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First, classify the migration
List every planned change: domain, subdomain, protocol, URL paths, CMS, hosting, CDN, design, and content. Google treats URL changes and hosting moves with unchanged visible URLs as distinct procedures. Where practical, sequence unrelated changes so a problem is easier to trace.
| Migration type | Do visible URLs change? | Primary launch work | Search Console Change of Address |
|---|---|---|---|
| URL-changing move: domain, subdomain, HTTP-to-HTTPS, or paths | Yes | Map old URLs to relevant new URLs; implement and test redirects | For a domain or subdomain move; not for protocol or path changes on the same domain |
| Hosting/CDN move only | No | Prepare the new environment, then change DNS and monitor both hosts during propagation | Not applicable |
| Combined move | Yes, and infrastructure changes | Complete URL-move and hosting-move checks | For the domain/subdomain component, if applicable |
Google’s instructions for a URL-changing move are in its site moves and migrations guide; the separate procedure for unchanged URLs is changing web hosting.
Website migration checklist: before you change anything
Assign owners and agree on recovery
- Name a project lead and owners for DNS and hosting, redirects, content, analytics, and Search Console.
- Agree on launch approval, escalation contacts, and a rollback or recovery plan. The right plan depends on the architecture and provider; Google does not prescribe one universal rollback procedure.
- Write down what evidence will trigger escalation, such as widespread server errors, broken key journeys, or an unexpected loss of service. Avoid treating a short-lived change in search visibility as the sole rollback signal.
Capture a baseline
Before launch, record the site’s current organic landing pages, traffic, conversions, important queries, indexed URLs, and server behavior using your own analytics, Search Console, and operational monitoring. These are useful project baselines, not universal Google-mandated metrics or thresholds.
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Inventory the site
Collect URLs from XML sitemaps, CMS exports, server logs, analytics, Search Console link data, and a site crawl. Include images, PDFs, and other files that receive search traffic or inbound links, not only HTML pages. Mark especially valuable URLs so they can be checked first, but retain the complete inventory for mapping and testing.
Prepare and test the destination
Verify the site works before launch
- Copy or import content and assets, then test representative pages, images, forms, downloads, and important user journeys in a restricted or temporary environment.
- For an HTTPS destination, configure and test TLS before sending visitors or crawlers to it.
- Set the destination’s
robots.txtrules intentionally. Identify temporary crawl blocks andnoindexdirectives that must be removed at launch. - Check that analytics will report the destination correctly, and that Search Console verification methods—such as verification files or template tags—will remain available.
- Confirm the destination can serve ordinary traffic and the additional crawling that may follow a URL move.
Check access and launch dependencies
Confirm who can edit DNS, server configuration, redirect rules, sitemaps, and site templates, and ensure those people are available during launch. For a hosting move, have the new environment ready and tested before changing DNS. Google suggests considering a lower DNS TTL in advance; the timing and value depend on the DNS provider and migration plan.
URL-changing move: map URLs and update references
Build a complete old-to-new URL map
For each old URL, identify its corresponding final destination. Prioritize high-traffic and well-linked pages for review, while accounting for every URL in the inventory. Map assets such as images and PDFs where they have users or inbound links. Do not assume that a new site’s similar-looking URL is the right destination without checking its content.
Update the destination site
- Give each new page a self-referencing canonical URL.
- Update internal links to point directly to the destination URLs rather than relying on redirects.
- Update sitemap entries and, where used, hreflang references.
- Remove migration-only crawl blocks and development
noindexdirectives at launch. - For content intentionally removed without a relevant replacement, return a genuine 404 or 410 response. Do not redirect unrelated pages to the homepage.
Launch: redirect or change DNS, depending on the move
For URL changes, redirect directly to the final page
For permanent URL changes, use server-side permanent redirects such as 301 or 308 when possible. Each old URL should go straight to its relevant final destination. Google says it can follow up to ten redirect hops, but recommends direct redirects; if a chain cannot be avoided, keep it low—ideally no more than three and fewer than five. See Google’s guidance on redirects and Google Search.
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Before and during launch, test individual URLs and batch-crawl the mapping. Check response codes, destination relevance, redirect loops and chains, canonicals, robots rules, and representative assets. Google recommends testing redirects with URL Inspection or scripts and other tools. Its guide also states, “Don’t worry about link credit”: Google explains that 301 and other permanent redirects do not cause a loss in PageRank.
Use Change of Address only for the right move
For a domain or subdomain move, verify the relevant old and new Search Console properties and variants, then submit Change of Address for the old property. Google’s current guidance says to cover verified variants, including subdomains and www/non-www versions. Do not use Change of Address for HTTP-to-HTTPS, www/non-www changes on the same domain, or path changes on the same domain. Google’s documentation updates describe the clarification on subdomain variants.
Submit the new sitemap
Submit the destination sitemap in Search Console. Make sure it lists the new canonical URLs rather than the old ones.
For hosting-only moves, change DNS after preparation
Once the new host or CDN is configured and tested, change DNS according to your provider’s process. Monitor both old and new infrastructure while DNS changes propagate; check that requests reaching either environment receive the intended responses. Google’s hosting-move guidance notes that crawl rate may temporarily fall just after launch and then increase over the next few days, without promising a fixed duration or ranking outcome.
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Monitor the old and new site after launch
Check Search Console and search performance
- Review sitemap processing, indexed URL trends, search queries and performance, and crawl or indexing errors across the relevant old and new properties.
- During a URL move, warnings for old sitemap URLs that redirect can be expected; investigate errors that indicate broken destinations or access problems.
- Compare results with your pre-launch baseline, while allowing for temporary fluctuation rather than assuming a guaranteed recovery date.
Check servers, analytics, and real user journeys
- Review access and error logs, crawler activity, analytics, unexpected HTTP errors, and server capacity.
- For a hosting move, compare request traffic on the old and new infrastructure. Public DNS checks can help identify where a domain resolves during propagation.
- Test important pages, forms, downloads, and other key journeys on the live site, including representative redirected URLs and media files.
Update links and retire old infrastructure carefully
Ask high-value referring sites to update their links, and update your own internal links, social and profile links, and campaigns to point directly to new URLs. Keep URL-change redirects as long as possible; Google generally advises at least one year, and longer can help users following old links. Treat old-host retirement as a separate decision: for a hosting move, do not shut down the old hosting until traffic to that provider has reached zero and the new infrastructure is serving users correctly.
How long can search changes take?
Google Search Central says that for medium-sized websites, it can take a few weeks or more for Google to gradually show new URLs instead of old ones; larger sites can take longer. This is general guidance, not a service-level guarantee or a promised ranking recovery date. Continue monitoring the old and new properties and investigate technical failures rather than judging the migration on a single day’s results.
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