What should they confirm before committing to a CMS migration?
They should confirm why they are migrating and what “success” means in numbers. If the goal is speed, they should benchmark Core Web Vitals, server response times, and template weight before touching anything.
They should also confirm constraints early: deadlines, dev resources, content owners, and whether the migration includes redesign, IA changes, or domain moves. The more variables, the higher the SEO risk.
Which pages and keywords must they protect first?
Before a CMS migration, they should identify the pages that currently earn traffic and revenue. That usually includes top landing pages from Google Search Console, pages with the most conversions, and URLs with strong backlinks.
They should also export a baseline data set prior to the CMS migration: top queries, top pages, current rankings, and the last 3–6 months of organic clicks and impressions. These become the “do not break” list and the benchmark for measuring post-migration performance and recovery.
What should they crawl and export from the old site?
They should run a full crawl of the existing site and export all indexable URLs, status codes, titles, H1s, canonicals, meta robots, hreflang (if used), internal links, and image URLs.
They should also export the XML sitemaps, robots.txt, and any redirect rules already in place. This creates a complete inventory and prevents “mystery losses” where older pages quietly disappear.
How should they plan the URL structure and redirects?
They should keep URLs identical wherever possible. If URLs must change, they should map every old URL to the closest new equivalent with a one-to-one 301 redirect.
They should avoid redirect chains and blanket redirects to the homepage, as both weaken relevance and waste crawl budget. They should also document rules for trailing slashes, lowercase URLs, parameters, and pagination so the new CMS behaves consistently.
What on-page SEO elements must they carry over?
They should preserve titles, meta descriptions, headings, body content, schema markup, canonical tags, and internal linking patterns. If templates change, they should ensure these fields still exist and render server-side.
They should also preserve image alt text and any embedded media metadata that contributes to search visibility. If the new CMS “cleans” HTML, they should test that it does not strip schema or critical content.
How should they handle content pruning without losing rankings?
They should prune only with evidence. If a page has no traffic, no links, and no clear purpose, they can remove it, but they should still decide whether to redirect or return a 410.
They should consolidate thin pages into stronger hubs where it makes topical sense. When merging content, they should redirect old URLs to the new consolidated URL and keep the most relevant on-page signals. You may like to visit https://business.gov.au/online-and-digital/business-website/improve-your-search-engine-rankings to get more about improving your search engine rankings.
What technical SEO settings should they replicate in the new CMS?
They should replicate robots directives, indexation rules, canonical logic, and sitemap generation. They should verify that the CMS does not default to “noindex” on key templates or create duplicate URLs via tags, filters, or archives.
They should also confirm HTTPS enforcement, preferred host (www vs non-www), and correct handling of query parameters. Consistency matters more than novelty during migration.
How should they manage staging environments to avoid accidental indexation?
They should block staging with IP restrictions or HTTP authentication, not only robots.txt. Robots.txt is a hint, not a lock.
They should also ensure staging does not leak into analytics, Search Console, or sitemap submission. If staging pages get indexed, it can create duplicate content and confuse canonical signals when the new site launches.
What should they test before launch day?
They should run a crawl of the staging site and compare it to the old inventory. The goal is simple: every important page exists, returns 200, has the right canonicals, and has no unexpected “noindex”.
They should also test forms, navigation, faceted filters, pagination, internal search, and mobile rendering. They should validate structured data, check page speed, and confirm the sitemap includes only canonical, indexable URLs.
How should they execute the launch to minimise SEO disruption?
They should launch at a time when the team can monitor logs and fix issues quickly. They should deploy redirects at the same moment the new site goes live, not hours later.
They should also publish the new XML sitemap, update robots.txt, and ensure canonical tags point to live URLs. If they use a CDN or caching layer, they should purge caches so Google and users see the same content.
What should they monitor in the first 72 hours after launch?
They should watch Google Search Console for spikes in coverage errors, “Submitted URL blocked by robots.txt”, and “Alternate page with proper canonical tag” patterns that signal duplication.
They should also crawl the live site, spot-check redirects, and review server logs for 404s and 500s. If key pages drop out of the index or redirect incorrectly, they should treat it as an emergency and fix it immediately. Click here to get more about how an AEO strategy agency prepares brands for generative search.
How should they measure whether SEO is recovering properly?
They should compare performance against the baseline: organic clicks, impressions, and rankings for priority queries and pages. Small fluctuations are normal, but sustained drops on protected pages usually indicate redirect, canonical, or rendering problems.
They should also monitor indexed page counts, crawl stats, and backlink destination health. If external links now hit 404s or wrong redirects, they should update mappings to preserve authority.
What is the simplest CMS migration checklist they can follow?
They should keep it short and operational:
- Benchmark traffic, rankings, and CWV before changes
- Crawl and export the full old-site URL inventory
- Keep URLs the same where possible
- Create a one-to-one 301 redirect map for every changed URL
- Preserve titles, headings, copy, schema, canonicals, and internal links
- Block staging with authentication, not just robots.txt
- Crawl staging and fix “noindex”, canonicals, duplicates, and broken links
- Launch redirects, sitemap, and robots.txt in the same deployment
- Monitor GSC, logs, 404s, and rankings daily for two weeks
Done well, a CMS migration becomes a controlled change rather than a traffic gamble.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What key preparations should be made before committing to a CMS migration to ensure SEO stability?
Before committing to a CMS migration, confirm the reasons for migrating and define what success looks like in measurable terms. Benchmark Core Web Vitals, server response times, and template weight. Also, identify constraints such as deadlines, development resources, content ownership, and any redesigns or domain moves involved, as these factors impact SEO risk.
How can I identify which pages and keywords to prioritise protecting during a CMS migration?
Identify pages that currently drive traffic and revenue by analysing top landing pages from Google Search Console, pages with the most conversions, and URLs with strong backlinks. Export baseline data including top queries, pages, rankings, and recent organic clicks and impressions to create a ‘do not break’ list that guides recovery efforts.
What is the best approach to managing URL structures and redirects during a CMS migration?
Maintain existing URLs wherever possible. When changes are necessary, map every old URL to its closest new equivalent using one-to-one 301 redirects. Avoid redirect chains and blanket redirects to the homepage as they reduce relevance and waste crawl budget. Document rules for trailing slashes, lowercase URLs, parameters, and pagination to ensure consistent behaviour in the new CMS.
Which on-page SEO elements must be preserved when migrating to a new CMS?
Preserve critical on-page SEO elements such as titles, meta descriptions, headings, body content, schema markup, canonical tags, internal linking patterns, image alt text, and embedded media metadata. Ensure these fields still render server-side in new templates and verify that the CMS does not strip essential HTML or schema markup during content cleaning.
How should staging environments be managed during a CMS migration to prevent accidental indexation?
Block staging environments using IP restrictions or HTTP authentication rather than relying solely on robots.txt files since robots.txt is only a guideline for crawlers. Prevent staging sites from leaking into analytics tools, Google Search Console, or sitemap submissions. This avoids duplicate content issues and canonical confusion upon launch.
What monitoring steps are crucial in the first 72 hours after launching a migrated CMS site?
Monitor Google Search Console for coverage errors such as ‘Submitted URL blocked by robots.txt’ or duplication signals. Crawl the live site to verify all important pages return status 200 with correct canonicals and no unexpected ‘noindex’ tags. Review server logs for 404s or 500 errors promptly addressing any issues affecting key pages or redirects.