searchDecoded

searchDecoded Labs · Planning indicator

Website migration risk calculator

Get a high-level indication of the relative SEO risk and complexity associated with a planned website migration.

Open the migration checklist

Purpose and limits

Understand the scale of the change

By considering the scale of the proposed changes, the site’s reliance on organic search and the level of preparation already in place, the calculator identifies the factors most likely to increase migration complexity.

Use the result to understand the level of scrutiny, coordination and specialist input the migration may require. The assessment is an indicator based on the information provided. It is not an SEO audit, migration plan, implementation specification or prediction of traffic performance.

12 planning questions

Describe the migration you are considering

Choose the closest answer for each question. If a decision has not been made, select ‘not yet known’. Uncertainty is useful context for the result.

0 of 12 answered
How much of the site’s URL structure will change?

Consider paths, filenames, parameters and trailing-slash conventions.

Will the site move to a different domain or protocol?

Include moves between subdomains as well as full domain changes.

How significantly is the CMS or platform changing?

Think about templates, routing, content models and publishing behaviour.

How much will the information architecture change?

Include navigation, taxonomy, hierarchy and internal-linking patterns.

Will existing pages be consolidated or removed?

Consider whether current search entry points will still have a close equivalent.

How much important content will change during the migration?

Include headings, body copy, media and page purpose, not only design.

Will the technology used to render pages change?

Consider whether important content and links will depend more heavily on JavaScript.

What is happening to analytics and conversion tracking?

Reliable measurement is needed to distinguish migration effects from tracking gaps.

Are international URLs or hreflang involved?

Include market, language and regional URL structures.

Is the migration combining multiple websites or domains?

Combining properties adds mapping, ownership and consolidation decisions.

How important is organic search to the site’s current performance?

Consider qualified traffic, leads, transactions and revenue, not rankings alone.

When is an SEO specialist involved in the migration?

Earlier involvement makes it easier to identify risks before decisions become fixed.