Migrating to a new website platform can be a necessary step for businesses looking to scale up or embrace new technologies. However, website migrations come with considerable SEO risks. Without proper SEO planning and execution, a platform migration can lead to a significant loss of organic traffic, revenue, and market share. To avoid these pitfalls, here are 12 common SEO mistakes to avoid during a website platform migration.
Firstly, it is essential to create a migration plan that outlines all key areas of technical SEO, content, page speed and performance, analytics benchmarking, and more. SEOs should join the process early on to align with product and engineering teams and provide guidance and assistance throughout the migration.
Secondly, neglecting information architecture can have a drastic impact on organic traffic. It is crucial to evaluate the overall SEO setup and make any necessary improvements to the information architecture, taxonomy, and navigation. Any changes should be rolled out gradually and monitored closely.
Thirdly, overzealous content pruning can result in the deletion of valuable content and loss of traffic. Instead, a thoughtful plan should be created to update, maintain, consolidate, and retire content as needed.
Fourthly, sloppy 301 redirects or the lack thereof can result in permanent traffic losses. It is crucial to invest time and effort in creating a solid 301 redirection strategy to preserve link equity and facilitate a smooth transition for users and search engines.
Fifthly, on-page SEO elements should not be overlooked during a site redesign. Page layouts should follow a coherent structure, and all core elements should be present and properly labeled across all indexable page types and landing pages.
Sixth, a solid mobile experience is vital for overall SEO success. Testing should be conducted rigorously on mobile devices to ensure mobile responsiveness and parity between key features and on-page elements.
Seventh, optimizing for page speed is crucial. It is essential to start optimizing early and encourage designers and engineers to prioritize performance.
Eighth, crawlability and indexing issues are common during website migrations. It is crucial to monitor closely for any uncrawlable page components or accidental disallowances that could negatively impact SEO.
Ninth, setting up analytics and tracking tools is essential to monitor website performance and quickly address any issues post-migration. Custom dashboards can help compare performance metrics before and after the migration.
Tenth, up-to-date XML sitemaps can speed up the discoverability and indexing of new URLs. Separate sitemaps created for each page type can offer a more granular view.
Eleventh, it is important to ensure that non-indexable content stays out of search engine indices. This includes system folders, order tracking pages, and pages containing sensitive user data.
Finally, post-migration monitoring is crucial. Regular crawls, live production QA, and assessments of key metrics and dashboards are essential to spot and address any issues that arise.
By proactively addressing these common pitfalls, businesses can mitigate the risks associated with website platform migrations and maintain their organic traffic, revenue, and market share.
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