Crawl control
Keep staging out of search without preventing the team from crawling it. Confirm production robots rules and canonicals are ready before release.
Migration guide · Updated August 2026
Website Migration Checklist
A website migration can change the platform, host, design, content, URL structure, or domain. The safest migrations inventory what currently works, map every intentional change, test before release, and monitor customer and search behaviour after launch.
Identify every type of change
A hosting move may keep URLs and content stable while changing infrastructure and DNS. A platform migration may change templates, code, forms, and administration. A redesign may change content and internal links. A domain change affects every URL and introduces additional email, brand, and verification dependencies.
Write a migration statement that lists what will change and what must remain stable. Combining a domain move, platform replacement, complete rewrite, and new URL structure creates more variables and makes losses harder to diagnose. Separate changes when the business can do so.
Build the pre-migration inventory
- Crawl all public URLs and export status codes, titles, canonicals, headings, structured data, internal links, images, and indexability.
- Export XML sitemaps, robots rules, redirect rules, analytics landing pages, Search Console pages and queries, backlink targets, and converted landing pages.
- Inventory forms, bookings, payments, logins, downloads, search, APIs, tracking, consent, email delivery, and third-party integrations.
- Record the domain registrar, DNS provider, current DNS values, hosting, certificates, content system, repository, deployment process, administrator accounts, and recovery contacts.
- Back up the site, database, media, configuration, DNS, redirects, and any content that cannot be recreated easily.
Create a page-by-page migration map
| Old URL decision | Required action |
|---|---|
| Keep | Preserve the address and carry forward useful content, metadata, schema, media, and internal links. |
| Improve | Keep the intent and address where possible, document material changes, and validate the new page. |
| Combine | Select the strongest destination, merge unique value, and redirect each retired source directly. |
| Replace | Confirm the new page satisfies the same user need before redirecting. |
| Remove | Use a relevant replacement when one exists. Otherwise return the intentional status and remove internal references. |
A redirect map is not a find-and-replace rule. Review high-value pages individually. Avoid chains and do not redirect unrelated pages to the homepage. Update internal links to final destinations rather than relying on redirects.
Prepare and test the destination
Content parity
Compare page counts, text, headings, images, metadata, structured data, internal links, downloadable files, and language or regional versions.
Functional parity
Test forms, tracking, consent, email delivery, integrations, search, accounts, payments, bookings, and error states with real scenarios.
Operational parity
Confirm backups, monitoring, logs, updates, administrators, support, recovery, documentation, and deployment ownership.
Coordinate DNS, domains, and email safely
Export current DNS records and identify which support the website, email, verification, security, and external services. A website launch should not accidentally remove mail exchange, sender authentication, validation, subdomain, or application records.
Lowering DNS time-to-live can help planned changes propagate, but it does not replace a rollback plan. Confirm who can access the registrar and DNS provider before the launch window. Protect those accounts with MFA and named recovery contacts.
For a domain change, keep the old domain registered and serving redirects. Update canonicals, sitemaps, internal links, profiles, campaigns, analytics, Search Console properties, and important external references. Communicate any email-domain change separately.
Launch and monitor in evidence-based stages
- Take the final backups and record the previous production state.
- Freeze content changes and confirm the approved release.
- Deploy the site and redirect rules.
- Change DNS only when required.
- Test public status codes, canonicals, robots rules, forms, analytics, critical journeys, and redirects.
- Crawl the public site and compare it with the migration map.
- Submit the canonical sitemap and verify Search Console access.
- Monitor errors, conversions, pages, queries, indexing, and customer reports.
Compare by page group and query intent, not only total traffic. Seasonal demand, campaigns, and reporting changes can hide a migration problem. Preserve the baseline and annotate the exact launch time.
North Star supports website redesign and migration for Canadian businesses that need planning, implementation, or recovery.
Frequently asked questions
Website Migration Checklist FAQ
What is a website migration?
A website migration is a material change to a site’s platform, hosting, design, content, URL structure, protocol, or domain. It may involve one change or several, and each can affect customers, operations, analytics, and organic search.
Do all old URLs need redirects?
Every old URL needs an intentional decision. Use a direct redirect when a relevant replacement exists. Keep unchanged URLs when possible, and do not send unrelated retired pages to the homepage merely to avoid an error status.
How long should website redirects remain in place?
Keep important permanent redirects for the long term, especially after a domain or established URL change. Removing them can break bookmarks, external links, historical campaigns, and search signals that still reference old addresses.
Can changing website hosting affect SEO?
Yes, if the move changes availability, speed, location, status codes, certificates, crawl access, canonicals, redirects, or content delivery. A well-tested host migration that preserves URLs and behaviour should reduce those risks.
What should be backed up before a website migration?
Back up files, databases, media, content, configuration, redirect rules, DNS records, analytics and search baselines, form settings, integration details, certificates where applicable, and any proprietary assets needed to restore the previous state.
Turn the plan into a website that sells
North Star designs, rebuilds, hosts, and supports business websites remotely across Canada. Bring the checklist or brief to a scope call and we will translate it into a clear proposal.
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