Domain Migration Without Losing SEO: A Practical Checklist for Webflow Websites

At Pine Media, we’ve seen businesses lose 40–70% of their organic traffic within weeks of a domain switch. In nearly every case, the drop had nothing to do with algorithm updates or “SEO being unpredictable.” The real cause was far simpler: fundamental migration steps were ignored or rushed.

This article breaks down exactly how to migrate a Webflow website to a new domain without losing rankings, using a structured, step-by-step approach based on real project experience. Rather than theory, it focuses on practical checks, sequencing, and validation steps that ensure search engines correctly transfer trust, relevance, and indexing signals from the old domain to the new one.

When you change a domain, Google does not automatically assume the new domain is the same website. From a search engine’s perspective, a new domain is treated as a new entity unless you explicitly guide Google through the transition.

This guidance happens through technical signals like redirects, canonicals, sitemaps, and consistent tracking. When these signals are missing, inconsistent, or incorrect, Google struggles to understand the relationship between the old and new domains. The result is lost rankings, de-indexed pages, and a sharp drop in organic traffic.

Most domain migration failures are not caused by complex SEO issues. They happen because basic but critical steps are skipped.

Common reasons include:

• Missing or incorrect 301 redirects
  Without proper 301 redirects, Google cannot transfer authority from old URLs to new ones. Pages that once ranked well may disappear entirely from search results or be treated as broken links.

• Hard-coded old-domain URLs left behind
  Internal links, buttons, CMS rich text, and navigation often still point to the old domain. This creates mixed signals and wastes crawl budget while confusing both users and search engines.

• Canonical tags still pointing to the old domain
  Canonicals are strong ranking signals. If they reference the old domain after migration, you’re effectively telling Google that the old URLs are still the “preferred” version—even if they redirect.

• Tracking and Google Search Console not updated
  Without proper Search Console verification and analytics setup on the new domain, issues go unnoticed. Crawl errors, indexing problems, and traffic drops often go undetected until significant damage is done.

• No post-migration monitoring
  Many teams assume the job is finished once the site is live. In reality, the weeks after migration are the most important. This is when redirects, indexing behavior, and ranking stability must be actively monitored and corrected.

In short, SEO loss during a domain migration is rarely accidental. It’s usually self-inflicted, caused by poor planning, rushed execution, or the assumption that tools like Webflow will “handle SEO automatically.”

A domain migration isn’t a design change—it’s a technical SEO operation. Treat it casually, and search engines will too.

Before changing DNS records or touching Webflow domain settings, a full pre-migration audit is mandatory. Skipping this step is the fastest way to lose rankings because you don’t know what actually needs to be preserved.

The goal of this phase is simple: identify every SEO-critical element that must survive the domain change.

What Needs to Be Audited

Start by reviewing the entire website structure:

• Static pages

  • Navigation links

  • Footer links

  • Core landing pages

  • Legal pages (Privacy, Terms)

• CMS templates

  • Blog templates

  • Resource or listing templates

  • Category and tag pages

• Sample CMS items
  Review multiple items to uncover:

  • Hard-coded old-domain URLs

  • Rich text references

  • Button and CTA links

  • Embedded assets

SEO & Indexing Review

Next, document the site’s current SEO state:

• Current sitemap and indexed URLs

• High-traffic and high-ranking pages

• Canonical tag setup

• Structured data (schema)

• Any existing crawl or coverage issues

This creates a baseline. Without it, you have no way to verify whether the migration succeeded or failed.

Deliverables From This Phase

By the end of the audit, you should have:

• A list of URLs that must be redirected

• Pages that require manual updates

• SEO risks and dependencies

• A clear redirect strategy (domain-level vs page-level)

If this phase feels time-consuming, that’s the point.
A one-hour audit can prevent months of traffic loss.

Once the audit is complete, the next step is to prepare all technical signals before the domain switch. This phase ensures search engines clearly understand that the new domain is a continuation of the old site—not a brand-new website.

Mistakes here are costly because once the migration is live, fixing them becomes reactive instead of controlled.

Define the Redirect Strategy

Redirects are the backbone of a successful domain migration.

At a minimum, you should implement:

• Domain-level 301 redirects
  Every URL on the old domain should permanently redirect to its exact equivalent on the new domain.

In more complex cases, you may need:

• Page-level redirects if URLs or site structure are changing

• Exception rules for removed or consolidated pages

Each important page identified in Phase 1 must have a clear redirect destination. If a page had traffic or backlinks, it must not be left to redirect randomly or return a 404.

Prepare Canonicals & Sitemaps

Before launch, confirm that:

• Canonical tags will point to the new domain

• No CMS templates or static pages reference the old domain

• A new XML sitemap is ready for submission

Canonicals send strong authority signals. If they are wrong, redirects alone won’t save your rankings.

Tracking & Third-Party Integrations

This step is often overlooked and causes silent failures.

Review and prepare updates for:

• Google Analytics (GA4)

• Google Search Console (new domain verification)

• Google Tag Manager (if used)

• CRM tools (HubSpot, forms, lead tracking)

• Cookie consent tools

• Any ad or conversion tracking scripts

All tracking should be validated immediately after launch. If tracking is broken, you lose visibility when you need it most.

