What can affect SEO during a move?
Search engines care about more than how a page looks. A platform change can affect URLs, page titles, descriptions, headings, internal links, structured data, performance, and crawl access. The safest approach is to inventory the old site, recreate the important signals, and verify the new site before launch.
Before the migration
Create a simple URL inventory containing:
- Every important page, blog post, product, or collection URL
- The page title and meta description
- The page's primary topic and target search intent
- Important inbound links, conversions, and traffic sources
- Canonical URLs, robots rules, sitemap locations, and structured data
Export analytics and search performance data if you have access. This gives you a baseline for comparing the new site after launch.
During preview and QA
Use the WordPress preview to check that:
- Important pages exist and have the right content.
- New URLs either match the old URLs or have a documented redirect.
- Titles, descriptions, headings, images, and links are accurate.
- Canonical and indexing settings are appropriate for the launch state.
- The preview is not accidentally exposed as the canonical public site.
- Mobile pages load correctly and key actions still work.
Wigoh can recreate content and visible structure, but your team should approve SEO-critical details before the domain changes.
Launch and aftercare
Create permanent redirects from changed URLs to their closest new destinations. Avoid sending every old URL to the homepage. Submit the new sitemap in your search platform, monitor indexing and errors, and compare traffic and conversions with your baseline.
Keep the old site available during the cutover and maintain a record of redirects. Do not remove it until you have confirmed that the new site is stable.
SEO launch checklist
- Export the old URL list and key SEO metadata
- Match or map every important URL
- Review titles, descriptions, headings, and canonical settings
- Test internal links, images, and structured data
- Configure permanent redirects for changed URLs
- Verify robots and sitemap settings
- Submit the new sitemap after launch
- Monitor indexing, errors, rankings, and conversions