We are preparing for a major platform migration with an ecommerce client. The website is in the range of 7000 pages. During this migration, all URLs will change due to differences in the platform and improvements to the site structure. Unfortunately, they run on a Microsoft server, so doing 301 redirects also tends to be a painful process.
What can we do to minimize the initial dent this puts in the website traffic?
We are
- prepared to submit XML sitemaps to Google and Bing as soon as the new site is live.
- writing 301 redirects for all pages which have inbound links (this is tough to automate due to the URL structures).
In the long run, we expect the new platform, URL structure, and site architecture to be a huge improvement for our organic rankings. The client and we are worried about the transition period though!
Any tips or advice to help us through it?
Thanks!