How to move the site to Google

This document describes how to change the URL of existing pages on your site, minimizing a negative impact on the results of the search for Google. Examples of such movements include:

URL Change from HTTP on HTTPS.
Changing the domain name, for example, from Example.com on Example.net or combining several domains.
Change in URL ways: for example, with Example.com/page.php?id=1 on Example.com/widget, or with Example.com/page. on Example.com/page.htm.

If you do not change the URL address, but conduct changes in the infrastructure, such as changing hosting, start with this section.

General review for the transfer of the site to Google

The best practices for transferring the site. Find out what to expect and how this can affect your users and positions in the search results. If you move from HTTP to HTTPS, read the best practices for HTTPS.
Prepare a new site and carefully test it.
Prepare the URL card for old and new pages.
Launch the site transfer by setting the server for redirections from old URL to new ones.
Follow the traffic both on old and new URL addresses.

General recommendations for the successful transfer of the site to Google

If possible, divide the transfer to smaller stages. This will help to test the effect of traffic and indexing. To do this, you can start with a small part of the site, which changes less often, and later transfer the rest of the site.
Change only one thing at a time. For example, if you want to transfer the site to a new domain, change CMS and update the appearance of the site, do it in turn: first transfer the site to the new domain, then update CMS, and then change the appearance.
Select the right time to transfer the site. If your traffic is seasonal or decreases on certain days of the week, it is better to make transfer to these moments to minimize the impact on users and the server.
Expect temporary fluctuations in the site’s positions. With any significant change in the site, positions in the search results can occur until Google processes and does not repeatedly index the site.
Do not worry about the loss of reference weight. Redires (301, 302 and other server redirects) will not affect Pagerank.
Use Search Console to control the site transfer. Verify data for each property separately. Use the “Indexation Status” report for the general review and the “site map” report to see how many URLs from the site card were indexed.
Be patient. After transferring Googlebot, each URL should visit on the old and new site at least once, which can take time depending on the size of the site.

Preparing a new site for transfer to Google

The process of preparing a new site may vary depending on the specific case, but usually includes the following stages:

Setting CMS (preferably the same as used on the old site) and the transfer of content from the previous site.
Transfer of images and other files, such as PDF documents. Make sure the files that have traffic from Google Search are also redirected to a new location.
To switch to HTTPS, get and configure TLS certificates on the server.
Set a Robots.txt file for a new site to correctly configure its availability for indexing.
If the content is deleted or united, make sure that such URLs return the HTTP 404 or 410 code.
Make sure the Search Console settings are correctly configured.

Preparation of the URL card for transferring the site to Google

It is important to compare the old URL addresses with new ones. Depending on the configuration of your site, this process can be automated, but it is best to create a card manually for accuracy.

Determine the old URLs of your site

For simple URL changes, you can use universal server redirects, for example, when a domain changes.

For more complicated sites, create a list of old URLs and compare them with new ones. To do this, you can use the following methods:

Learn your site cards to search for the most important URLs.
Look at server logs and analytics to determine popular pages.
Pay attention to internal and external links to Search Console.
Use the content management system to extract the list of all URLs.
Do not forget to turn on the URL images and videos.

Create a map of old and new URL addresses

After you have a list of old URLs, compare each URL with its new location. This process depends on the server settings and infrastructure of the site.

Update all URL addresses on the new site

After you have created a card, follow the following steps to prepare the page:

Update annotations with new URLs by adding the Rel = "Canonical" tag.
Change internal links using the map of old and new URLs.
Save the card for the final check: the site card file and the list of external links.

Planning a redirection strategy for the site

After creating a map and preparing a new site, configure the redirection strategy. Use server constant redirects (301 or 308) to ensure the correct redirection of the old URL to new ones.

The start of the site transfer to Google

When the URL card is ready and the redirection strategy is approved, you can proceed to transfer.

Activate redirects: set up server files or update CMS so that the redirects work.
Check the Rel = "Canonical" tag on new pages and make sure that the pages are not blocked by Noindex metathams.
Test redirections using the URL checking tool.
Send a request to change the address via Search Console for the old site.
Hold the redirects active for at least a year to give Google time to process all links.
Update the site card in Search Console.

Мониторинг трафика после переноса сайта в Гугл

After the start of the transfer, follow the changes in the traffic both on the old and on the new site. This can be done using Search Console and other analytical tools.

Use Search Console for monitoring

Send the site maps for old and new URLs. Over time, the number of indexed pages on the old URL will decrease, and on a new one will increase.
Check the report "Coverage of the index" to track errors.
Follow the changes in the search queries.

Use other traffic monitoring tools

Follow the access of servers and errors, check how Googlebot and other search engines behave. Use Google Analytics to analyze traffic and observe its growth on the new site.

Additional resources for site transfer

The transfer of the site can be a complex process, but there are many useful resources that can help you. For detailed information, refer to the SEO "Seo.computer" by email info@seo.computer Or in WhatsApp +79202044461.

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