Platform changes, domain moves, redesign launches, e-commerce platform shifts. 150+ migrations completed with zero traffic loss. Every URL mapped, every redirect tested in staging, three rounds of post-launch validation. The kind of migration that does not end in a recovery project.
Most migration disasters share the same root causes. Rushed redirect maps. Missing canonicals. Broken schema. Sitemaps that never get resubmitted. Search Console properties not updated for the new domain. Old URLs accidentally allowed to 404. Every one of those mistakes is preventable. None of them are mysteries. What is missing on most migrations is a documented process that catches each one before launch.
Complete 1-to-1 documented mapping of every old URL to its new location. No bulk catch-all redirects to the homepage. No accidentally orphaned URLs. Every URL has a documented decision: kept, redirected, or removed with a reason. The mapping is reviewed by both us and the client before any redirect is implemented.
Every redirect is a 301 (permanent), not a 302. Every redirect is tested in staging before deploying to production. No redirect chains (URL A redirects to URL B which redirects to URL C). Redirect chains lose link equity at every hop and confuse search engines. We flatten them aggressively.
Existing schema markup transferred completely to the new platform. New schema added where the old site had gaps. Every JSON-LD block re-validated post-launch. It is depressingly common for migrations to drop schema entirely, and the ranking impact is felt immediately even if the agency doesn't admit it.
XML sitemap regenerated for the new URL structure. Submitted in Google Search Console. Submitted in Bing Webmaster Tools. Old sitemap retired with a 301 to the new sitemap so search engines find it. Sitemap discipline catches issues that nothing else catches.
The new site runs through our full pre-launch checklist on staging. Crawl, schema, links, performance, conversion paths. If a check fails, the launch is delayed. Every time. We have walked away from launches when the client wanted to push past failures and the agency wanted to allow it. We don't.
First 24 hours: full crawl on production, redirect verification, GSC and GA4 confirmation, schema validation. First week: daily ranking and traffic monitoring. First 30 days: weekly full audits looking for delayed issues. Most migration problems show up between day 3 and day 14. We watch for them.
That number is real and it is the result of a documented process, not luck. The process catches the mistakes before they become problems. The single most important thing in any migration is a complete, accurate URL map signed off before any redirects are written. Most migration disasters trace back to incomplete URL maps. Once the map is right, the technical execution is comparatively straightforward.
We have migrated WordPress to Webflow, WordPress to custom builds, Wix to WordPress, Squarespace to Webflow, Shopify to BigCommerce, custom platforms to Webflow, multilingual sites to subfolder structures, multisite networks to consolidated single sites, and countless domain consolidations. The platform combinations vary. The methodology does not.
If you are planning a migration and the agency proposing it cannot show you a documented URL mapping process, walk away. Find a team that takes the map seriously, because the map is the migration.
Send us your URL plus a description of what you are planning. We will tell you what to watch for in your specific case, what to ask the agency proposing the migration, and what to require before launch. Free consultation, even if you do not hire us.
Get Your Free Audit →Caught you highlighting the good parts. Want us to send you your traced highlights plus a free 48-hour audit of your site? We'll save you the trouble of taking notes.