migration tips
Data from Google research reported from Jagoan Hosting shows that 70% of websites that already support mobile still need more than 5 seconds to load layout content, and more than 7 seconds to load the entire content.
Google data also shows that a loading speed of 1 to 10 seconds increases the probability of a bounce rate by up to 123%. For websites with content and images that have not been optimized, the possibility of conversion will decrease to 95%.
Internet users today always want a website that can load quickly. So, if your current website still feels slow when opening, migrating the website is a highly recommended solution. However, does that mean you will lose traffic later?
Fortunately, the answer is no. You see, there are several SEO steps for the right website migration so that the migration process will increase your website traffic later. What are the steps?
Website Migration Tips Without Losing Traffic
You need to do the following 10 steps of website migration SEO.
1. Do Careful Planning
Because search engines take time to process website changes and properly update their indexes, your website’s ranking may drop after migration. However, it’s a different story if you migrate your website with careful planning.
Through good planning, you can minimize the risk of traffic fluctuations. In addition, Google will also be able to treat your website on the new hosting as the latest website ( up to date ) and even place it in the top search engine rankings.
2. Testing in the Sandbox.
Also, make sure that you migrate the website only after you have tested everything on the testing server. That way, you can make sure that the website will still be able to function normally after the hosting migration later.
Therefore, do a thorough internal check before you officially run the migration and the website goes public, the goal is of course so that you can minimize the risks that can impact the website and ensure that everything is correct and smooth.
3. Run Migration When Traffic Is Low.
Another thing you also need to make sure of is migrating websites when traffic is decreasing. Why? The answer is so you don’t lose too much website traffic.
Just imagine if the website migration process is done when website traffic is normal or even high. If this is the case, it’s clear that website migration causes your website to lose traffic, right?
4. Identify All Website Data
If you already have a complete list and data regarding URLs on the old website (current website), make sure that all links are functioning normally. That way, the risk of link errors or errors when loading the website can be minimized.
At this step, also take advantage of this moment to identify any redirect or crawling errors that occur on the old website, usually, several error links are redirected during the website migration process.
If it turns out that there is a link that leads to a 404 error page, immediately delete or replace the link during the migration. In addition, also update any links that lead to the old page so that later there will be no error links once your old hosting service stops.
5. Make sure Google Analytics is working properly
Don’t forget to also install Google Analytics on your new domain later. Not only installing but also making sure that the analytics program can process data properly.
Do this before your new website goes live, then also pay attention to any changes in traffic during the migration process.
6. Compare Website Analytics Data Before and After Migration.
Make a copy or copy of data from Google Analytics, this data can be vital information to help you identify what is causing the problem if the website loses traffic after migration.
Then compare that data with data from previous websites, through this comparison you can accurately identify where the page traffic is missing.
Not only that, compare and analyze the performance of landing pages that print high traffic after the migration later, because these pages have a high contribution to website rankings on search engines, you can minimize losses due to lost traffic so that the impact is not significant for the overall website performance.
7. Update Internal Link
In addition to removing or replacing broken links, you also need to update links that are still working. That way, all these links will point to your new website instead of the old website.
Although this process sounds easy, the reality itself can be quite a hassle. One of the main reasons is that you need to identify all URLs, especially if your website turns out to be quite complex.
You can try this method to update the internal link URL, which is to update directly from the website database. That way, you will later be able to change the internal URL of the link without having to open the pages one by one. More practical right?
8. Pay attention to the Sitemap on Google Search Console
Before running website migration SEO, first, save the old website sitemap in Google Search Console. And after the migration is complete, re-crawl your new website’s Sitemap. The easiest way you can do this is to re-request Googlebot to crawl the old sitemap, and then find a unique URL link so that the website can speed up the search engine crawling process.
Signs You Should Migrate Website
As a website manager, you need to continuously monitor the performance of your website. Even if you use SEO services for business, there must be professionals who do that. By regularly monitoring website performance, you can make the right decisions, including when you need to migrate your website.
Some signs that you need to migrate your website immediately include frequent server downtime, slow website speed, current bad customer service hosting, increased space requirements for website hosting, and high-security risks on the website. That way, you can also conclude that the decision to migrate a website does not have to be related to performance and SEO, but also website security for the convenience of visitors.
Conclusion
That was a summary of the explanation of how to do website migration SEO without having to worry about losing traffic. Naturally, all this time it is a loss of traffic if you decide to migrate your website. However, with the right steps and careful planning, you certainly don’t have to worry about losing traffic and the migration process can run smoothly.
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