{"podcast":{"title":"The Edward Show","slug":"the-edward-show-6568456","podcast_index_feed_id":6568456,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/479997/rss","website_url":"https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/c/d/7/d/cd7dd52fe8cc81ab27a2322813b393ee/The_Edward_Show_Album_Cover.png","author":"Sturm Media LLC","episode_count":1121,"summary":"Daily SEO advice, hacks, and interviews with some of the top voices in search engine optimization, as well as sit-downs with many undiscovered talents.","last_synced_at":"2026-08-02T14:18:15.946578+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-edward-show-6568456"},"episode":{"title":"How to Migrate a Website Without Losing SEO Traffic (CMS & Domain Changes)","slug":"how-to-migrate-a-website-without-losing-seo-traffic-cms-domain-changes","published_at":"2026-05-20T18:04:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-edward-show-6568456/how-to-migrate-a-website-without-losing-seo-traffic-cms-domain-changes","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-edward-show-6568456","url":"https://9342edaa-17ad-4315-a037-ec4dfabd63f7.libsyn.com/how-to-migrate-a-website-without-losing-seo-traffic-cms-domain-changes","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/9342edaa-17ad-4315-a037-ec4dfabd63f7/How_to_Migrate_a_Website_Without_Losing_SEO_Traffic_CMS__Domain_Changes.mp3?dest-id=4081527","summary":"E1052: We break down how to migrate a website without losing SEO traffic. Whether you are switching from WordPress to Squarespace or Webflow, changing to another CMS, restructuring your URLs, or moving to a new domain entirely, this conversation covers what actually happens inside Google during a migration - and how to minimize risk. We discuss real-world scenarios, including accidental migrations, domain changes, slug updates, and situations where rankings unexpectedly dropped. The goal is simple: protect your traffic and avoid unnecessary volatility. What we cover: - What happens when you change CMS but keep URLs and content the same - Why HTML structure changes can still trigger re-indexing - How low-authority pages can suddenly impact rankings during a migration - The difference between crawl, refresh, and discovery modes - How cannibalization can appear after a migration - Why you should freeze structural changes before migrating - When to noindex pages before changing slugs - How to properly handle 301 redirects for slug updates - What to expect when changing root domains - How to use Google Search Console's domain migration tool - Why XML sitemaps do not \"force\" indexing - Why HTML sitemaps can be more effective - The risks of changing site architecture during a migration - How to warm up a new domain before moving - How to smooth traffic volatility with strategic content republishing We also answer a listener question about whether submitting a new sitemap after changing site architecture can cause traffic drops - and what to do instead. If you are planning a website migration, CMS switch, URL restructure, or domain move, this episode walks through the technical considerations that can make the difference between a smooth transition and a traffic decline. If yo…","meta_description":"E1052: We break down how to migrate a website without losing SEO traffic. Whether you are switching from WordPress to Squarespace or Webflow, changing to…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2190,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-edward-show-6568456/episodes/how-to-migrate-a-website-without-losing-seo-traffic-cms-domain-changes/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-edward-show-6568456/how-to-migrate-a-website-without-losing-seo-traffic-cms-domain-changes.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}