The playbook
Website Migration SEO: Template and Field Guide
This website migration SEO template turns a broad task into a record another person can use. It captures old URL, new URL, priority, then connects that information to a decision. Copy the table into your working document or system and create a separate record for each item in scope.
Put the task in context
Create the old-to-new URL map before release, including high-value pages, downloads, and linked resources. Test a representative set in staging and production. After launch, investigate missing destinations and redirect errors separately from expected short-term measurement variability.
Copyable worksheet
| Field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| old URL | Record the old URL associated with this page or query record. Use a stable reference so later updates can be matched. |
| new URL | Record the new URL associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| priority | Record the priority associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| launch check | Record the launch check associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| Decision field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| Observed problem | Describe the actual condition and where it was observed. |
| Recommended action | State the smallest action that resolves the documented problem. |
| Evidence | Link to the record, observation, or test supporting the action. |
| Owner and next review | Name the accountable person and when the decision should be revisited. |
How to complete the worksheet
Begin with old URL. Use the same reference throughout the record so notes are not attached to the wrong item. Then inventory current URLs and their search value. This establishes the information required before the worksheet becomes a request for action.
Next, map destinations and test redirects before launch. Use the observed problem and evidence fields to explain why that step is needed. A useful entry describes an actual condition, such as launching without a complete mapping of important old pages, rather than a broad instruction to “improve performance.”
Finally, compare indexing traffic and errors after release. Put restore missing destinations and repair mappings using the inventory in the action field only when it addresses the observed condition. If the problem is different, change the action. The template is a structure for judgment, not a reason to apply the same fix everywhere.
Illustrative completed decision
| Part | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Problem | Launching without a complete mapping of important old pages |
| Action | Restore missing destinations and repair mappings using the inventory |
| First check | Inventory current URLs and their search value |
| Follow-up check | Compare indexing traffic and errors after release |
| Outcome to define | priority migrated URLs passing checks |
Adapt the fields without losing meaning
You can add fields required by your team, but each should change a decision or preserve necessary context. Keep factual observations separate from recommendations. If new URL changes, record the new value and its effective date instead of silently rewriting the context of an earlier decision.
Use the record in a handoff
Ask the receiving owner to explain the next action using only the worksheet. Missing context becomes visible quickly during that exercise. Repair the record before applying the structure to a larger batch. Keep priority migrated URLs passing checks connected to the item so the team can later assess whether the action was useful.
Keep page purpose visible throughout the work. A technically valid page can still fail to answer the reader’s question. Separate access and discovery problems from content problems so that the assigned action matches the cause.
Skip the manual steps. Let AgentixSEO run this for every client.
Start now