.

3. Download XML Sitemaps

An XML sitemap provides a structured list of all your website’s content in XML format, enabling search engines like Google to easily find and index your pages.

WordPress automatically creates a basic XML sitemap, but it lacks customization options and may not meet all your needs.

For more effective XML sitemaps, we suggest using All in One SEO for WordPress, which offers detailed and customizable sitemaps.

For step-by-step instructions, check out our tutorial on how to create an XML sitemap in WordPress.

After generating your XML sitemaps, make sure to download them to your computer.

To download an XML sitemap, simply open the file and choose ‘Save as’ from the right-click menu.

Repeat this process for each sitemap XML file you need to download.

4. Download URLs Using Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Paid)

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a powerful tool for SEO professionals that allows you to crawl any website, similar to how search engines do, and gather essential SEO data.

It scans all your website’s URLs, external links, image URLs, JavaScript, CSS files, and much more.

Launch the application on your computer. Before initiating your first crawl, it’s advisable to go toFile » Settings (orConfiguration » Spider » StorageIn some of the newer versions, change the ‘Storage Mode’ from ‘Memory Storage’ to ‘Database Storage’.

Why is this important? Database storage is more efficient for larger websites as it manages data better and simplifies saving and comparing different crawls later on, making it ideal for our pre and post-migration checks! 😉

Next, enter your website URL in the top bar and click the ‘Start’ button.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider will begin crawling your website. Please wait for the crawl to complete, which may take some time depending on the size of your website.

Once the crawl is complete, your data will be saved in the app’s database.

After the migration, you can crawl your website again and compare the data to identify any missing URLs, broken links, images, and other files.

Note:A free version of Screaming Frog software is available for download, but it is limited to 500 URLs, and many features are restricted. To perform a complete crawl and access all features, you will need the paid version.

5. Compare with Semrush Site Audit (Paid)

Semrush is one of the leading SEO platforms utilized by marketers and SEO professionals.

Conduct a thorough site audit both before and after your migration to identify changes in your SEO performance.

Semrush helps you identify missing files, broken links, non-indexable URLs, 404 errors, and other SEO issues.

Important Note:Semrush offers a free version, but it has limitations. To access a full SEO site audit, you will need a paid subscription.

Step 2: Create a Backup of Your Website

A backup is crucial for protecting all your data.

It’s advisable to set up automatic backups on your website to ensure a complete, up-to-date copy is always securely stored. This is essential for quick restoration in case of any issues.

You should also perform a full WordPress backup before making significant changes, like a migration.

There are various WordPress backup plugins available for this purpose.

We recommend Duplicator, as it is an all-in-one backup and migration plugin for WordPress.

We utilize it to back up many of our websites. Discover more about our experience in our detailed Duplicator review.

Creating a backup with Duplicator is incredibly straightforward.

Begin by installing and activating the Duplicator plugin. For detailed instructions, refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

After activation, navigate to the Duplicator » Backups section and click the ‘Add New’ button.

The Duplicator will initiate the backup wizard. Just follow the on-screen prompts to create your package.

Once the backup is complete, you can download it to your computer.

If you’re moving your WordPress site to a new server or domain, make sure to download both the package and installer files to your computer.

Step 3: Migrating Your WordPress Website (Optional)

If you’re not transferring your WordPress site to a new host or domain, you can skip this step.

Now that you have the Duplicator packages downloaded to your computer, you can proceed with migrating your WordPress site.

Migrating WordPress to a New Host

If you haven’t done so yet, you need to sign up with a new hosting provider.

We recommend Bluehost, one of the largest hosting companies globally and an officially endorsed WordPress hosting provider.

CanadaCreate users can take advantage of a special discount on hosting and receive a complimentary domain name. Start your journey for just $1.99 per month.

Reasons to Choose Bluehost

• User-friendly: Quick setup with an intuitive interface designed for beginners.
• Dependable hosting: Enjoy a 99.9% uptime guarantee to keep your site accessible.
• Cost-effective plans: Affordable pricing paired with excellent features.
• Round-the-clock support: Get expert assistance whenever you need it.

For further information, check out our comprehensive Bluehost review, which includes detailed performance testing results.

Other Options: Hostinger (Starting at $2.69/month) | SiteGround (Starting at $2.99/month)

You are prepared to transfer your website once your new hosting account is established.

Follow our detailed tutorial for a step-by-step guide on moving WordPress to a new hosting provider.

Transferring WordPress to a New Domain

This section is intended for users who are changing their WordPress site to a new domain name.

Keep the following considerations in mind before transitioning your website to a new domain name.

• Changing to a new domain may temporarily affect your search engine rankings as Google and other search engines adapt to the updates.
• Changing to a new domain can alsotemporarily decreaseyour search traffic. This is a common occurrence when changing domain names.

