Moz Q&A is closed.
After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.
Migration from HTML to Wordpress - SEO Implications?
-
I am in the process of having a wordpress site developed to replace my current HTML site. (I currently have my website in html and a blog in wordpress in a sub directory). I am doing this in phases to try and preserve as much of my good rankings as possible. My first phase is to replicate my site with the exact same pages, meta data, and site structure. I'm hoping that google will see this as not much change and not change my rankings for the worse. I also made it a goal that my site speed tests be at least equal to what they are now. We will have to 301 all of the URLs however since it will be going from /example.html to /example. I believe my blog will also need to move into the root directory as well, so I need to 301 all of those pages.
I plan to wait a couple months for Phase 2. Phase 2 involves replacing old content (photo galleries), and introducing new content (virtual tours, videos, new pages, etc.) One of my reasons for moving to wordpress is to keep up with current trends a little easier since I have very little time. (I am owner, website maintainer, SEO - all on my own).
My question here is three parts. 1. Do you think this strategy will work to preserve my current rankings? 2. Do you have any lessons learned or advice to share with me to make this as smooth as possible? 3. Do I really need to wait to add new content? I might get antsy and want to do it sooner!
Thank you in advance!
-
I think it's a very dangerous idea to migrate your website to another platform on your own. No matter how diligently you do it, you won't be able to maintain your position in the search engines. I say this from personal experience.
It is better to contact the professionals. This team is excellent at helping you migrate your site to WordPress (Heidelberg). -
For lengthy-tail positions, typically you'll no longer see a dramatic drop. In truth, typically no drop in any respect. For some of the greater competitive positions, you most probably will see a mild loss. Some businesses do see a dramatic drop--but maximum probable due to different elements like microphone reviews. Over time, count on to regain the positions of the one in case you recognition on UX.
-
Thank you! I do plan to keep the internal linking the same, except the URL will change of course. The site structure is staying the same, except the blog will be moving to the root directory instead of being in a sub directory.
Thanks for the advice on the XML sitemap!
-
Good to know! Most of my searches are very specific, so I would say they are long-tail keywords.
-
I'd say for any drops, 4-6 weeks is pretty reasonable. To agree with Kevin again, most drops are user error (not doing redirects correctly etc) or as he said, major design/UX changes.
You may want to also be sure to implement an XML sitemap right away, and submit it to Search Console.
Also try to keep your internal linking the same where possible (menus, breadcrumbs, sidebars etc).
-
For long-tail kw positions, generally you will not see a dramatic drop. In fact, many times no drop at all. For some of the more competitive positions, you most likely will see a slight loss. Some companies do see a dramatic drop--but most likely because of other factors. Over time, expect to regain those positions if you focus on ux.
Dan's comments were spot on. I typically launch early on a saturday morning (2am or so) and make sure everything works. If you do launch, and the site blows up, you can always switch the 'a' record to the old site (assuming it is at a different server) and troubleshoot.
-
Thank you, this is also very helpful! I've never used Screaming Frog SEO Spider, so I will look into this! As for scheduling, that's why I am doing this in January. We are a tourism business, so we will peak in Feb / Mar. I'm hoping that 4-6 weeks will be enough to bounce back if we drop any. I do run Google PPC as well, so if it does drop, I'll have to up my PPC campaign. How long does it usually take to settle back out?
-
Thank you! That is very helpful. I will test the 301s! And thanks for letting me know to expect a 15% loss. Will that come back over time? I don't even want to lose one spot! Haha!
-
Hello! Kevin pretty much answered it but just wanted to add a few things:
1. To prioritize pages to check etc, export your top landings pages from Google Analytics. Run those through Screaming Frog SEO Spider in list most to check status codes and be sure they redirect. This way you're accounting for the highest trafficked content as a priority.
2. Schedule the exact switch for a low traffic time of day/week to be cautious.
To reiterate what Kevin said - having working redirects is the essential component here!
-
1. Do you think this strategy will work to preserve my current rankings? Yes, as long as the 301's are done properly and expect around a 15% loss.