Final Pre-Launch Checklist

Before switching the domain, confirm:

• Redirect logic is tested

• Canonicals are configured correctly

• Sitemap URL is final

• Tracking IDs are ready for the new domain

• Rollback plan exists in case of critical issues

If everything isn’t ready at this stage, do not proceed with the migration.

This is the point where most teams panic—but if Phases 1 and 2 were done properly, the actual switch is straightforward. The goal here is to change domains with minimal downtime and zero SEO confusion.

Timing matters. This should be done during low-traffic hours and when the team responsible is available to monitor the site immediately after.

Step 1: Add the New Domain in Webflow

Inside Webflow:

• Go to Site Settings → Domains

• Add the new custom domain

• Keep the old domain connected for now

Do not remove the old domain yet. It’s required for redirects to work correctly.

Step 2: Set the New Domain as Primary

Once the new domain is added:

• Set it as the primary domain

• Ensure Webflow’s automatic 301 redirect option is enabled

This tells Webflow to redirect all traffic from the old domain to the new one.

Step 3: Update DNS Records at the Domain Provider

At your domain registrar (e.g. GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap):

• Add Webflow’s required A and CNAME records for the new domain

• Remove conflicting or outdated records

• Do not delete records for the old domain yet

DNS propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. This is normal.

Step 4: Publish the Site

Once DNS records are in place:

• Publish the site to the new domain

• Test a sample of old URLs to confirm they redirect correctly

• Check both www and non-www versions

If redirects fail here, stop and fix them before moving forward.

Expected Downtime

If planned correctly:

• Downtime should be minutes, not hours

• Users hitting the old domain should seamlessly land on the new one

If the site is down for long periods, it’s usually a DNS misconfiguration—not an SEO issue.

Important Notes During This Phase

• Do not unpublish or delete the old site

• Do not disable redirects too early

• Do not make major design or content changes at the same time

A domain migration is not the moment to redesign your website. Separate concerns.

Launching the new domain is not the finish line—it’s the start of the most critical phase. The days and weeks after migration determine whether rankings stabilize or slowly decline.

Search engines need time to reprocess redirects, reassess authority, and reindex URLs. Your job during this phase is to validate every signal and correct issues before they compound.

Immediate Validation (Day 0–2)

As soon as the new domain is live, run these checks:

• Redirect testing

  • Test a representative sample of old URLs

  • Confirm each returns a 301 and lands on the correct new URL

  • Watch for redirect chains or loops

• Internal link review

  • Ensure navigation, footer, buttons, and CMS links point directly to the new domain

  • No internal link should rely on a redirect

• Canonical verification

  • Confirm all pages self-canonicalize to the new domain

  • No canonicals should reference the old domain

• Tracking verification

  • Confirm GA4 is firing correctly

  • Test form submissions and conversion events

  • Verify cookie consent behavior

If something is broken here, rankings are already at risk.

Google Search Console Setup

This step is non-negotiable.

• Add and verify the new domain in Google Search Console

• Submit the new XML sitemap

• Monitor:

  • Indexing status

  • Coverage errors

  • Redirect-related warnings

Optional but recommended:

• Use the Change of Address tool (if applicable)

This gives Google explicit confirmation of the migration.

Ongoing Monitoring (Weeks 1–4)

Expect temporary fluctuations. These are normal.

What’s not normal:

• Sustained ranking drops

• Sharp traffic decline after week two

• Pages disappearing from the index

Monitor weekly:

• Organic traffic trends

• Top-ranking pages

• Crawl errors and redirect issues

• Index coverage vs submitted URLs

If rankings drop, the cause is almost always:

• Broken redirects

• Incorrect canonicals

• Blocked crawling

• Or missed URLs from the audit phase

When to Take Action

Act immediately if you see:

• High-value pages not indexing

• 404s on previously ranking URLs

• Canonicals reverting to the old domain

• Traffic dropping beyond normal volatility

The earlier you intervene, the easier recovery is.

Final Reality Check

A domain migration is not “set and forget.”

When handled correctly:

• SEO authority transfers cleanly

• Rankings stabilize within weeks

• Users see no disruption

When handled poorly:

• Traffic loss compounds silently

• Recovery takes months

• Trust with search engines is damaged

At Pine Media, we treat post-migration monitoring as part of the migration—not an afterthought.

A domain migration isn’t risky because SEO is unpredictable. It’s risky because it’s often treated as a simple domain or design change, when in reality it’s a high-impact technical SEO operation.

When planned and executed correctly, a migration:

• Preserves existing rankings

• Transfers authority cleanly

• Creates zero disruption for users

When rushed or handled casually, it can undo years of SEO progress in a matter of weeks.

The difference isn’t tools or platforms—it’s process, sequencing, and validation.

At Pine Media, we help businesses migrate Webflow websites without losing traffic, rankings, or leads.

Before you switch domains, we offer a free pre-migration audit to identify:

• SEO risks specific to your site

• Redirect requirements

• CMS and hard-coded URL issues

• Tracking and Search Console gaps

If you’re already mid-migration or recovering from traffic loss, we can step in and stabilise things before the damage compounds.

Talk to Pine Media before you change your domain — not after your traffic drops.