However, you can minimize the impact and quickly regain your traffic by correctly switching the domain and following this SEO migration guide.

Continue with our comprehensive tutorial on transferring WordPress to a new domain.

Once you have completed the transfer, return to this guide and follow the remaining steps.

Post-Migration SEO Checklist

After relocating your WordPress website (whether to a new host or a new domain), it’s time to conduct the post-migration SEO checks.

These steps will help prevent any negative SEO consequences from the migration and address potential issues before they escalate.

Step 4: Setting Up Redirects

If you have moved your WordPress site to a new domain, it is essential to redirect users from the old domain to the new one.

This step is vital for a successful SEO migration.

These redirects effectively guide users from your old domain to the new one and inform search engines that your website has relocated.

There are two simple methods to accomplish this in WordPress. We will demonstrate both.

Method 1: Configure Full Site Redirect with All in One SEO for WordPress

To use this method, you will need the All in One SEO for WordPress plugin. It is the top SEO plugin available for WordPress, enabling you to enhance your website’s SEO performance.

Begin by installing and activating the All in One SEO for WordPress plugin on yourprevious domain. For detailed instructions, refer to our comprehensive guide on installing a WordPress plugin.

Important:You must have at least the Pro version of the plugin to access the redirect manager add-on.

Once activated on your previous domain, navigate to theAll in One SEO » Redirectssection and click the ‘Activate Redirects’ button.

Then, switch to the ‘Full Site Redirect’ tab and enable the ‘Relocate Site’ option.

Next, input your new domain name in the ‘Relocate to domain’ field.

Remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to apply your settings. This action informs search engines and visitors that your entire site has permanently relocated, helping to maintain your SEO rankings and traffic at your new location!

Method 2: Set Up Redirects Using the Redirection Plugin

This method is applicable if you are not using the All in One SEO plugin for WordPress.

Begin by installing and activating the Redirection plugin on your previous domain. For detailed instructions, refer to our guide on installing a WordPress plugin.

After activation, navigate to theTools » Redirectionpage and select the Site tab.

In the Relocate Site section, enter your new domain name and click the Update button to save your changes.

The Redirection plugin will now seamlessly redirect all visitors and search engines from your old domain to your new one, which is crucial for maintaining your SEO value!

Step 5: Compare URLs

Next, conduct a thorough website crawl to compare all URLs on the new site with the data from the old site.

This data was gathered in the initial step to establish a benchmark for your SEO performance prior to the migration.

1. Compare URLs Using XML Sitemaps

Create XML sitemaps for your new website using the All in One SEO plugin. Then, download the XML sitemaps to your computer.

Simply compare the URLs in the new sitemap with those in the old sitemaps you downloaded earlier. For smaller sites, you can open both files (typically .xml files, which can be viewed in a browser or text editor) and visually check for any discrepancies.

Migrating a website with numerous URLs can be challenging. To simplify this process, consider using an online text comparison tool. By pasting the contents of both your old and new sitemaps, the tool will highlight any discrepancies. Pay special attention to URLs that appear in your old sitemap but are absent from the new one, and vice versa.

2. Utilize Screaming Frog SEO Spider for URL Comparison

If you have a paid subscription to Screaming Frog SEO Spider, you can easily compare two crawls of your website.

Launch the application and conduct a complete crawl of your new website. Once that’s done, navigate to the Mode » Compare tab and choose both the current and previous crawls.

For a more in-depth analysis, you can examine both crawls in various modes, such as List mode and Spider mode.

The Screaming Frog SEO Spider website offers a comprehensive tutorial on how to compare crawls effectively.

3. Use Semrush for URL Comparison

Another convenient method for comparing URLs is to use Semrush’s Site Audit tool.

If you set up Semrush prior to your migration with a paid subscription, you can compare it with the new crawl after the migration.

Semrush will automatically highlight any issues it detects in the Issues tab.

You can also automate the comparison of crawls before and after the migration.

Simply navigate to the ‘Compare Crawls’ tab to analyze the differences between a previous crawl and the most recent one.

Step 6: Resolving Crawl Issues and URLs

While comparing URLs, you may encounter several issues. The most common ones include:

• Missing URLs – A post or page from your old site is not available on your new site. To resolve this, you may need to create a new post or page, or set up a redirect (refer to Step 4 for redirect tools).
• Missing Media – An image, audio, or video file did not import successfully. To fix this, you can manually import the missing media file or establish a redirect.

Review any issues you identify and address them manually if necessary.

Step 7: Transferring WordPress SEO Data

WordPress SEO plugins store crucial SEO information in your WordPress database, including plugin settings, SEO metadata, redirects, focus keyphrases, and more.

