It happens to almost every company out there that has a web presence… the site upgrade. Only I use the word upgrade cautiously, because while the graphics and imagery, maybe even the user experience, might be a step up from your old site at the end of the day people need to find you; likely on a search engine.

Even if you’ve never held much stock in search engine optimization strategy and tactics (and I get that there are naysayers out there), if you’re site’s been around for any length of time it likely ranks on key terms and phrases that help people navigate your way. Depending on the type of site upgrade you’re making, the changes that inherently come with any site alteration can potentially have a big impact on whether you retain your current search engine rankings. Navigation changes, new page elements, URL naming; all of these can change in a new site, opening a potential hole through which your search engine traffic (and possible new business) can escape.

Before initiating a site migration, know the facts, and more importantly what you can do to retain as much SEO site value as possible. To help you get started, here are some SEO best practices for website migrations.

Good Luck!