Site Migration Statistics:

❌ 70%+ migrations experience traffic drops
❌ Average recovery time: 3-6 months
❌ Some never fully recover
❌ Small errors = big consequences

✅ Dengan planning yang tepat, bisa minimize impact
✅ Beberapa migrations bahkan BOOST traffic
✅ Key: Preparation, execution, monitoring

Ideal Timeline:

PHASE 1: AUDIT (2-4 weeks before)
- Benchmark current metrics
- Crawl current site
- Document all URLs
- Identify redirect needs

PHASE 2: PLANNING (2-4 weeks before)
- Create redirect map
- Prepare new site
- Test in staging
- Create rollback plan

PHASE 3: EXECUTION (Launch day)
- Implement redirects
- Launch new site
- Verify critical pages
- Monitor immediately

PHASE 4: MONITORING (4-8 weeks after)
- Track metrics daily
- Fix issues immediately
- Monitor GSC for errors
- Adjust as needed

Minimum Timeline:
Don't rush migrations
At least 4 weeks prep for small sites
8+ weeks for large sites

DOCUMENTATION:

☐ Full site crawl (Screaming Frog)
☐ List ALL URLs (every single one)
☐ Current rankings for key terms
☐ Backlink profile export
☐ GA traffic baseline (90 days)
☐ GSC performance data (16 months if possible)
☐ Current site screenshots
☐ Current internal linking structure

ANALYSIS:

☐ Identify high-value pages (traffic, links)
☐ Map current URLs to new URLs
☐ Identify pages to remove/consolidate
☐ Check current canonicals
☐ Document current redirects
☐ Note any existing issues

Creating Redirect Map:

Format:
Old URL → New URL → Redirect Type

Example:
/old-page/           → /new-page/           → 301
/category/old-name/  → /category/new-name/  → 301
/removed-page/       → /related-page/       → 301
/expired-promo/      → /                    → 301 (or 410)

Rules:
1. EVERY old URL needs a destination
2. Use 301 for permanent moves
3. Redirect to most relevant page
4. Don't redirect everything to homepage
5. Preserve hierarchy where possible

High Priority:
- Pages with backlinks (preserve equity!)
- High-traffic pages
- Conversion pages
- Cornerstone content

Test Everything on Staging:

1. Complete site copy on staging
2. Implement all changes there first
3. Crawl staging site
4. Test all redirects
5. Check all functionality
6. Verify mobile experience

Staging Checklist:
☐ Staging blocked from search (noindex, password)
☐ All features working
☐ All internal links correct
☐ No mixed content issues
☐ Performance acceptable
☐ Forms functioning
☐ Tracking codes ready (not live)

Redirect Methods:

1. SERVER LEVEL (Best)
   .htaccess (Apache)
   nginx.conf (Nginx)
   Most efficient, fastest

2. CODE LEVEL
   PHP, Node.js, etc.
   Good control
   Slightly slower

3. PLUGIN LEVEL (WordPress)
   Redirection plugin
   Easy management
   Good for smaller sites

Apache .htaccess Example:
# Single redirect
Redirect 301 /old-page/ /new-page/

# Regex redirect
RedirectMatch 301 ^/blog/(.*)$ /news/$1

# Full domain change
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^old-domain\.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://new-domain.com/$1 [L,R=301]

Nginx Example:
# Single redirect
rewrite ^/old-page/$ /new-page/ permanent;

# Domain change
server {
    server_name old-domain.com;
    return 301 $scheme://new-domain.com$request_uri;
}

Before Going Live:

Test Methods:
1. curl -I URL (check status code)
2. Browser with redirect checker
3. Screaming Frog (crawl old URLs)
4. Online tools (redirect checker)

What to Verify:
☐ Status code is 301 (not 302)
☐ Destination is correct
☐ No redirect chains (A→B→C)
☐ No redirect loops
☐ No mixed content (HTTP→HTTPS)
☐ Mobile redirects work

Common Issues:
- 302 instead of 301
- Trailing slash mismatches
- Case sensitivity
- Parameter handling
- Mobile vs desktop URLs

BEFORE LAUNCH:

☐ Team briefed and ready
☐ Backup of old site complete
☐ Staging tested thoroughly
☐ Redirects ready to deploy
☐ DNS prepared (if domain change)
☐ CDN configured (if applicable)
☐ Rollback plan documented

LAUNCH STEPS:

