Website Migration Recovery Service
Get a fast, expert second opinion on what’s gone wrong, and what to do next.
Lost Traffic After a Website Migration?
Traffic and leads dropping after a site relaunch is one of the most stressful situations a marketing team faces. The business is asking questions. The developer says everything looks fine. And organic search, which took years to build, has collapsed in days.
You’re in the right place.
Get a free SEO Migration Rescue Review
If your new site has launched and something feels wrong, you are not imagining it.
Website migrations are one of the most technically complex events in a site’s life. When they go wrong, they go wrong fast and the effects compound the longer they’re left undiagnosed.
Most post-migration traffic drops are caused by specific, identifiable technical failures. They are not Google “settling in.” They are not the algorithm adjusting. They are problems with redirects, indexation, crawlability, or content changes that can be found, diagnosed, and fixed; if you know where to look.
Even a well-planned migration can become a bad migration quickly if SEO checks were deprioritised, rushed to meet a launch deadline, or handed off without proper QA. It happens to well-resourced businesses with experienced teams. The important thing at this point is diagnosis, not blame.
Koozai’s SEO Migration Rescue Review is built for businesses that are already live, already losing visibility, and need a clear expert answer to one question: what went wrong, and what do we do next?
Assessing the full SEO impact of your migration, what changed, when rankings moved, and which pages were most affected, is the first thing we do. It tells us whether we’re dealing with a redirect problem, an indexation issue, a content change, or a combination of all three.
Do any of these sound familiar?
- Organic traffic dropped sharply in the days or weeks after the new site launched
- High-value pages have disappeared from Google or dropped significantly in ranking
- Google is still showing old URLs that return 404 errors
- The developer says redirects are in place, but traffic still hasn’t recovered
- Your staging site was accidentally indexed before go-live
- Page titles, meta descriptions or headings were overwritten during the platform move
- You’ve launched on a new domain and search visibility has collapsed
- Leads and enquiries from organic search have dried up since the relaunch
- You’re weeks or months post-launch and traffic still hasn’t returned to previous levels
If any of those are familiar, the cause is almost certainly technical and diagnosable. The goal now is to find it quickly and start fixing it before more ground is lost.
What actually causes traffic to drop after a migration
Understanding what went wrong is the first step to fixing it. These are the most common causes we find when we’re called in after a migration has caused traffic loss.
Redirect mapping errors
Old URLs that were not correctly redirected to their new equivalents mean any authority, link equity or ranking signals those pages had built up are lost. Google continues to crawl the old addresses, finds nothing, and the ranking disappears. This is the single most common cause of post-migration traffic loss.
Google indexing the staging environment
If the staging site was not properly blocked from search engines before go-live, Google may have indexed duplicate versions of your pages. This creates a duplicate content problem that suppresses rankings on the live site, sometimes for months.
Crawlability issues on the new site
A new CMS, new template structure or incorrectly configured robots.txt file can prevent Google from crawling important pages on the new site at all. Traffic dropping with rankings still intact in Search Console is often a sign of this.
Metadata and content overwritten by CMS defaults
Platform migrations frequently replace carefully optimised page titles, meta descriptions and heading structures with generic CMS defaults. Google treats these as new, unoptimised pages and rankings drop accordingly.
These issues are particularly common on ecommerce sites that have migrated platforms; moving from Magento to Shopify, WooCommerce to BigCommerce, or from a bespoke build to any off-the-shelf CMS. Ecommerce SEO website migration carries additional risk because of the volume of product and category URLs involved, the complexity of faceted navigation, and the frequency with which metadata gets overwritten by platform defaults during import.
Internal linking structure broken or changed
A redesigned navigation or restructured site architecture often breaks internal linking. Pages that previously received strong internal link signals lose them, which weakens rankings even when external links are intact.
High-traffic pages removed or merged without proper handling
Content audits during a migration sometimes result in pages being deleted or combined without redirects in place. If those pages had backlinks or significant organic traffic, that visibility disappears immediately.
