# How to move a website without losing Google rankings (redirects explained)

> How to migrate a website to a new platform, design or domain without losing Google rankings: URL mapping, 301 redirects explained, Search Console steps and the mistakes that cause traffic to vanish.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/blog/website-migration-without-losing-rankings
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

**Short answer:** To move a website without losing rankings, list every old URL, map each one to its closest new page, set up permanent server-side 301 redirects, keep valuable content, keep the new site crawlable, submit a new sitemap and, for a domain change, use Search Console’s Change of Address tool. Keep redirects for at least a year, ideally permanently, and monitor errors closely.

Published 2026-09-26. 11 min read. Category: Website advice.

Every website migration story that ends badly goes roughly the same way. A business moves to a new platform or a new design, launches on a Friday, and a few weeks later notices the phone has gone quiet. Search traffic has fallen off a cliff because Google is sending people to pages that no longer exist.

It does not have to happen. Google publishes clear guidance on site moves, and the core of it is simple: tell Google exactly where every old page has gone. This guide explains website migration and SEO for small businesses, including what redirects are and how to use them, whether you are changing design, platform, URL structure or domain.

## What counts as a migration

**Types of website migration and their SEO risk**

| Type of change | Example | SEO risk | Main precaution |
|---|---|---|---|
| New design, same URLs and platform | Fresh look on the same addresses | Low | Keep content and titles; test before launch |
| New platform, same URLs | Moving from an old WordPress site to a new build | Low to medium | Match URLs exactly; check nothing is missing |
| Changed URL structure | /services.php?id=4 becomes /boiler-repair | Medium to high | Map every URL and redirect |
| HTTP to HTTPS | Adding a certificate to an old site | Low if redirected | Redirect every http URL to https |
| Domain change | oldname.co.uk to newname.co.uk | High | Full redirect map plus Change of Address in Search Console |
| Merging sites | Two businesses combining websites | High | Map both sites to the combined structure |

## Redirects explained

A redirect is an instruction on the server that says “the page you asked for now lives at this other address”. Browsers follow it instantly, so visitors land on the right page, and search engines follow it too, updating their index over time.

A 301 redirect is permanent. It tells Google the old URL has moved for good and the new URL should take its place in search results. A 302 redirect is temporary, meaning “this has moved for now, but keep the old one”. Google’s documentation says it treats permanent redirects as a strong signal that the target should be shown in results. For a migration, you almost always want 301 or 308 permanent redirects, set up on the server rather than with JavaScript or a “this page has moved” message.

Two things to avoid: redirect chains, where A points to B which points to C, and redirecting everything to the homepage. Chains slow things down and can be dropped along the way. Blanket homepage redirects are treated much like a missing page, because the homepage is not a real replacement for a specific service page.

## Step 1: list every old URL

Before anything changes, gather every address the old site uses. Combine these sources, because each one misses something:

- The old XML sitemap.
- A crawl of the old site using a crawling tool.
- Google Search Console’s page indexing and performance reports, exported.
- Your analytics, for pages that get visits.
- Pages other websites link to, from Search Console’s links report.
- Old PDFs, images and campaign landing pages that might not be linked from the menu.

## Step 2: map old to new

Put every old URL in a spreadsheet with a column for its new home. Each old page should go to the most relevant equivalent: the old boiler servicing page to the new boiler servicing page, not to a general services page. If two old pages are merging into one, both redirect to the new page. If a page is genuinely gone with no equivalent, redirect to the closest relevant section or let it return a 404 or 410 status, which is honest and fine for truly obsolete content.

Pay extra attention to the pages that bring the most search traffic and have the most links. Those carry most of your ranking value, and a mistake on them costs the most.

> The redirect map is the single most important document in any migration. If your web designer does not produce one, ask for it before launch, in writing.

## Step 3: keep what Google valued

- Keep the substance of pages that rank. A beautiful new page with half the words and none of the detail often ranks worse.
- Carry over page titles and headings for key pages, improving rather than replacing them.
- Keep internal links between related pages.
- Keep structured data such as business details and reviews markup where it was accurate.
- Keep image files, or redirect image URLs that bring traffic from image search.

## Step 4: launch and tell Google

- Remove any staging “noindex” tags or robots.txt blocks from the new site.
- Switch on the redirects at the same moment the new site goes live.
- Test a sample of old URLs, including all your top pages, and check each lands on the right new page with a single hop.
- Submit the new XML sitemap in Google Search Console.
- For a domain change: verify both old and new domains in Search Console and use the Change of Address tool.
- Update your Google Business Profile, social profiles, directory listings and email signatures with the new addresses.
- Ask sites that link to you often, such as trade bodies or suppliers, to update their links.

## Step 5: monitor and fix

For the first few weeks, check Search Console regularly. Look for a rise in “Not found (404)” pages, redirect errors and important pages dropping out of the index. Each 404 for a URL that used to matter is a missing redirect you can add.

Expect some fluctuation. Google says a medium-sized site can take a few weeks for most pages to move, and larger sites longer. If traffic has not recovered after a couple of months, compare old and new versions of the pages that lost the most, because content changes are usually the cause.

Keep the redirects. Google advises keeping them for at least a year, and many links elsewhere on the web will never be updated, so leaving them in place permanently is the safe choice. For a domain change, keep renewing the old domain for the same reason.

## Migration mistakes that cost rankings

When Nerdsharks rebuilds a site, the old URLs are mapped and the redirects agreed before launch. If you are about to move your site with someone else, share this checklist with them and ask to see the redirect map.

- No redirects at all, because nobody thought about it.
- Redirecting every old page to the homepage.
- Leaving the “discourage search engines” setting on after launch.
- Letting the old domain expire, breaking every redirect and old link.
- Deleting pages with good rankings because they did not fit the new design.
- Using temporary 302 redirects where permanent ones were needed.
- Launching without testing forms and tracking on the new site.

## Questions

### What is a 301 redirect?

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that sends visitors and search engines from an old URL to a new one. It tells Google the page has moved for good, so the new URL should replace the old one in search results. It is the standard tool for keeping rankings when URLs change.

### How long should I keep redirects after moving my website?

Google recommends keeping redirects for at least a year after a site move, and keeping them permanently is safest because other websites, bookmarks and old emails keep using the old addresses. If you change domain, keep renewing the old domain so its redirects keep working.

### Will changing my domain name hurt my SEO?

Changing your domain name usually causes a temporary drop while Google processes the move, even when done well. With a complete 301 redirect map, Search Console’s Change of Address tool and updated listings, most rankings should transfer. Without redirects, you effectively start again.

### Can I redirect all my old pages to the homepage?

You should not redirect all old pages to the homepage. Google tends to treat that like a missing page, so the ranking value of specific service or product pages is lost. Redirect each old page to the most relevant new equivalent instead.

### How do I find all the URLs on my old website?

Combine several sources: the old XML sitemap, a crawl of the site with a crawling tool, exports from Google Search Console and analytics, and the list of pages other sites link to. Each source misses some pages, so using them together gives the most complete list.

## Sources

- Site moves with URL changes, Google Search Central, 2026: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes
- Redirects and Google Search, Google Search Central, 2026: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/301-redirects