The verdict in three sentences
A migration that keeps its Google traffic is planned before design starts: the SEO workstream takes a 2026 ballpark of 6 to 14 weeks, half of it before launch. The backbone is a 301 redirect map covering every indexed URL, tested in full on a password protected staging environment. For an Austin B2B company, budget 5,000 to 25,000 USD for this workstream (2026 market ballpark), on top of the build itself.
Why migrations lose traffic
Most losses have ordinary causes: old URLs returning 404s, high traffic pages merged or cut without redirects, title tags rewritten without regard for the queries they ranked for, a staging site indexed by mistake, or a new site launched still blocked by robots.txt. A growing Austin software or services company moving from an old CMS to a headless stack, with 300 to 2,000 URLs, often meets several of these at once. Launch is also a good moment to check accessibility against WCAG, since ADA related demand letters target business websites in the US.
| Risk | Frequency (2026 estimate) | Consequence | Safeguard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old URLs without redirects | Very common | Pages drop out of Google | Complete 301 map |
| Thinner content on key pages | Common | Lower rankings on core queries | Old vs new content comparison |
| Leftover noindex or robots.txt block | Occasional but severe | Whole site invisible | Launch checklist |
| Changed internal linking | Common | Deep pages crawled less | Approved navigation plan |
| JavaScript rendering issues | Common on headless stacks | Content not seen by Google | Rendering tests in Search Console |
| Google Business Profile not updated | Common | Links to dead pages | Update on launch day |
Phased migration timeline
Durations are a 2026 ballpark for a 300 to 2,000 URL site.
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. URL and traffic inventory | 1 to 2 weeks | Full list with traffic, backlinks and rankings | SEO |
| 2. Target architecture and mapping | 1 to 3 weeks | Old URL to new URL spreadsheet | SEO + project lead |
| 3. SEO templates (titles, tags, structured data) | 1 to 2 weeks | Rules per page type | SEO + developer |
| 4. Staging QA (protected) | 1 to 3 weeks | Test report, 100 % of redirects tested | Developer + SEO |
| 5. Launch | 1 day | Signed checklist, sitemap submitted | Whole team |
| 6. Daily monitoring | 4 weeks | Errors fixed within 48 h | SEO |
| 7. Review | 1 week, at 3 months | Before and after traffic and rankings | SEO + leadership |
Six weeks is enough for 300 well documented URLs; fourteen weeks is realistic for 2,000 URLs across several templates. During monitoring, watch the Search Console page indexing report and crawl stats daily.
What usually causes delays
Internal content arriving late pushes QA back 2 to 4 weeks. Missing exports from the old platform stall the inventory. Decisions on which pages to cut drag when several departments own them. And launching on a Friday evening or right before a busy sales period leaves no room to react. As a nearshore option for the build itself, Kolonell's prices run 1,830 to 3,050 EUR for a Growth site (14 to 21 working days) and 3,050 to 5,340 EUR for a Premium site with e-commerce or booking (21 to 30 working days), with the migration workstream scoped separately.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Jessica, digital lead at an Austin commercial HVAC services company, 900 URLs, 8,000 Google visits and 50 quote requests a month, average job margin of 4,000 USD with 1 in 4 requests won.
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Without a migration plan, a 30 % traffic drop for 4 months would cost about 15 requests a month, nearly 4 jobs, or 15,000 USD of margin monthly: 60,000 USD in total. A 15,000 USD SEO workstream over 10 weeks limits the dip to a few percent for 2 to 3 weeks. The return is roughly four to one.
FAQ
How long does the SEO side of a migration take?
The 2026 ballpark runs from 6 weeks for 300 URLs to 14 weeks for 2,000. It starts alongside wireframes, not after.
What does a migration cost in Austin?
Plan for 5,000 to 25,000 USD depending on URL count and complexity, a 2026 market ballpark. That is on top of design and development.
Is a temporary dip normal?
A small fluctuation for 1 to 3 weeks is common after a clean migration. A drop above 20 % lasting beyond 4 weeks points to a problem.
How long should redirects stay in place?
At least 12 months, ideally permanently for pages with backlinks. Removing them early throws away accumulated value.
When should we launch?
Tuesday or Wednesday morning, outside peak season. Keep the team available for the following 5 working days.
Get found by the customers already searching for you. Before you migrate, a visibility audit at 100,000 FCFA (about 152 EUR), credited against setup if you start within 30 days, maps what you must not lose, then a Traffic Engine plan tracks your rankings with a weekly report after launch: Traffic Engine. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.