Analytics and tracking broken post-launch
In some cases, traffic hasn’t actually dropped, it’s just not being measured correctly. Broken GA4 or Search Console setup can misrepresent performance. We always check this first.
What the SEO Migration Rescue Review covers
Our review is designed to give you a fast, honest, expert diagnosis, not a lengthy report full of caveats.
Traffic and ranking analysis
We review your GA4 and Search Console data to identify exactly when the drop occurred, which pages were affected, and whether the pattern suggests a redirect issue, an indexation problem, or a content-related cause.
Redirect audit
We check whether old URLs are correctly redirecting to relevant new pages, whether redirect chains or loops exist, and whether any high-value pages were missed in the mapping process.
Indexation and crawlability review
We check which pages Google has indexed on the new site, whether the staging environment was accidentally indexed, and whether robots.txt or canonical issues are blocking important pages.
Top page and top converting page check
We specifically review the pages that were driving the most traffic and conversions before the migration to understand what happened to each of them and whether recovery is possible.
Metadata and content review
We check whether key on-page signals; titles, headings, structured content, survived the migration or were overwritten.
Clear, prioritised recommendations
You receive a straightforward summary of what went wrong, what can be fixed, and what to prioritise first. No jargon. No generic audit output. No long list of issues with no indication of which ones actually matter.
Who This Is For:
You’ve launched a new site and noticed:
Traffic and leads have dropped
High-value pages have disappeared from search
Redirects weren’t fully implemented
You’re not getting straight answers
What We Need:
To get started, we need
- The information you provide in the form below
- Access to your GA4 account
- Access to your Google Search Console account
- Any redirect maps or migration plans you were given (useful but not essential)
How long does migration recovery take?
Recovery timelines depend on what went wrong, how quickly it’s diagnosed, and how comprehensively the issues are resolved. In our experience:
- Redirect issues fixed promptly can see meaningful traffic recovery within 4–8 weeks
- Indexation problems take longer; typically 6–12 weeks once resolved, because Google needs to recrawl and re-evaluate the affected pages
- Staging environment indexation issues can take 3–6 months to fully clear if left untreated
- Sites where multiple issues existed simultaneously, or where problems were left for several months before being addressed, typically take longer and may not fully recover without significant work
A Search Engine Journal study of website migrations found an average of 229 days for traffic to return to pre-migration levels following a domain move, and 42% of sites never fully recovered. Early diagnosis and action significantly improve that outcome.
Why Koozai?
- 20+ years of technical SEO and migration recovery experience
- Senior-led work; your migration is handled by experienced specialists, not junior account managers
- Independent second opinion; whether you worked with an agency, developers or handled it in-house, we give you an honest assessment of what actually happened
- Featured by Sitebulb and Search with Sean
- Trusted by UK brands and in-house marketing teams across retail, travel, healthcare and professional services
Our migration work is structured around the SAFE SEO Migration Method™ Koozai’s proprietary four-stage framework covering Scope, Audit, Fix and Evaluate. For businesses already in recovery, we apply the same rigour in reverse: starting with Evaluate, working back through what the Fix stage should have covered, and rebuilding from there.
Case study: Penson
“Carrying out a website migration can be a stressful time but Koozai were ready for the technicalities involved and our worries about the potential loss of traffic were put to rest. The team worked closely with our design agency to support the entire transition. Koozai has helped us to realise and fine-tune not only our online presence, but they’ve helped us to stand out from the crowd for the future.”
Sarah Bean, Head of Copy, Penson
Read the Penson case study
Useful resources if you’re dealing with post-migration traffic loss
- 5 Signs Your SEO Migration Has Gone Wrong
- Your Guide to Recovery After a Site Migration
- Essential Metrics and Insights to Watch After a Website Migration
- How to Handle a Website Migration Correctly
- Website Migration SEO Rescue Guide (PDF)
Planning an upcoming migration and want to avoid needing recovery support? Use the free SEO Migration Risk Checker to identify your biggest risks before launch.