1. Enable maintenance mode (briefly)
2. Deploy new site
3. Implement redirects
4. Verify key pages load correctly
5. Test sample redirects
6. Disable maintenance mode
7. Begin monitoring

IMMEDIATE POST-LAUNCH:

☐ Verify homepage
☐ Check top 20 pages
☐ Test random redirects
☐ Check mobile site
☐ Verify SSL working
☐ Check site speed
☐ Monitor server errors

First Hour:

1. Check server for 5xx errors
2. Monitor real-time analytics
3. Test conversion paths
4. Verify critical functionality
5. Check for console errors

First Day:

☐ Crawl new site structure
☐ Check all redirects working
☐ Monitor GSC for crawl errors
☐ Review server logs
☐ Check for broken links
☐ Verify tracking working
☐ Monitor user complaints

First Week:

☐ Submit updated sitemap
☐ Monitor indexing status
☐ Track ranking changes
☐ Review GSC coverage report
☐ Fix any errors found
☐ Document issues for future

For Domain Changes:

1. ADD NEW PROPERTY
   Add new domain to GSC
   Verify ownership

2. SUBMIT CHANGE OF ADDRESS
   GSC → Settings → Change of address
   Only for domain changes
   Requires both properties verified

3. SUBMIT NEW SITEMAP
   New site's sitemap URL
   Monitor indexing

4. MONITOR BOTH PROPERTIES
   Keep old property
   Watch transition progress

For Non-Domain Changes:
No change of address needed
Update sitemap
Monitor same property

Key Reports to Watch:

COVERAGE REPORT:
- Watch for new errors
- Check "Excluded" reasons
- Monitor indexing progress

PERFORMANCE:
- Compare to pre-migration baseline
- Watch for drops/changes
- Check all dimensions

URL INSPECTION:
- Test critical pages
- Request indexing for new pages
- Verify live version correct

CORE WEB VITALS:
- New site may have different scores
- Monitor for issues
- Fix performance problems

MOBILE USABILITY:
- Check for new mobile issues
- Verify mobile experience

Relatively Simple:

Steps:
1. Get SSL certificate
2. Install and configure
3. Update internal links
4. 301 redirect HTTP → HTTPS
5. Update canonical tags
6. Update sitemap
7. Update GSC property

Common Issues:
- Mixed content (HTTP resources on HTTPS page)
- Incorrect internal links
- Forgotten assets (images, scripts)
- Third-party content issues

Verification:
☐ All pages serve HTTPS
☐ No mixed content warnings
☐ Certificate valid
☐ Redirects working
☐ HSTS header set

Most Complex:

Additional Steps:
1. All standard migration steps
2. Plus: Change of Address in GSC
3. Keep old domain live with redirects
4. Monitor both properties

Critical:
- Keep old domain FOR YEARS
- Redirects must stay permanent
- Update all backlinks you control
- Notify partners of change

Timeline:
- Domain change takes longer
- 6-12 months full transition
- Maintain redirects indefinitely

Link Equity:
- Some loss expected (10-30%)
- Minimize with proper redirects
- Cannot 100% preserve

WordPress to New CMS (Example):

URL Structure Often Changes:
Old: /blog/2024/01/post-name/
New: /blog/post-name/
Need: Comprehensive redirect map

Content Mapping:
- Export all content
- Map to new structure
- Verify content migrated
- Check formatting

Functionality:
- Forms working?
- Comments migrated?
- Users migrated?
- E-commerce data?

SEO Elements:
- Meta titles/descriptions
- Schema markup
- Robots directives
- Sitemap format

Often Underestimated:

Even Without URL Changes:
- Content might change
- Internal linking changes
- Navigation changes
- Technical elements change

Watch For:
- JavaScript changes affecting crawling
- Image/video changes
- Form changes
- Schema changes
- Page speed changes

Process:
1. Compare old vs new content
2. Ensure all pages exist
3. Verify internal linking
4. Test all functionality
5. Check technical SEO elements

Create Monitoring Dashboard:

DAILY (First 2 weeks):
- Organic traffic vs baseline
- Server errors
- GSC errors
- Ranking checks (key terms)

WEEKLY (Next 6 weeks):
- Detailed traffic analysis
- Indexing progress
- Backlink monitoring
- Conversion rates

MONTHLY (Ongoing):
- Full performance review
- Compare to pre-migration
- Trend analysis
- Issue identification

What to Expect:

WEEK 1-2:
- Google recrawling
- Some fluctuation normal
- May see temporary drops
- Don't panic yet

