You have spent years building the search rankings your agency enjoys today, and a new website should protect them, not put them at risk. A move to a Refari build can keep your visibility intact when it is planned properly. This checklist walks you through what to do, in what order, from the first audit to the weeks after launch.
Key takeaways
- Most ranking drops come from broken links, changed addresses, missing pages and lost page titles.
- Audit your current site before you change anything, so you know what must be carried over.
- Map every old address to a new one with a redirect.
- Keep job pages and their addresses working so live ads continue to be found.
- Watch your rankings closely for the first few weeks and fix problems early.
Why rankings drop during a move
Search engines remember your pages by their addresses, titles and content. When a move changes any of these without telling them, the history your pages have built up can be lost.
The usual causes are simple and avoidable: broken links, changed addresses, missing pages and lost page titles. Each one is easy to prevent if you plan for it before launch.
Search engines remember your pages by their addresses, titles and content.
A step by step checklist for a safe move
Work through these tasks in order. Doing the groundwork early means launch day is calm rather than a scramble.
- Audit your current site and list every page, address and page title.
- Note which pages bring the most visitors and enquiries.
- Plan the structure of the new site with those pages in mind.
- Carry over page titles and descriptions wherever they work well.
- Map every old address to its new address.
- Check job pages, forms and links on the new site before it goes live.
- Set up the redirects on launch day.
- Test the redirects and submit the new site to search engines.
Redirects: send every old address to the right new page
A redirect tells visitors and search engines that a page has moved and where to find it. Build a simple sheet with the old address in one column and the new address in the next, and leave no old page without an answer.
Point each old page to the closest matching new page, not just the home page. That keeps visitors in the right place and helps search engines understand the move.
Keeping live job pages found
Job pages matter most, because candidates find them through search and your jobs change all the time. Check that live jobs keep working addresses and a clear structure on the new site, so each ad can still be found and applied for.
Our job board software is built around this, and our website design keeps job content tidy and easy for search engines to read. For more on search, see our guide to SEO for recruitment companies.
What to check in the weeks after launch
Launch is not the finish line. Keep a close eye on your site for the first few weeks so any issue is caught early.
- Look for error pages and fix any missing redirects.
- Watch your visitor numbers and key search rankings.
- Confirm job pages are appearing and being found.
- Check that page titles and descriptions show correctly.
- Test forms and applications still reach you.
Fixing a problem in the first days is far easier than recovering weeks later.
Planning your move to Refari
If you are thinking of upgrading, we can help you plan the move so your rankings are protected from the start. Take a look at Upgrade With Refari or talk to the team about your site.
- Plan your move with the Refari team
- Websites built for recruitment agencies
- Job pages that keep working after launch
See also: Request A Demo
