Website migration planning in English-speaking markets
A migration can change the domain, CMS, URL structure or several elements together. Planning starts by identifying exactly what will change and what the business depends on. This example scope provides a basis for discussing preparation, launch checks and follow-up with a technical provider; it does not imply an active migration service.
Questions to settle before the build is finished
Are addresses changing, or is this only a hosting or template change? Which service pages, downloads and enquiry journeys need continuity? Who controls redirects, DNS, templates and the release schedule? Ask when staging will be available and whether the old site can remain accessible for comparison. Record the migration boundary, important dependencies and who can postpone launch if a critical check fails.
A migration pack with explicit URL decisions
Request an inventory of existing URLs and a documented decision for each in-scope address: retain it, move it to an equivalent page, merge it appropriately or retire it. Include important downloads and other assets where relevant. The pack should contain redirect requirements, internal-link updates and intended canonical and sitemap behaviour. Avoid sending unrelated retired pages to the homepage simply to remove errors. Google's migration documentation explains URL mapping and handling removed content.
Acceptance checks before and immediately after launch
Agree checks such as: retained service pages return the expected successful response; changed URLs reach their approved destinations without loops; internal links use the new addresses; and pages intended for search have no leftover staging noindex directives. Test agreed critical URLs individually and document sampling for larger groups. Repeat relevant checks on production. Assign each failed check an owner and a decision: fix before launch, accept explicitly or investigate within an agreed window.
Launch support and monitoring have boundaries
Confirm whether the engagement includes staging reviews, attendance during launch, production retesting and a defined monitoring period. Agree who implements changes and who can authorise a rollback; reversing a migration requires coordination with the development and hosting teams. Planning cannot guarantee uninterrupted search performance. Google notes that rankings can fluctuate while moved URLs are recrawled and reindexed. Read Google's expectations for site moves.