Get your free SEO Migration Rescue Review
Not sure if you need recovery support? Use our SEO Migration Risk Checker to assess your current risk profile in under three minutes.
Or explore the SAFE SEO Migration Method™ to understand how Koozai approaches migrations from the start.
Contact the Koozai team | Call 0330 353 0300
Driving footfall for a top architects and design studio
Carrying out a website migration can be a stressful time but Koozai were ready for the technicalities involved and our worries about the potential loss of traffic were put to rest. The team worked closely with our design agency to support the entire transition.
Koozai has helped us to realise and fine-tune not only our online presence, but they’ve helped us to stand out from the crowd for the future.
Sarah BeanHead of Copy
FAQs
Why has my organic traffic dropped after a website migration?
Post-migration traffic drops are almost always caused by one or more of the following: redirect mapping errors that lose link equity from old URLs, crawlability issues on the new site preventing Google from indexing pages correctly, metadata being overwritten during a platform move, high-traffic pages being removed or restructured without proper redirects, or the staging environment being accidentally indexed before launch. A structured technical review can identify which of these applies to your site within days, not weeks.
Why is Google still showing my old website after the migration?
If Google is still crawling and displaying old URLs weeks after your migration, it almost certainly means redirects have not been implemented correctly, or have been implemented in a way that contains errors or loops. Google will continue returning to old URLs it has crawled until it receives a clear 301 redirect signal pointing to the correct new page. Old URLs returning 404 errors rather than redirecting means the link equity and ranking signals those pages carried are being lost.
Can lost SEO rankings be recovered after a bad migration?
In most cases, yes, but the outcome and timeline depend heavily on what went wrong and how quickly it's addressed. Sites where redirect errors are identified and fixed within the first few weeks typically recover within 2-3 months. Sites where problems were left for six months or more face a longer and more uncertain recovery. The sooner a proper diagnosis is done, the better the outcome.
How long does it take to recover traffic after a website migration?
Recovery timelines vary depending on the type and severity of the issues involved. Redirect problems that are fixed promptly can recover within 4-8 weeks. Indexation issues typically take 6-12 weeks to clear once resolved. Staging environment problems and duplicate content issues can take 3-6 months. The 229-day average recovery figure cited in migration research reflects sites where problems were identified and addressed relatively quickly, sites where issues went undiagnosed for longer typically take more time, or don't fully recover.
My developer says the redirects are in place; so why is traffic still down?
Redirect implementation and redirect correctness are two different things. Common issues include redirect chains (where A redirects to B which redirects to C, losing equity at each step), redirect loops, redirects pointing to the wrong destination pages, or redirects implemented on only a subset of the affected URLs. We frequently find redirect maps that were implemented but contained errors that weren't caught during QA. A technical review can confirm whether redirects are functioning correctly end-to-end.
Should I use an SEO agency for migration recovery even if one agency already handled the migration?
Yes; and this is exactly the situation our SEO Migration Rescue Review was designed for. An independent second opinion from specialists who weren't involved in the original migration is often the fastest way to identify what went wrong honestly, without the original team being in a position of defending their own work. We work collaboratively and without blame, the goal is diagnosing the problem and recovering your traffic as quickly as possible.
What's the difference between a platform migration and a domain migration for SEO?
A platform migration (moving from one CMS to another, such as from Magento to Shopify, or from a bespoke CMS to WordPress) primarily affects URL structure, template-level metadata, internal linking and site speed. A domain migration (moving from one domain to another) carries significantly higher risk because it requires Google to transfer trust and authority signals to an entirely new domain, a process that takes time even when executed correctly, and can go badly wrong if it isn't. Domain migrations require more preparation and longer post-launch monitoring than platform-only moves.
Ready To Start?
Our awesome team are here ready to strap a rocket to your digital marketing campaigns, so what are you waiting for?
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Questions?
Call us on 0330 353 0300, email info@koozai.com or fill out our Contact Form.
