What should an SEO migration protect?
An SEO migration protects the useful connections between your pages, your audience and the information search systems already encounter. The goal is not to freeze a site in place; it is to carry its valuable structure and meaning into the new experience with as little avoidable loss as possible.
That requires decisions before design and development are signed off. A page with organic visits, inbound links, branded information or citations in AI answers may need a direct successor, even if the new navigation groups it differently. We establish a crawl and traffic baseline, identify priority URLs and note where AI visibility is material to the business. This gives the team a shared reference for planning and post-launch checks.
A domain change, rebrand and CMS move each create different work. A redesign may retain the same URLs but alter page content or internal links; a domain change requires a comprehensive destination map; a CMS move can change templates, metadata and structured data at scale. The GEO service overview places the migration in the wider context of AI search visibility. Our Strategy Memo records the decisions, dependencies and owners, so development teams can act on a migration plan rather than interpret a general SEO recommendation.
How do we map URLs and preserve page meaning?
A URL map connects each important source page to its most relevant destination and makes gaps visible before launch. It is a working document for content, engineering and SEO, not a bulk list of redirects created at the last minute.
We compare the existing crawl with the proposed site structure, then group pages by purpose: retain as-is, update, consolidate, redirect to a close equivalent, or retire. Where several source pages are combined, the destination needs to answer the shared intent clearly; a redirect to a broad or unrelated page can leave users and search systems without the information they expected. We flag missing destinations and dependencies for the project team to resolve.
The map also covers the page elements that carry meaning: titles and descriptions, canonical references, internal links, structured data, and key copy. The appropriate transfer is not always a literal copy. Rewritten pages should preserve the facts and intent that made the original useful, while outdated claims and duplicate material should be addressed deliberately. For entity-focused work, the entity building service can help maintain consistency in how an organization, product and people are described. The final mapping should make every high-priority source URL’s planned outcome and owner easy to verify.
How does a relaunch affect AI citations and search visibility?
A relaunch can change the pages, wording and public references that search systems and AI assistants can encounter, so visibility checks belong in the migration plan. We record relevant citations and important page content before the transition, then compare them with the new site after release.
This is not a promise that an assistant will cite a page on demand. It is a way to preserve and verify the source material your team controls: stable URLs where appropriate, clear descriptions of the organization and its offer, accessible page content, and consistent links between related pages. When a page moves, its replacement should retain the key facts and explain any meaningful change in the product or brand.
Checks can be tailored to the systems that matter to the business. Our ChatGPT visibility work, Perplexity optimization and Google AI Overviews optimization address those surfaces as distinct parts of the wider migration, rather than assuming one check represents them all. For technical implementation, the technical AEO service can support structured-data and crawler-related work. We record what was checked, which source pages were affected and what action is recommended, giving the team evidence to use in its post-launch decisions.
What happens before, during and after launch?
The operating model starts before the new site is public and carries through the initial post-launch checks. It gives the client and development team a clear sequence: establish the baseline, approve the destinations, test the release candidate, watch the launch and resolve observed issues.
On staging, we review representative templates and priority pages for indexability, URL behavior, metadata, internal links and structured-data transfer. We check that redirects point to intended live destinations and that staging protections are not carried into production. The team receives findings in actionable form, with affected URLs and a recommended owner or next action, so fixes can be assigned without translating a long audit into a task list.
At MediaStrategy, a Senior Review checks the migration plan and the launch-readiness findings before they are handed to the project team. The client or its developers control the release; we coordinate checks against the agreed launch window and monitor the agreed signals afterward. If an issue appears, we trace it to the relevant URL, template or configuration and recommend the appropriate correction. The GEO audit can establish a broader pre-migration visibility baseline, while AI visibility monitoring can extend observation after the immediate transition.
What can a team control when search systems recrawl a relaunch?
