FAQ Friday: Will I lose my search ranking if I move to Squarespace?

You’ve worked hard to make sure that your website shows up on page 1 of Google and you’re getting some leads that way, but you also know in your gut that your website isn’t making a great first impression.

You’re confident you could book more clients if your website didn’t feel completely disjointed, but actually committing to a new platform so you can get that beautiful design? It feels like reading a truly twisty thriller novel at midnight in a thunderstorm - you want to keep going, but you’re also scared to see what’s next.

I’m here to be your palette cleanser rom-com after the scary movie and hold your hand through navigating website migration and SEO.

Here’s what you need to know about search engine rankings and website migration:

• First, if you are staying on your original platform, there’s not much you need to do. Google already knows who you are and all you need to do is let them know about your new pages.

• If you are moving to another platform for your website hosting, your search engine ranking will drop at first (I know it’s scary to hear, but there are ways to help and a well-designed website is always worth it).

• If most of your SEO power comes from blog posts, it’s super important to have a plan for moving them to your new platform. Some platforms (like WordPress and Squarespace) play nicely while others (like Wix and just about anyone) don’t. If you can, export your blog content, save it, and then import it to your new platform. If you can’t export/import, you’ll need to set aside time or hire a VA to manually move all your posts.

Now that the not-so-good news has had time to sink in, I’m here with a safety net to let you know that there are lots of ways you can manage your website migration to minimize the drop in your search engine ranking.

• Make a list of every URL on your current website and then either use the same URL on the new platform or create redirects to the new pages. For every Website Design VIP Experience, I take the time to go through the entire website, grab the URLs, and then map them onto the new site so that redirects are quick and easy.

• Double check URLs for things like Blogs or any “jump to section” because those can be tricky. Many platforms use a different name for blog pages, so make sure to note what yours is. You also need to check the URL for each post because some platforms (like Squarespace) will create a URL based on the post name, but others use the date or a combination of numbers and letters.

• Make sure to resubmit (or submit) your new sitemap to Google Search Console. This step is quick, but can have a huge impact on how quickly Google recognizes your new website. All you have to do is set up a Search Console account (if you don’t already have one), add your website, and submit the sitemap generated by your new platform. I have detailed instructions on how to do this for Squarespace that I actually reference myself.

• Make sure to add your website description, page descriptions, and other SEO data to your new website platform. I have an entire checklist that I use during my Website Design VIP Experience to make sure that I get all the SEO fields complete.

• Test everything! The biggest thing that will tank your search engine ranking is having a website that doesn’t work. Broken links, pages not loading, and poor mobile design all affect who Google ranks your website.

The key to seeing a small dip in search engine ranking instead of a freefall is to have a plan.

My plan? It’s called the Perfect phase of the Website Design VIP Experience. I do all the work - setting up redirects, keyword research and SEO completion and submitting your sitemap to Search Console, and extensive testing - before ever handing the website over to you.

You don’t have to worry that you may have missed something or did something incorrectly - it’s all handled as part of your VIP Experience.

I only have 3 spots available each month for a VIP Experience, so apply now to make your website migration seamless and worry-free! All you have to do is answer 7 quick questions and I’ll send over an email so you can schedule a quick chat.