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      SEO Website Migration: Your Guide to Success

      Step by step guide on how to avoid SEO performance loss when migrating to a new CMS for car dealers.

      Introduction

      Migrating your dealership website to a new Content Management System (CMS) or domain can be a complex and daunting task. However, with meticulous planning and execution, you can maintain your SEO performance, user experience, and overall site integrity. This guide will provide detailed steps and best practices to help you achieve a seamless migration while preserving your SEO efforts.

      Table of Contents

      1. Understanding SEO Website Migration
      2. Pre-Migration Checklist
      3. Migration Planning
      4. Migration Steps
      5. Post-Migration Steps
      6. Additional Tips for Successful Migration
      7. Conclusion

      Minimum SEO Requirements For a Successful Car Dealer Website CMS Migration

      1. Migrate ALL pages currently driving organic traffic.
        1. If URL’s are changing, make sure the URL’s are 301 redirected to the new ones.
        2. Failure to 301 redirect URL’s can cause major loss in rankings to due to loss of probable backlinks and internal link connections.
      2. The EXACT transition of current page Title Tags and H1’s to keep primary optimizations up to date.  
      3. EXACT transition of other metadata such as H2’s, meta description, file names, etc.

      Understanding SEO Website Migration

      Website migrations are a complex process that requires careful planning and execution to ensure a smooth transition without hurting your site’s search engine rankings and organic traffic. Whether you’re moving domains, servers, CMS platforms, consolidating subdomains, or rebranding, understanding the basics of a website migration is key to the success of your dealership.

      What is SEO Website Migration?

      SEO website migration simply means moving a website to a new domain, often changing its structure, content, and technical setup. This includes protocol changes (like HTTP to HTTPS), domain name changes, and more. A successful migration can boost performance and improve organic search visibility.

      Common Reasons for Website Migration

      • Rebranding: Changing the domain name to match a new brand identity.
      • Acquisitions: Merging websites due to company acquisitions.
      • HTTPS Upgrade: Moving to a secure server (HTTPS) to meet industry standards and customer expectations.
      • CMS Transition: Improving scalability and enhancing SEO capabilities through CMS transitions (e.g., Drupal to WordPress).
      • Redesign: Updating the site design and structure for better user experience and performance.

      Risks Involved in Website Migration

      • Traffic Loss: Losing large portions of your organic traffic overnight.
      • Ranking Drops: Tanking keyword rankings and dropping organic search traffic.
      • Link Equity Loss: Losing link equity acquired over years.
      • 404 Errors: Serving 404 “not found” errors on pages accidentally left out during URL mapping.

      Pre-Migration Checklist

      Conduct a thorough audit of your existing website to serve as a reference point and ensure that no critical elements are missed during migration.

      1. Audit Your Current Site
      • Inventory: Create a comprehensive list of all pages, including blogs, landing pages, product pages, and any other significant content.
      • SEO Elements: Document all current title tags, meta descriptions, H1, H2 tags, alt texts, and any other on-page SEO elements.
      • Content: Backup all site content, including text, images, videos, and other multimedia files.
      • URL Structure: Map out the existing URL structure, noting any particularly important URLs.
      • Backlinks: Compile a list of all inbound links, focusing on high-value backlinks that contribute significantly to your SEO.
      • Analytics and Tracking: Ensure that you have records of all tracking codes (Google Analytics, Search Console, etc.) and any custom scripts.

      Migration Planning


      1. Set Clear Objectives

        Define what you aim to achieve with the migration. Objectives may include improving site speed, enhancing user experience, adding new functionality, or moving to a more robust CMS.

      2. Choose the Right CMS

        Select a CMS that meets your current and future needs. Consider factors such as scalability, ease of use, SEO-friendliness, and available support.

        1. Contact Dealers United to check on SEO friendliness because from our experience we have seen that CMS providers say they are SEO friendly, but in the end, this is not the case. 
      3. Create a Detailed Timeline

        Develop a timeline that outlines each phase of the migration process, including key milestones and deadlines. Ensure you allocate sufficient time for testing and addressing any issues that arise.

