A website migration service helps you move a site without breaking SEO, conversions, or analytics. If you are changing domains, platforms, or site structure, the risk is real: traffic drops, broken pages, and lost revenue. This guide shows what a website migration service includes, how to pick the right provider, and the checklist you need before you switch anything.
Need quick visibility into technical risks before a migration? Run the technical website audit or the SEO audit tool. If you want a fast baseline report before and after the move, use site analysis.
What a website migration service covers
A quality website migration service usually includes:
- Discovery and inventory: Crawl the old site, export all URLs, and map key pages.
- Migration plan: Define scope, timeline, stakeholders, and success metrics.
- Redirect strategy: Create 301 redirects from old URLs to new destinations.
- Technical QA: Check indexability, canonicals, metadata, robots, and sitemaps.
- Analytics continuity: Preserve tracking, goals, and attribution.
- Launch monitoring: Watch for crawl errors, ranking drops, and traffic anomalies.
When you should use a website migration service
Use a website migration service when you are doing any of the following:
- Moving to a new domain or subdomain
- Replatforming (CMS changes, ecommerce platform changes)
- Major redesign with new URL structure
- HTTPS upgrades or hosting changes that affect URLs
- Internationalization (new language or country folders)
If you are changing URLs at scale, a migration service is not optional. It is how you protect organic traffic and conversion performance.
Types of migrations (and why they matter)
- Domain migration:
oldsite.comtonewsite.com. Highest SEO risk. - Platform migration: WordPress to Webflow, Shopify to headless, etc.
- Structure migration: New IA, new folders, or large URL changes.
- Protocol migration: HTTP to HTTPS.
- Subdomain or folder migration:
blog.example.comtoexample.com/blog.
Each type requires a slightly different website migration plan, but all share one core rule: no URLs should disappear without a mapped redirect.
Website migration checklist (quick version)
Use this website migration checklist to avoid the most common mistakes.
Pre-migration
- [ ] Crawl the old site and export all indexable URLs
- [ ] Identify top traffic and revenue pages
- [ ] Freeze major content changes before launch
- [ ] Build a redirect map (old URL -> new URL)
- [ ] Validate canonical tags, robots.txt, and sitemap strategy
- [ ] Back up analytics, goals, and events
Launch day
- [ ] Deploy 301 redirects and test sample URLs
- [ ] Verify tracking and conversion events
- [ ] Submit updated sitemap in Search Console
- [ ] Check indexability and crawl access
Post-migration (first 2 to 6 weeks)
- [ ] Monitor 404s and fix missing redirects
- [ ] Track rankings and traffic for key pages
- [ ] Compare pre/post analytics for anomalies
- [ ] Update internal links to new URLs
How to choose a website migration service
Ask these questions before you hire anyone:
- Do you provide a full redirect map?
- How do you protect SEO and rankings?
- What does your QA process look like?
- Do you include post-launch monitoring?
- Have you migrated sites in my industry or platform?
A good provider should show you a clear website migration plan, not just a timeline.
Website migration cost (what drives it)
Website migration cost depends on:
- Site size: Number of URLs and content types
- Complexity: Ecommerce, filters, multiple languages, or custom apps
- Platform change: Full replatforms take more time
- SEO risk tolerance: More QA means more cost
- Timeline: Fast launches usually cost more
If you need a low-cost option, consider doing the audit and redirect planning yourself, then hire a developer for implementation. But do not skip the planning.
Sample website migration plan (simple version)
Here is a basic website migration plan you can adapt:
- Week 1: Audit, crawl, and URL inventory
- Week 2: Redirect map + staging QA
- Week 3: Launch + search console updates
- Weeks 4-6: Monitoring and cleanup
Should you DIY or hire a service?
DIY can work for small sites with minimal URL changes. If you have a large site, paid traffic, or SEO-driven revenue, a website migration service is worth it. The cost of a botched migration is almost always higher than the service fee.
Post-migration checks that matter
After launch, keep a close eye on:
- Crawl errors and index coverage
- Organic traffic trend lines
- Rankings for top pages
- Conversion rate and key events
- Page speed and Core Web Vitals
You can use the technical website audit and SEO audit tool to document before-and-after results.
Related resources
Final thoughts
A website migration service is not just a technical task. It is risk management for your traffic and revenue. Use the checklist above, insist on a clear plan, and measure outcomes after launch. If you want fast visibility into risks and fixes, generate a report with the SEO audit tool and keep the migration clean.