A team can control its URL plan, redirects, page content, technical accessibility and the accuracy of its own structured data; it cannot control when an external search system recrawls a changed site, how it evaluates a page, or whether an AI answer continues to show a particular citation. After launch, temporary ranking and citation changes can occur while systems revisit and process the new site, so our plan includes monitoring and a route for investigating meaningful issues. We verify the agreed implementation and document observed changes, but do not represent a ranking position, AI citation, or recovery date as a deliverable.
How should you scope the migration engagement?
The right scope follows the change being made and the pages that matter, not a generic checklist applied to every site. A focused relaunch with stable URLs needs different attention from a domain change, a rebrand combined with a CMS move, or a restructure that consolidates large groups of content.
Before work begins, share the current and proposed domains, the CMS and staging details, the expected launch window, access to available crawl and traffic data, and any known pages that drive leads, product discovery or AI citations. Include the people who can approve content decisions and the development contact responsible for redirects and technical fixes. This lets us distinguish planning work from implementation support and agree how findings will be reported.
We provide a migration plan, a prioritised URL map, staging and launch checks, and a concise record of observations and follow-up actions. Where the project also needs ongoing content or source improvements, content for AI answers can complement the migration; for broader organic search work, see SEO services. Send MediaStrategy the planned change, your launch window and any existing migration documents. We will review the scope with you and return a tailored plan for the transition.
Prices
| Service | Price | Quote |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto SEO | from $2,600 / month |
Starting prices in USD. Custom bundles and volume discounts on request. Payment in USDT, USDC, BTC, ETH, SOL, TON or your project token.
How it works
- Set the baselineWe crawl the current site and review available traffic and visibility information. Priority URLs and risks are recorded before implementation decisions are final.
- Agree the URL mapWe define what happens to important pages and identify redirect, content and ownership decisions for the client and development team.
- Check stagingWe review the release candidate for destination behavior, metadata, structured data, links and indexability, then return actionable findings.
- Coordinate launch checksWe check the agreed live pages and redirects around release, recording issues against the relevant URL or template.
- Monitor and respondWe review post-launch signals, investigate meaningful changes and provide follow-up actions through the agreed reporting cadence.
Frequently asked questions
When should we bring in an SEO migration team?
Bring the team in while URL structure, page templates and content are still being planned. Early involvement allows the URL map and redirect requirements to influence development rather than become urgent fixes just before release. If a launch is already close, share the current site, proposed structure and staging access so the first review can focus on the decisions with the least remaining time.
Can you preserve AI citations during a domain change?
We can document relevant citations and the source pages behind them, map those pages to appropriate destinations, and check that the new site retains clear and accessible information. The team cannot control when ChatGPT, Perplexity or another system updates an answer or chooses a source, so citation continuity is monitored rather than promised. A migration plan can still reduce avoidable breaks in the underlying pages and links.
What do you need from us before the migration audit?
Share the current and proposed domains, the planned CMS or platform, an outline of the new site structure, the launch window and access to staging when available. Existing crawl exports, traffic data, redirect plans and a list of priority pages are useful too. Name the person approving content and the development contact handling implementation so recommendations can be assigned promptly.
How long does SEO migration support take?
The engagement begins before the release and follows the project through staging, launch and post-launch monitoring. The duration depends on the project’s readiness, the amount of URL and content change, and how long the team needs follow-up checks. We agree the working window and reporting cadence during scoping, using your launch plan rather than an assumed timetable.
What does SEO migration support cost?
The starting retainer is from $2,600 / month. The proposed scope reflects the type of migration, the URLs and templates needing review, the launch support required and the monitoring period. After reviewing your project details, we can set out the work and reporting cadence clearly before it begins.
Can you guarantee rankings or AI citations after launch?
No. We can deliver the agreed migration plan, mapping, checks and monitoring, but search systems control their own recrawling and evaluation, and AI assistants decide which sources to show. We report the implementation and observed changes, identify issues within the site or redirect plan, and recommend next actions without promising a specific ranking, citation or recovery date.
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