2. Do you have any lessons learned or advice to share with me to make this as smooth as possible? Make sure to test the 301's before hand. Specifically, change your hosts file to the ip of domain. Next, go to google and do a site:yourdomainname.com and click on each result and make sure the redirects are done properly. Also, pay attention to Google Search Console, Analytics and etc for 404's and such. Make sure your .htaccess file isn't huge and add a new sitemap and etc.
3. Do I really need to wait to add new content? I might get antsy and want to do it sooner!
No, but I would wait until the dust settles (more of a personal preference) as you need to focus on the launch.
Sounds like you have it handled! It's all in the prep and how to handle issues post-launch in a time-sensitive matter. Good luck!
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
What type of website is best for seo.
I need a new website for my health insurance business. What type is best for SEO? Many thanks
Web Design | | laurentjb1 -
Does an age verification home page hurt SEO?
There's a microbrewery in our area that just launched its first website. It has the "verify your age" homepage (which is not really their homepage, but I don't know what it's called) before you can enter. It looks like this: http://angrychairbrewing.com/ Anyway, does this hurt them at all from a rankings standpoint? Also, assuming bots/spiders/ROGER can crawl sites like this, (which I think they would have to be able to do) how do they get around this verification? Thanks, Ruben
Web Design | | KempRugeLawGroup0 -
Wordpress Plugin To Capture Form Completion Data, Before Visitor Hits "Submit"?
Greetings MOZ Community: Visitors frequently start to enter contact information in the forms on our website, but then chicken out and don't hit the submit button. I noticed this watching the recordings of visitor web site visits using Mouse Flow. Is there a Wordpress Plugin that would allow us to capture data entered in forms, where the visitor does not finally hit the "submit" button? Obviously this would be very, very valuable as this scenario occurs in one out of three or four instances. Thanks!!!
Web Design | | Kingalan1
Alan0 -
SEO and Squarespace? Is this Really an Option?
Hi all, Any feedback on Squarespace, SEO capabilites and ranking factors? I have a client wishing to use the platform and despite the good reviews, which appear to be from resellers by the way, the forums say not. Although apparently Rand Fishkin, SEOMoz (yes right here!) gave them a big thumbs up “The square space team have put together a remarkable platform, SEO friendliness! Really not sure here and don’t agree, there are many limitations and hosting with a template provider is always big no no. Cheers
Web Design | | VirginiaC
Virginia0 -
Best Practice issue: Modx vs Wordpress
Lately I've been working a lot with Modx to create a new site for our own firm as well for other projects. But so far I haven't seen the advantages for SEO purposes other then the fact that with ModX you can manage almost everything yourself including snippets etc without to much effort. Wordpress is a known factor for blogging and since the last 2 years or so for websites. My question is: Which platform is better suited for SEO purposes? Which should I invest my time in? ModX or Wordpress? Hope to hear your thought on the matter
Web Design | | JarnoNijzing0 -
Seo and CSS media queries
Hello to all participants! I'm starting on responsive design with css media queries and I was wondering if hidding content can, in this case, can also be bad for seo? I know that hidding content is bad (eg. display: none;), but is it also like that with responsive design or does Google see it other way? If I have a news column with title, image and text for 1024px and hide the text and image leaving just the title for 768px, or smaller, will Google consider this black hat and will it be bad for seo? are there any articles I can read about this subject, and other similar subjects? sorry for my english 🙂 thanks
Web Design | | Lusodados1 -
Best layout pages for SEO
Dear all, what would be the ideal layout of a webpage for SEO? How would a homepage and landingspage look like? Thanks in advance! Best regards, Ben
Web Design | | HMK-NL0 -
Does using Wordpress Multisite have any negative SEO impact?
I manage multiple websites in Wordpress and the idea of managing them all under one Wordpress install is very attractive. Are there any dangers SEO-wise to doing so? I know that all of the sites would live under the same IP address, but that's not something I'm really concerned with anyway because I don't do a lot of inter-linking between the sites. Thanks for your help! -El Juano
Web Design | | JonathanFashbaugh0