Site Migration Checklist

From: [old-domain.com] → To: [new-domain.com]

Comprehensive checklist for domain migration ensuring no loss of SEO equity, brand continuity, and minimal disruption.

Pre-Migration (Before Any Changes)

Client Assets & Access

New domain purchased ([new-domain.com])
Domain registrar access (credentials documented)
Current hosting access (cPanel, FTP, SSH)
New hosting provisioned (if changing hosts)
DNS provider access (Cloudflare, registrar, etc.)

Brand Assets Collected

Current Site Documentation

Complete URL inventory
- Run Screaming Frog crawl
- Export all internal URLs
- Document URL structure
Page inventory (all pages with titles)
Content audit (what's migrating, what's not)
Current analytics access (GA4, Search Console)
Screenshot current site (homepage + key pages)

SEO Baseline (Capture Before Migration)

Search Console data export
- Current indexed pages
- Top queries and positions
- Crawl stats
Current keyword rankings (SearchAtlas/SEMrush)
Backlink profile (domain authority, links)
Local SEO grid ranking (if local business)
Google Business Profile metrics
Current organic traffic (GA4 last 30/90 days)

Domain & Hosting

DNS Configuration

Add new domain to DNS provider
Create A record pointing to hosting IP
Create CNAME for www → apex domain
Configure MX records for email
Set up SPF record for email authentication
Set up DKIM record (if using Google Workspace)
Set up DMARC record
TTL set appropriately (lower during migration)
Verify DNS propagation (use dnschecker.org)

SSL Certificate

Install SSL certificate on new domain
Verify HTTPS working (no mixed content)
Force HTTPS redirect enabled
HSTS header configured (optional, advanced)

Hosting Configuration

New site files uploaded to hosting
Database configured (if applicable)
PHP version correct (WordPress)
Server timezone set correctly
File permissions set correctly
Backup system configured

Website Build

Core Pages

Homepage built and styled
About page with updated company info
Contact page with form working
Services/Products pages
Privacy Policy (updated domain references)
Terms of Service (updated domain references)
404 error page customized

Content Migration

Existing content copied (text, not just links)
Images downloaded from old site
Images re-uploaded to new site
Image file names SEO-friendly
Alt text added to all images
Internal links updated to new URLs
External links verified (no broken links)
Downloadable files (PDFs, etc.) migrated

Branding Applied

Logo in header (linked to homepage)
Favicon uploaded (shows in browser tab)
Brand colors applied to theme/CSS
Brand fonts loaded correctly
Footer updated (new business name, year, links)
Email addresses updated to new domain

Forms & Functionality

Contact form working (test submission)
Form notifications going to correct email
Form spam protection enabled (reCAPTCHA)
Newsletter signup working (if applicable)
Live chat widget installed (if applicable)
Click-to-call links working on mobile

Technical Quality

Mobile responsive (test on phone)
Page speed acceptable (< 3 seconds)
No JavaScript errors (check console)
No broken links (run crawler or plugin check)
Cross-browser tested (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge)
Print stylesheet (if content is printable)

SEO Configuration

On-Page SEO

Title tags written for all pages
Meta descriptions written for all pages
H1 headers on every page (one per page)
Header hierarchy logical (H1 → H2 → H3)
URL slugs clean and descriptive
Canonical tags pointing to correct URLs
Robots meta allowing indexing (no noindex)

Technical SEO

Search Console Setup

New property added (rotarysports.com)
Domain verified (DNS or HTML file)
Sitemap submitted
Check for crawl errors
Request indexing of key pages

Redirect Mapping

URL mapping spreadsheet created
- Old URL → New URL for EVERY page
301 redirects implemented
Redirects tested (each one manually or via tool)
No redirect chains (A → B → C)
No redirect loops
Homepage redirect working
404 catch-all redirect (optional, to homepage)

Redirect Testing Checklist

Old URL	New URL	Tested	Working
/old-page-1	/new-page-1	☐	☐
/old-page-2	/new-page-2	☐	☐
(add all pages)

Analytics & Tracking

Google Analytics 4

GA4 property exists (or create new)
Tracking code installed on new site
Data stream updated for new domain
Verify data flowing (real-time report)
Goals/conversions configured
Referral exclusions set (if needed)

Google Tag Manager (if used)

Container installed on new site
Tags verified firing correctly
Preview mode tested
Published latest version

Other Tracking

Facebook Pixel installed (if using)
LinkedIn Insight Tag (if using)
Call tracking configured (if using)
Heatmap tool configured (if using)

Email Configuration

Google Workspace / Email

CRM Integration

CRM email settings updated (sending domain)
Email authentication verified for CRM
Email templates updated with new branding
Test automated emails (confirmations, etc.)

