Inventory: Know Every URL You Own
Use the sitemap validator and link analyzer to build the complete list of live URLs — including the orphans and old posts everyone forgot. The pages you do not inventory are the pages you will lose.
Website Migration SEO Checklist
Migrations are survivable — with a complete URL inventory.
Whether you are changing domains, switching platforms, or moving to HTTPS, the rule is the same: every URL that earns traffic must be inventoried, redirected, and verified. Misses are invisible until the traffic is gone. This checklist keeps the inventory honest at every step.
SEO Focus: Migration URL inventory, 301 mapping, post-move verification
Public feature guide
Related reading: Index Coverage , Sitemap , Google Traffic Drop Analysis , Website Redesign SEO Checklist .
Map: One Redirect Per URL, No Wildcards to Home
Each old URL gets a 301 to its most relevant new counterpart. Bulk-redirecting everything to the homepage destroys page-level rankings — Google treats it as a soft 404.
Verify: Scan the New Site Immediately
After cutover, scan the new domain: confirm indexability, resubmit the new sitemap, check redirect status codes, and watch index coverage as Google processes the move over the following weeks.
How To Use This In CheckSEO
Start with the SEO Search tool to review the website quickly and understand the initial score.
Move into the Projects dashboard to track the website as an ongoing SEO project.
Open the related module pages like SEO Reports, Index Coverage, Sitemap, Robots, Content, and Links to understand the result in detail.
Related CheckSEO Pages
These internal links use targeted anchor text so visitors and search engines can move naturally across the main website SEO review topics.
Index Coverage
Index Coverage shows whether website URLs are eligible, excluded, risky, or in need of review based on CheckSEO signals.
SitemapSitemap review explains how website URLs are discovered, validated, and prepared for deeper SEO analysis.
Google Traffic Drop AnalysisTraffic dropped? Rule out the technical causes first.
Website Redesign SEO ChecklistRedesigns lose rankings when nobody owns the SEO checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much traffic is normal to lose in a migration?
A well-executed migration typically sees a temporary dip of a few weeks. Permanent losses come from missed redirects, lost meta data, or unindexable sections — exactly what the checklist verifies.
How long should redirects stay in place?
At least a year, ideally permanently. Google re-crawls slowly, and external links to old URLs keep their value only while redirects live.
Domain move or platform move — which is riskier?
Platform moves usually break more: URL patterns, templates, meta output, and internal links all change at once. The inventory-map-verify sequence covers both.
Ready To Review A Website?
It's simple: enter your website URL on our free audit page and get a full SEO report — score, issues, and recommended fixes — delivered to your email. No signup needed.
- Click Run a Free SEO Audit below.
- Paste your website URL and enter your email.
- Get your detailed SEO report — then create a free account to track changes over time.