Migrations don’t fail or lose SEO visibility due to technical reasons: technical issues on live sites shouldn’t happen if you plan properly. In this video I talk about the importance of having the right people involved and agreeing on the acceptance criteria for the project before contracts are even signed and making sure that the project plans decided the launch date not the other way round.
Also I look far too excited about this in the preview for this video, but I do love a good migration.
A recap of the main points mentioned in this video for you to make sure you follow for your next website migration:
• Using Minimal Viable Product (MVP) ctiteria as a reference to make sure everyone is clear what is neccesary before a site launches (often this is at least not worse in any aspect than the old site)
• Having clear Acceptance Criteria included in the contract so it is black and white if Devs and others have done what they were meant to
• Making sure that SEO Specs as well as UX, Speed and Accesibility are all covered in these criteria and use SMART criteria (the measurable part is especially key)
• Make sure that the launch date is decided based on a project plan not the other way round
• Make sure you plan enough time for amends and rechecking
• Accept from the begining and make stake holders aware that launch date may need to be pushed back
• Have a clear sign off process prior to launch to ensure that the site meets that MVP criteria
• Be prepared to roll back if needed on launch day
• When measuring success, measure from when the site is finsihed and meets the acceptance criteria, which might not be launch day