        1. Dealers United can aid in testing some SEO friendliness by testing certain pages and blogs. 

      Migration Steps


      1. Development and Testing Environment
        • Setup: Create a staging environment to develop and test the new site. This should be a replica of your live site but in a secure, non-public setting.
        • Replication: Ensure the new site mirrors the current one exactly in terms of design, functionality, and content organization.
          • Make sure all your pages are migrated and NOT only what the new CMS provider deems important. 
      2. Content Transfer

        • One-to-One Transfer: Migrate all content, maintaining the same titles, headings, and organization. This includes text, images, videos, PDFs, and other media files.

        • Media Files: Move all images, videos, and other media files to the new site, ensuring they are correctly linked and displayed
      3. SEO Elements Transfer
        • Meta Tags: Transfer all title tags, meta descriptions, and alt texts to the new site, ensuring they are correctly applied to the respective pages.
        • Headers: Ensure H1, H2, and other heading tags are identical to those on the old site. Consistent use of headers helps maintain SEO and readability.
        • Internal Linking: Preserve all internal links and anchor texts to maintain site navigation and SEO structure.
      4. URL Structure

        • Consistency: Keep the URL structure the same as much as possible. If changes are necessary, create a comprehensive mapping of old URLs to new URLs.

          301 Redirects: Set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones to prevent 404 errors and preserve SEO value. Test all redirects to ensure they are working correctly.

      Importance of Migrating All Pages with Traffic and Topical Authority

      Migrating all pages that have traffic and those that contribute to topical authority is crucial for maintaining your website’s SEO health. Some CMS providers only migrate the top 10 pages of a site, ignoring the rest, which can lead to significant SEO losses.

      • Traffic Loss: Pages with traffic contribute significantly to your overall site performance. Ignoring these pages can lead to a substantial drop in organic traffic.
      • Topical Authority: Pages that are internally linked together help build topical authority. They ensure search engines understand your site’s structure and content relevance. Migrating only a few pages breaks this authority and can hurt your rankings.
      • Backlink Equity: Ignoring pages that have accumulated backlinks can result in losing valuable link equity. Backlinks are a critical factor in search engine rankings, and their loss can severely impact your site’s SEO.
      • Internal Links: Broken internal links due to incomplete migration disrupt user experience and site navigation, leading to higher bounce rates and lower engagement metrics.

      Technical SEO

      • Crawlability: Ensure the new site is crawlable by search engines. Check robots.txt and make any necessary adjustments.
      • Robots.txt: Update the robots.txt file to allow search engines to crawl the new site appropriately.
      • Sitemap: Create and submit a new XML sitemap to Google Search Console and other search engines.

      Post-Migration Steps


      1. Testing and QA
        1. Crawl the Site: Use tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to crawl the new site and identify any issues such as broken links, missing meta tags, or duplicate content.
        2. Check Redirects: Verify all 301 redirects are working correctly, ensuring there are no 404 errors.
        3. User Testing: Conduct thorough user testing to ensure the user experience remains consistent and any new functionalities work as intended.
      2. Monitor Performance
        1. Analytics: Monitor Google Analytics for traffic changes, user behavior, and any significant drops in performance.
        2. Search Console: Keep an eye on Google Search Console for indexing issues, crawl errors, and other alerts.
        3. Rankings: Track keyword rankings to ensure there is no significant drop. Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs for comprehensive tracking
      3. Ongoing Maintenance
        1. Address Issues: Promptly fix any issues that arise post-migration. This includes broken links, missing content, or any technical issues.
        2. Continuous Monitoring: Regularly monitor site performance and SEO metrics. Make adjustments as needed to maintain and improve site health.

      Additional Tips for Successful Migration

      • Communication: Keep all stakeholders informed throughout the migration process. Regular updates can help manage expectations and address any concerns promptly.
      • Backup: Always have a backup of both the old and new sites. This ensures you can revert to the old site if necessary.
      • Professional Help: Consider hiring a professional SEO or web development team if the migration process seems overwhelming or complex.
      • Set Up Tracking System: Use tools like BrightEdge and Google Analytics 4 to compare metrics such as rankings and backlinks between your old and new sites.
      • Optimize New Site’s Structure and Content: Improve site speed, clean code, and SEO-friendliness during the migration. Avoid major changes at once to prevent traffic issues.

      Conclusion

      By following this comprehensive guide, you can ensure a smooth and successful website migration, preserving your SEO efforts and maintaining a seamless user experience. A methodical approach, using the right tools and expertise, can help you avoid common pitfalls and keep your search engine rankings steady.