SEO Migration
Change, redesign or migrate your website without losing the rankings it took you so long to earn. This is how we protect your SEO in every migration.
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A poorly migrated redesign can wipe out years of SEO in a single day
Let me tell you about one of the most common scares that land on our desk at AMDT. A business redesigns its website, changes domain or platform, everything looks beautiful… and a few weeks later its Google traffic plummets. Years of rankings, content and links, evaporated overnight. Why does it happen? Because migrating a website is not just moving files: if every technical detail is not taken care of — URLs, redirects, indexing — Google loses track of your website and treats it as if it were brand new. Clearly, that is far too high a price to pay for a change that should add, not subtract.
SEO Migration
What is an SEO migration and when do you need one?
An SEO migration is the process of changing something significant about your website — the domain, the design, the platform (CMS), the URL structure or the switch to HTTPS — while preserving, and even improving, all the rankings you already had. Let me explain. You need one whenever you are about to alter the foundations of your website: a redesign, a rebrand and domain change, migrating from PrestaShop to another platform, merging several websites into one… In all of those cases, doing it without an SEO plan means gambling your traffic on the toss of a coin. With a good plan, on the other hand, the migration is transparent to Google and you lose nothing.
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The mistake of migrating without anyone controlling the SEO
I have seen the same drama far too many times: the migration is handled by the design agency or the technical team — who are good at what they do — but with nobody watching over the SEO. The new website goes live, the redirects are forgotten, URLs change without being mapped, indexing gets blocked by accident… and traffic nosedives. And the worst part is that, by the time someone notices, recovering what was lost costs far more than doing it properly from the start. That is why I always insist: in a migration, SEO is not the last step; it is the one that needs to be there from minute one. Can you see the difference?
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How do we handle an SEO migration at AMDT?
With a safety net. Four steps so that your website changes without Google — or your customers — noticing anything other than an improvement.
Taking a snapshot before touching anything
Before moving a single file, we carry out a complete inventory of your current website: which URLs rank, how much traffic they bring, which links they receive. That snapshot is your safety net: without it, there is no way to tell whether something has been lost along the way.
Making sure every old page leads to its new one
The heart of a migration. We map every old URL to its new equivalent and set up 301 redirects so that neither Google nor your visitors run into an error. This way, all the authority each page had earned is transferred to the new one.
Launching with everything checked
We coordinate the launch and verify that everything is in order: redirects working, indexing open where it should be, structured data, mobile version, speed… Nothing is taken for granted; everything is checked before and after pressing the button.
Watching until Google absorbs the change
A migration does not end on launch day. Over the following weeks we closely monitor how Google reacts — rankings, indexing, traffic — to detect and correct any detail immediately. Remember our starting premise: people + technology = solutions.
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Five rules for a scare-free migration
Beyond the method, there are scheduling and common-sense decisions that separate a calm migration from a heart-stopping one. These are the ones we always apply:
- Choose the right moment. Never in the middle of your peak sales season: if something goes wrong, let it go wrong when it hurts least.
- Do not change everything at once. Domain, design and platform on the same day means three open fronts; if something fails, you will not know which one it was.
- Keep what already works. If a URL, a title or a piece of content ranks well, do not change it just for the sake of it.
- Tell Google. An updated sitemap and Search Console from day one, to monitor how it absorbs the change.
- Do not launch on a Friday. Launch when you can keep a close eye on the website over the following days: a weekend with broken redirects is expensive.
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Migration now has an extra layer: your visibility in AI
Until recently, a good migration meant not losing positions on Google. Today you also need to protect your presence in the answers given by artificial intelligence. Assistants such as ChatGPT or Perplexity cite specific URLs from your website; if the migration breaks them without redirecting them, your website is no longer available to them and disappears from those answers.
That is why the redirect map now protects two assets at once: your Google rankings and your visibility in AI. And it pays to be patient, because AI platforms can take a while to update what they know about your new website. If you want to know how that visibility is built, we explain it in our AI Search Engine Optimisation service.
SEO Migration
Why trust your migration to AMDT?
Because a migration leaves no room for improvisation, and we have been carrying them out since 2012 without our clients losing what it took them so long to earn.
Agency in Madrid, active since 2012
Over a decade migrating and ranking websites, trusted by organisations such as Autocines, Cofares and UCI. We have seen (and prevented) many scares.
Technical and White Hat SEO
A migration is pure technical SEO. We carry it out with rigour and without shortcuts, so the change is solid and does not come back to haunt you later.
Without losing your rankings
That is the objective and the yardstick: that after the migration you keep — or improve — your traffic and your positions. Our entire method is designed for that.
People + technology = solutions
We coordinate with your technical or design team and keep an eye on every detail. Technology helps, but what saves a migration is people’s judgement.
Whether you are changing domain, redesigning your website or switching platforms, the objective is the same: coming out ahead, not behind.
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Frequently asked questions
What is an SEO migration?
It is the process of changing something significant about a website — the domain, the design, the platform, the URL structure or the switch to HTTPS — while preserving, and even improving, the rankings it already had. The key lies in taking care of every technical detail (URLs, redirects, indexing) so that Google does not lose track of the website and keeps ranking it.
When do I need an SEO migration?
Whenever you are about to alter the foundations of your website: a redesign, a rebrand and domain change, migrating from one platform to another (for example, from PrestaShop), merging several websites into one or switching to HTTPS. In all of those cases, doing it without an SEO plan puts your traffic at risk; with a plan, the migration is transparent to Google.
Can I lose rankings when migrating my website?
Yes, and that is the real risk of a poorly executed migration: significant traffic drops that can take months to recover. The good news is that, with proper planning — a pre-migration inventory, URL mapping, 301 redirects and monitoring — that risk is reduced to a minimum and the migration goes ahead without upsets.
What are 301 redirects and why do they matter so much?
A 301 redirect tells Google and the browser that an old URL has permanently moved to a new one. Redirects are the heart of a migration: done well, they transfer to the new page all the authority the old one had earned; forgotten or done badly, they are the number one cause of traffic loss after a website change.
How does a website migration affect my presence in AI?
AI assistants such as ChatGPT or Perplexity cite specific URLs from your website in their answers. If the migration breaks those addresses without redirecting them, your website is no longer available to them and disappears from those answers. A well-built 301 redirect map protects both your Google rankings and your visibility in AI, although AI platforms can take a while to update what they know about your new website.
Do you work with my technical or design team?
Yes. The technical or design side is usually handled by another team, and we make sure all that work is done with SEO in mind: we define the plan, coordinate with them and validate every step. We do not replace your team; we make sure the migration does not cost you your rankings.
How much does an SEO migration cost?
It depends on the size of the website and the complexity of the change (a redesign is not the same as merging several websites with thousands of URLs). That is why we start with a pre-migration audit that defines the real scope and its budget before we begin. The first step, with no obligation, is a conversation to see what your case involves.
