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Site migration

A site migration is a store's move to a new platform, domain or URL structure, after which the same pages and products must keep their history at new addresses.

How it works

Google treats a change of existing page addresses as a site move: HTTP to HTTPS, a new domain, new paths after a change of platform. For search, the core is a map from every old URL to its new one, each with a 301 redirect kept for at least a year. On a medium-sized site, Google can take a few weeks or more to show the new addresses, and rankings fluctuate meanwhile. For the search steps, see moving a store without losing rankings.

Ads carry their own history. Merchant Center ties each product to its item ID, and the ID can’t be edited: if the new platform exports different IDs, Google gets new products with no history. The feed’s product links and the ads’ final URLs must point to the new pages, and the new checkout must send the purchase event too. For the ads steps, see replatforming without losing Google Shopping performance.

Where you see it

  • Search Console, Change of Address tool: for a move to another domain or subdomain. An HTTPS switch, or a www or path change on the same domain, doesn’t need it.

Example

Example store, not client data.

The tableware shop moves its 3,000 products to a new platform. The old one exported IDs such as 10457; the new one exports PLT-10457. Without a fix, Merchant Center receives 3,000 new products: their Google Ads history starts from zero, and the sales of 10457 stay with the old ID.

Not to be confused with

  • Catalogue renewal — new products replace old ones, so IDs without history are expected. In a migration the products are the same, and an ID without history is a loss.

Right and wrong readings

  • Wrong: “The SKUs stayed the same, so product history carries over.” Right: history follows the item ID in the feed, which can differ from the SKU, for example by a prefix.
  • Wrong: “Move the domain, platform and design in one go.” Right: Google advises one change at a time, such as the new domain first and the new layout later.

Sources