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When undertaking a website migration, especially for large-scale or complex sites, measuring success is crucial. Technical SEO KPIs and metrics provide insight into how well the migration has preserved or improved your site’s search engine performance. Understanding these metrics helps identify issues early and ensures that your migration achieves its intended goals.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Migration Success
Choosing the right KPIs ensures that you can accurately assess the impact of your migration. The most important KPIs for technical SEO include:
- Organic Traffic: The number of visitors arriving via search engines.
- Indexation Rate: The percentage of your pages indexed by Google.
- Crawl Errors: Issues encountered by search engines when crawling your site.
- Page Load Speed: How quickly your pages load, affecting user experience and rankings.
- Duplicate Content Issues: Instances where multiple URLs serve the same content.
- Broken Links and 404 Errors: Links that no longer work, impacting crawlability and user experience.
- Mobile Usability: The site’s performance on mobile devices.
- Structured Data and Rich Snippets: Proper implementation and visibility in search results.
Metrics to Track During and After Migration
Monitoring specific metrics before, during, and after migration helps gauge success and identify issues promptly.
Pre-Migration Metrics
- Baseline organic traffic and rankings
- Current crawl errors and indexation status
- Site speed and mobile usability scores
- Existing structured data implementation
During Migration Monitoring
- Real-time crawl errors and server response codes
- Redirects and URL changes
- Page load speed fluctuations
- Monitoring 404 errors and broken links
Post-Migration Evaluation
- Changes in organic traffic and keyword rankings
- Indexation status and coverage reports
- Page speed improvements or regressions
- Mobile usability and structured data visibility
- Number of crawl errors and broken links resolved
Tools for Tracking and Measuring KPIs
Several tools assist in monitoring these metrics effectively:
- Google Search Console: For indexation, crawl errors, and search performance data.
- Google Analytics: To track organic traffic and user behavior.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider: For crawling your site and identifying issues.
- PageSpeed Insights: To evaluate and improve page load times.
- Ahrefs or SEMrush: For keyword tracking and backlink analysis.
Best Practices for Post-Migration Analysis
After migration, establish a routine for ongoing monitoring. Regularly review your KPIs to catch and fix issues early. Document changes and compare them against your baseline metrics to measure progress. Collaborate with technical teams to address crawl errors, redirect issues, or speed regressions promptly.
Conclusion
Measuring the success of a website migration through KPIs and metrics is essential for maintaining and improving your site’s SEO performance. By focusing on key indicators like organic traffic, indexation, crawl errors, and page speed, you can ensure a smooth transition and continued search visibility. Regular monitoring and analysis enable you to respond quickly to issues and optimize your site for better search engine rankings.