Since you backed up your entire WordPress site during the migration, your SEO plugin and all associated SEO data should function immediately without any additional setup.

This step is intended for users who wish to change their WordPress SEO plugin and transfer SEO data from one plugin to another.

For instance, we recently transitioned from Yoast to All in One SEO, and it was essential to maintain all our SEO data during this process.

Fortunately, reputable WordPress SEO plugins come equipped with integrated SEO data import features.

For example, All in One SEO automatically recognizes other WordPress SEO plugins and provides an option to import SEO data during the initial setup.

You can also manually import SEO data through the plugin’s settings.

Simply navigate to the All in One SEO » Tools section and select the ‘Import / Export’ tab.

In the ‘Import Settings From Other Plugins’ area, select your previous SEO plugin and check the box for ‘All Settings’.

Click ‘Import’ to proceed, and All in One SEO will transfer all your SEO data from the previous plugin.

Other WordPress SEO plugins, such as Rank Math and Yoast SEO, also feature built-in importers and exporters for SEO data.

Step 8: Track SEO Performance After Migration

Now that you have successfully migrated WordPress while retaining your SEO, it’s important to monitor key marketing metrics, including analytics and Google Search Console.

If you haven’t changed your domain name, your existing Google Analytics and Google Search Console integrations will remain functional.

Keep monitoring those reports to track any potential traffic loss or decline in search rankings after the migration.

However, if you have moved your WordPress site to a new domain, you will need to set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console again.

Set Up Google Analytics

If you’re using MonsterInsights, navigate to the Insights » Settings section and scroll down to find the Google Authentication area.

Click the downward arrow to expand the Website Profile section, then click the ‘Reconnect MonsterInsights’ button.

MonsterInsights will reauthenticate your website with Google Analytics and automatically create a new data stream for your new domain name.

For users who have manually integrated Google Analytics in WordPress, you will need to add your new domain as a Data Stream in Google Analytics.

Log in to your Google Analytics account and click the gear icon in the bottom left corner to access the admin view.

Next, navigate to the Data collection and modifications » Data streams section and click the ‘Add stream’ button.

Choose ‘Web’ as your stream type, then enter your new domain and website title.

Press the ‘Create stream’ button to save your configurations.

Google Analytics will begin tracking data from your new domain.

Reconfigure Google Search Console

Next, you must reconfigure Google Search Console to notify Google about your address change.

First, add your new domain as a new property in Google Search Console. Follow our guide for detailed instructions on adding your site.

Important:Make sure to use the same Google account associated with your previous domain.

After adding your new domain to Google Search Console, switch back to your old domain profile.

For the next step to function, Google Search Console must confirm that you have set up 301 redirects from your old domain to your new one. This was covered in Step 4, so you should be good to go!

If you missed that step, we recommend going back to complete it now.

You have successfully notified Google about your address change.

This process may take some time, but eventually, your new domain will start showing up in search results instead of your old one. Google indicates that this can take up to 180 days, although you might notice changes happening much sooner.

The good news is that throughout this transition, you shouldn’t experience a drop in traffic, as the 301 redirects you implemented will continue to direct users and search engine authority to your new domain!

Common Questions About WordPress SEO Migration

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding SEO migration for WordPress websites.

1. What steps are involved in an SEO migration?

Start by backing up your website and monitoring its performance using Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Next, transfer your website data, including all SEO-related information.

If you’re changing to a new domain name, make sure to set up 301 redirects. Lastly, use the Change of Address tool in Google Search Console to inform Google about your new URL.

2. How can I migrate my website while preserving SEO?

By implementing the right redirects and utilizing Google Search Console, you can seamlessly migrate your website without compromising your SEO.

3. Will migrating my domain improve SEO traffic?

The impact on SEO traffic during a domain migration depends on the new domain you choose. If your new domain aligns better with your website’s content or targets a specific geographic audience, you may see an increase in SEO traffic.

Additional Resources

Here are some valuable resources to assist you in managing SEO migrations and monitoring search performance.

• Essential Marketing Data to Monitor on Every WordPress Site
• How to Verify if Your WordPress Blog Posts Are Ranking for Relevant Keywords
• How to Evaluate Keyword Density, Correct Over-Optimization, and Conduct Competitor Analysis
• Strategies to Double Your SEO Traffic in 6 Months (Including Case Studies)
• How to Analyze Website Traffic for Any Site (Top 8 Tools)

We hope this WordPress SEO migration checklist proves useful for your website transitions. Additionally, check out our comprehensive WordPress SEO guide for an in-depth SEO process and our expert recommendations for the best domain name registrars if you’re considering a new domain name.

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