WEEK 2-4:
- Indexing stabilizing
- Rankings settling
- Should see recovery signs
- Address remaining errors

MONTH 2-3:
- Should approach baseline
- May exceed if done well
- Long-tail recovering
- Monitor for stragglers

MONTH 3-6:
- Full recovery expected
- Evaluate overall impact
- Document learnings
- Close project

If Not Recovering:
- Check for missed redirects
- Look for technical issues
- Review content changes
- Consider GSC issues

Issue: Traffic Dropped 50%+

Diagnose:
1. Check if pages indexed
2. Verify redirects working
3. Look for technical errors
4. Check for manual actions
5. Review content changes

Issue: Rankings Dropped

Diagnose:
1. Has intent changed?
2. Content different?
3. Page speed worse?
4. Technical issues?
5. Lost backlinks?

Issue: Slow Indexing

Actions:
1. Submit sitemap
2. Request indexing for key pages
3. Build internal links
4. Get fresh backlinks
5. Be patient (can take weeks)

Issue: 404 Errors Spiking

Actions:
1. Identify missing redirects
2. Update redirect map
3. Implement immediately
4. Monitor for new errors

Typical Timeline:

Best Case:
- 2-4 weeks: Back to baseline
- Some see immediate improvements
- Perfect execution required

Average Case:
- 2-3 months: Near baseline
- Some terms faster/slower
- Minor issues resolved

Worst Case:
- 6+ months or never
- Major errors made
- May need intervention

Factors Affecting Recovery:
- Migration complexity
- Redirect accuracy
- Content changes
- Technical execution
- Site authority
- Google's crawl priorities

Patience Required:
Don't make changes too quickly
Let Google process
Monitor and fix issues
Stay calm

Redirect Link Equity:

301 Redirects:
- Pass most link equity
- Google says ~same as direct link
- Reality: Some small loss

Best Practices:
- Redirect to most relevant page
- Keep redirects permanent
- Don't chain redirects
- Update links you control

What Gets Lost:
- 302s don't pass full equity
- Chains dilute equity
- Irrelevant redirects = wasted
- Homepage redirects = less effective

Mitigation:
1. Map redirects carefully
2. Reach out to top linking sites
3. Update social profiles
4. Update directory listings
5. Monitor backlink profile

Priority for Outreach:

HIGH PRIORITY (Contact):
- Top referring domains
- High authority sites
- Partner/client sites
- Directory listings
- Social media profiles

MEDIUM PRIORITY:
- Guest posts you wrote
- Forum signatures
- Profile links
- Article mentions

LOW PRIORITY (Let redirect handle):
- Random small sites
- Old blog comments
- Low authority links

Outreach Template:
"Hi [Name],

We recently updated our website and moved
from [old domain] to [new domain].

Your site links to our article at [old URL].
Would you mind updating it to [new URL]?

Thank you!
[Name]"

Reality:
Most sites won't update
Redirects handle most cases
Focus on top 50-100 links

Scenarios:

1. Content Consolidated:
   Old: 5 separate pages
   New: 1 comprehensive page
   Action: 301 all 5 to new page

2. Content Removed (No Replacement):
   Option A: 301 to related page
   Option B: 301 to category
   Option C: 410 Gone (if truly dead)

3. Outdated Promotions:
   Old: /promo-2020/
   Action: 301 to main promotions or 410

4. Product Discontinued:
   Option A: 301 to successor product
   Option B: 301 to category
   Option C: 410 if nothing relevant

Don'ts:
❌ Don't redirect all to homepage
❌ Don't redirect to unrelated pages
❌ Don't leave as 404 (use 410 instead)

Do:
✅ Find most relevant destination
✅ User should find value
✅ Preserve link equity where logical

Best Timing:

Day of Week:
- Tuesday-Wednesday (mid-week)
- Not Friday (weekend coverage)
- Not Monday (catch up day)

Time of Day:
- Low traffic hours
- When team available
- Consider time zones

Season:
- Not during peak season
- Not during promotions
- Not during major launches

Avoid:
❌ Black Friday period
❌ Major holidays
❌ Product launch weeks
❌ When key team on vacation
❌ Algorithm update periods (if possible)

Ideal:
- Slow business period
- Full team available
- No competing priorities
- Weather permitting (server rooms!)

Success =
  (Thorough Planning) +
  (Comprehensive Redirect Map) +
  (Proper Testing) +
  (Careful Execution) +
  (Active Monitoring) +
  (Quick Issue Resolution)

Each element is necessary
Skip one = Risk failure