SEO · · 7 min read
Switching website platforms without losing your Google rankings
Moving from Squarespace to Framer, or WordPress to custom code? The migration checklist we follow to protect the rankings you’ve earned.
Marcus · SEO & Content Strategist
Why redesigns can sink your traffic
A new website is exciting. But plenty of businesses launch a beautiful new site and watch their Google traffic drop the following month. Usually it isn't the design. It's that the old site's pages, links and signals weren't carried across.
Whether you're moving from Squarespace to Framer, WordPress to custom code or anything in between, here's the checklist we follow.
Before you build: take stock
- Crawl your current site and export every URL. Tools like Screaming Frog make this easy.
- Export your top pages from Google Search Console and Google Analytics, so you know which pages actually bring in traffic and enquiries.
- Note which pages have links from other websites.
- Save your current page titles and meta descriptions.
- Record your rankings for your most important searches so you can compare after launch.
Plan your new URLs
Keep URLs the same wherever you can. Where they have to change, map every old URL to its closest new equivalent in a spreadsheet. Don't send everything to the homepage. Google treats mass homepage redirects much like missing pages.
Carry the content across
If a page ranks well, be careful about rewriting it heavily or cutting it. You can improve the design, structure and readability, but keep the substance that earned the rankings. Merge thin pages thoughtfully rather than deleting them.
Get the technical details right at launch
- Set up 301 redirects for every changed URL, and test them
- Keep or improve your page titles, meta descriptions and headings
- Generate a new XML sitemap and submit it in Google Search Console
- Check your new site isn't blocking search engines. Staging sites are often set to noindex, and that setting sometimes goes live by mistake
- Add analytics and conversion tracking before launch, not after
- Re-add structured data, such as your local business details, if your old site had it
Don't forget the domain and email
If your domain is registered with your old platform, as many Squarespace domains are, plan the move carefully. Your domain also controls your email. Before changing nameservers or transferring the domain, copy every DNS record, especially MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC, so email keeps working the moment you switch.
After launch: watch closely
- Check Search Console every few days for crawl errors and 404s
- Fix any broken redirects straight away
- Update your Google Business Profile and key directory listings if URLs changed
- Compare rankings and traffic against your baseline for the next two to three months
Some short-term movement is normal while Google recrawls the site. A steady decline is a sign something was missed.
The payoff
Done properly, a migration is a chance to improve rankings, not just protect them. A faster site, better structure and stronger content usually give you a lift once Google settles.
Planning a move to a new platform? We handle the migration plan and redirects as part of every rebuild, so you keep what you've earned.
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WRITTEN BY
Marcus · SEO & Content Strategist
Plans the keywords, pages and articles that help clients get found on Google and in AI search.