Retaining Page Rank, And Traffic, During the FTP Migration

As May 1 fast approaches, there are still a few FTP bloggers waiting to make the plunge, who ask

What happens to my page rank, when I migrate?

and

How do I retain my traffic, if I move to a new URL?

and these are not very simple questions to answer.

The best result will be achieved by migrating to the same URL structure, under the custom domain.

• If you can migrate from your external, FTP published server, to an absolutely identical URL - for all posts - in a Google custom domain, then you can retain page rank, and traffic.
• If your URL changes, even slightly, then your page rank starts over at 0, because the content has to be re indexed under the new URL. Now, you ask whether the traffic can be automatically redirected, from the old URL to the new URL.
  • If the URL changes, but the traffic can be redirected properly, then you can retain your traffic, and your page rank - though starting at 0 - will build up faster than it did when the blog was started. You'll see moderate total drop of search engine originated traffic.
  • If the URL changes, and the traffic cannot be redirected, then your page rank, and traffic, will start out very slowly. You'll have established readers, so you won't start as low as the blog was when new, but it will be pretty low.
    • Each reader will follow a series of links, from a bookmark (on their computer), to the actual post (under a new URL).
    • The search engines may, or may not, be able to find each post under the new URL.
  You'll see significant total drop of search engine originated traffic.

Remember that you'll have 3 options, if you use the Blogger FTP Migration Tool.

• To Blog*Spot.
• To a Google custom domain URL, different from the current domain.
• To a Google custom domain URL, the same domain host as the current domain.

One major question here is whether the blog contains pictures that are hosted by the domain. If pictures are involved, then you will have to retain the domain, and host the pictures, until you can re host the pictures elsewhere, and update all blog posts to point to the new picture URLs. If you migrate to the same domain host, you'll have to setup a missing files host.

A migration to BlogSpot is the simplest process overall, but will have the worst effect on both page rank and traffic. If you simply cut your losses, and re publish to a BlogSpot URL - and if you have no pictures hosted on the external server - you can drop the external server completely, and concentrate on rebuilding page rank and traffic from 0, using a new BlogSpot URL. If you have pictures hosted on the external server, you will need to retain the current server to host the domain, and the pictures. Your new blog will use pictures hosted on the external server, under the current URLs. The domain will continue to be served, the blog itself will simply have a new URL.

A migration to a custom domain, using a new domain host, will be more complex than migrating to BlogSpot, but it will produce the same results upon page rank and traffic. If you have pictures hosted on the external server, you will still have to retain the current server to host the domain, and the pictures. Your new blog, in its new custom domain published URL, will start off with a page rank of 0, again as the content has to be re indexed. If you can retain the traffic, and current readership, page rank will pick up again. For a custom domain migration using a new domain host, you will want the new domain host defined in DNS before the migration starts. This is an essential task, which you must perform. If the domain host DNS is not properly setup, any reference to the blog, under its new hosting, will produce problems. Custom domain hosting problems, caused by bogus DNS settings, are well known.

A migration to a custom domain, using the same domain host, and using the exact same blog URL structure, will be more complex than either of the two above options. It will have the best results upon page rank and traffic - if you can do it. With the content hosted in the custom domain - but under the exact same URL, the content will not be re indexed by the search engines as new content. The search engines will simply continue indexing it, as before, with no change.

The migration to a same domain host will involve some work by you, since the migration tool won't do everything for you. It will involve 4 steps.

1. You start out with the domain host DNS pointing to the external server.
2. You execute the first half of the migration.
3. You update the domain host DNS to point to the Google server. This is an essential task, which you must perform. If the domain host DNS is not properly setup, any reference to the blog, under its new hosting, will produce problems. Custom domain hosting problems, caused by bogus DNS settings, are well known.
4. You execute the second half of the migration.

When the migration to the same host, with identical URL, is complete, you'll have the same blog, hosted on a Google custom domain, and at the same URL. If the blog, currently published to the distant server, contains photos, or posts linked internally, you can retain the currently published contents on the distant server, and use a Missing Files Host.

Finally, with the blog re hosted, you can explore the possibility of upgrading the template to Layout, or even to a Designer Template.

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FTP Publishing - The Migration Is In Progress

If you're currently publishing a blog externally, using FTP, you've probably seen the handwriting on the wall - or maybe, on your dashboard.

FTP publishing will no longer be available after May 1, 2010
You currently have blogs that are published using FTP. You must migrate your blogs to a new custom domain URL or a blogspot URL. To learn more, see our dedicated blog and help documentation.

Start migration now

So, get started. Read the Blogger FTP Info. If you have any problems before, during, or after the migration, add them to the FTP Migration Issues Tracker database, so your problems can be properly diagnosed and resolved.

Remember, as I've said before, if you have a problem, and you don't report the problem, then you become part of the problem. So, report the problem, if you have a problem.

When you migrate, you have several possibilities for the new URL which will be progressively more complex, yet be offset by a varying effect upon page rank, search engine reputation, and traffic.

• BlogSpot. The simplest of all.
• Custom Domain - New virtual host. Here, you have to create new virtual Host DNS records, which you can do before you start the migration. The migration will not complete successfully, without DNS for the new virtual host properly setup.
• Custom Domain - Same virtual host. This one is tricky. Here, you have to update the existing Virtual Host DNS records, but you cannot do this until the migration from the current host is complete. As with the latter choice though, the migration will not complete successfully, without DNS for the new virtual host properly setup. You will need to be prepared to change the Virtual Host DNS records at the precisely correct time in the migration - after the migration from the existing host is complete, but before the migration to the Custom Domain starts.

In all 3 of the above choices, the migration process will create a redirection from the current URL to the new URL, as you choose. See Migration tool overview, for more information about the migration process in general.

If your blog has any photos hosted on the external server, that content will continue to be hosted there - to save you having to change blog code which references the photos (or any similarly hosted content). Using the Missing Files host in a custom domain will be essential to a successful migration. See Advanced setup: moving from www to www, for instructions on using the Missing Files host.

If you elect to go with the 3rd choice above, see Advanced setup: moving from www to www for additional details which you need to consider.

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