Business Profiles & Directories

Google Business Profile

Directory Listings (NAP Consistency)

Yelp - update business info
Apple Maps - submit update via Apple Business Connect
Bing Places - update listing
Yellow Pages - update or claim
BBB - update listing (if member)
Industry-specific directories
Chamber of Commerce - notify of change
Local business associations
Supplier/partner websites (if they link to you)

Third-Party Integrations

Payment & E-commerce

Payment gateway configured (Stripe, PayPal, Square)
Test transaction completed
Shipping configured (rates, zones)
Tax settings configured
Order confirmation emails branded

CRM & Marketing

CRM connected to new site
Forms submitting to CRM correctly
Chat widget working and connected
Automation workflows updated
Phone number verified in CRM

Booking & Scheduling

Booking widget installed (if applicable)
Calendar sync working
Confirmation emails branded

Go-Live

Pre-Launch (Day Before)

Final content review by client
Backup old site (full backup)
Rollback plan documented
Team notified of go-live time
Client notified of go-live time

Launch Day

Point DNS to new hosting (if changing)
Implement redirects on old domain
Verify site loading on new domain
Test all forms (submit test)
Test checkout (if e-commerce)
Monitor uptime (first 24-48 hours)
Check for 404 errors (Search Console, logs)

Post-Launch (First 48 Hours)

Monitor traffic (GA4 real-time)
Check Search Console for crawl errors
Test all redirects again
Fix any 404s immediately
Respond to customer questions
Social media announcement posted

Post-Migration Monitoring

Week 1

Daily Search Console check (crawl errors, indexing)
Traffic comparison (vs. same period last week/month)
Redirect error log review
Customer feedback monitoring
Fix any issues immediately

Week 2-4

Weekly ranking check (compare to baseline)
Index coverage review (new pages indexed?)
Remove old pages from index (if still showing)
Update any missed directories
Acquire new backlinks to new domain (if outreach planned)

Month 2-3

Full traffic analysis (compare to pre-migration)
Ranking recovery assessment
Directory audit (all listings consistent?)
Google Business Profile insights review
Customer review of migration (feedback)

Documentation & Handoff

Internal Documentation

Redirect mapping saved permanently
Access credentials documented
Baseline metrics saved (pre-migration)
Issue log documented
Lessons learned noted

Client Handoff

Training completed (site management)
Login credentials provided
User guides provided (CMS basics)
Support contact communicated
Project closeout meeting held

Emergency Rollback Plan

If critical issues occur after migration:

Assess severity - Is site down? Are sales affected?
Notify team - Alert all stakeholders
Revert DNS - Point back to old site (if still accessible)
Remove redirects - Allow old site to serve directly
Communicate to customers - "Temporary maintenance"
Diagnose issue - Identify root cause
Fix and re-launch - When ready, repeat go-live process

Rollback contacts:

Hosting provider support: _______________
DNS provider support: _______________
Domain registrar support: _______________

Notes

Use this space to document project-specific details:

Item	Details
Old domain registrar
New domain registrar
Hosting provider
DNS provider
Go-live date
Rollback deadline

Template by Symphony Core LLC December 2025

Pre-Migration (Before Any Changes)​

Client Assets & Access​

Brand Assets Collected​

Current Site Documentation​

SEO Baseline (Capture Before Migration)​

Domain & Hosting​

DNS Configuration​

SSL Certificate​

Hosting Configuration​

Website Build​

Core Pages​

Content Migration​

Branding Applied​

Forms & Functionality​

Technical Quality​

SEO Configuration​

On-Page SEO​

Technical SEO​

Search Console Setup​

Redirect Mapping​

Redirect Testing Checklist​

Analytics & Tracking​

Google Analytics 4​

Google Tag Manager (if used)​

Other Tracking​

Email Configuration​

Google Workspace / Email​

CRM Integration​

Business Profiles & Directories​

Google Business Profile​

Social Media Profiles​

Directory Listings (NAP Consistency)​

Third-Party Integrations​

Payment & E-commerce​

CRM & Marketing​

Booking & Scheduling​

Go-Live​

Pre-Launch (Day Before)​

Launch Day​

Post-Launch (First 48 Hours)​

Post-Migration Monitoring​

Week 1​

Week 2-4​

Month 2-3​

Documentation & Handoff​

Internal Documentation​

Client Handoff​

Emergency Rollback Plan​

Notes​