A new website or a move to new hosting is a great opportunity, but done carelessly it can wipe out rankings you've built over years, or break your email for days. The good news is that a careful move protects both. Here's the checklist we follow.
Before you change anything
1. List every page on your current site
Export your current URLs from your sitemap, Google Search Console or a crawl of the site. Note which pages get the most traffic and which have links from other websites.
2. Map old addresses to new ones
For every old page, decide where it lives on the new site. If /plumbing-services.html becomes /services/plumbing/, write it down. Pages you're removing should point to the closest relevant new page, not the homepage.
3. Record your DNS and email settings
Your domain's DNS records control where your website and email go. Before touching anything, take a full copy, especially:
- MX records that route your email
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC records that stop your emails landing in spam
- verification records for Google and other services
- any subdomains you use
Losing one of these is the most common way a website move breaks email.
During the move
4. Set up 301 redirects
A 301 redirect tells browsers and Google that a page has moved permanently. It passes on most of the old page's ranking value. Every old address on your list should redirect to its new home.
5. Keep the old site running
Don't cancel your old hosting until the new site is live, tested and working. If something goes wrong, you can switch back.
6. Test on a preview address first
Build and check the new site on a temporary address. Click every page, submit every form and test on phones before pointing your domain at it. Keep the preview hidden from Google so it doesn't compete with your live site.
7. Switch DNS carefully
When you're ready, update the records that point your domain to the new host. Double-check that email records are unchanged. Changes usually take effect within a few hours.
After launch
8. Test everything again
Visit old addresses to confirm the redirects work. Send yourself an email and a form enquiry. Check that HTTPS works on every page.
9. Tell Google
In Google Search Console, submit your new sitemap and check for errors. Update your Google Business Profile if your website address has changed.
10. Watch for a few weeks
Some movement in rankings is normal for a week or two. Keep an eye on Search Console for pages Google can't find, and fix any missing redirects.
Common mistakes
- No redirects, so every old link and ranking hits a "page not found"
- Redirecting everything to the homepage
- Deleting old hosting before testing
- Forgetting email records when changing DNS
- Leaving a "noindex" tag from the preview site on the live site
How we handle it
Every EZM build includes URL mapping, redirects and a written migration log of your DNS records before and after, with steps to roll back if needed. If you're rebuilding or moving hosts, talk to us before you change anything.
This article is general information only and isn't legal, financial or technical advice for your situation. Questions? Talk to us.