Thinking about switching to Showit but worried it might mess with your SEO rankings? Totally understandable. You’ve likely spent a lot of time, a lot of money, or both, making sure your website ranks—and the last thing you want is to undo all that effort.
Here’s the truth: a dip in search rankings is actually normal when moving platforms. But with the right tools, a thoughtful strategy, and a few key steps, that dip is only temporary—and your visibility will bounce back stronger (and smarter) than ever.
In this post, I’m walking you through everything you need to know to keep your SEO intact while transitioning to Showit—so you can protect the progress you’ve made and pave the way for even better rankings in the future.
1. Know Where You Stand: Gather Your SEO Metrics
Before you make the switch, take a snapshot of where you stand.
Export your data from tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or an SEO tool such as Ubersuggest (my personal favorite), SemRush, or Moz to note:
- Your top-performing pages
- Keywords you rank for
- Where your backlinks are pointing
This gives you a benchmark so you can track if anything dips post-launch—and gives you the insight you need to maintain or improve your SEO strategy.
2. Keep Your Domain the Same
Changing your domain name is like moving to a new city—it can be done, but you’ll lose some of your street cred.
Sometimes – in the case of a business name change – changing your domain is necessary, so you’ll just need to plan to put in a little more effort to achieve the results you want. It’s not detrimental by any means, but if it’s possible, keep your domain name exactly the same. This helps retain your existing authority and prevents Google from treating your new site as an entirely new entity.
If you do need to change domains, be sure to:
- Set up 301 redirects
- This can be done through your domain registrar. Look for “domain forwarding” and create a permanent forward from your old domain to your new domain.
- Notify Google Search Console of the domain change (if you have an account)
3. Keep URLs Consistent and Set Up 301 Redirects
Your URLs are like street addresses for Google. If you change them without a forwarding address (aka a redirect), search engines—and your audience—get lost.
Do this:
- Keep your page slugs (the part after the slash, like /about) the same wherever possible.
- If any URLs change, set up 301 redirects to point the old pages to their new homes. This tells Google the content has moved and preserves your ranking power.
- Check for broken links using a tool like Broken Link Checker or Ahrefs.
- Implement any redirects in Showit
- You can do this by going to Site Settings > Custom Domain > Click the little gear icon
4. Don’t Skip the SEO Settings
Just because Showit is stunningly visual doesn’t mean you can forget the behind-the-scenes stuff.
For each page, make sure to:
- Add an SEO title tag (this is what shows up in Google search results)
- Write a compelling meta description, using keywords whenever possible
- Use headings (H1, H2, p, etc.) intentionally. And remember to only have one H1 tag per page
- Add image alt text
Keeping the same SEO titles and meta descriptions will make things smoother for Google, but if you didn’t have a strong SEO strategy before, it’ll be worth changing them to incorporate essential keywords and update them with stronger messaging to help enhance SEO going forward.
5. Transfer Google Tools
Once your new site is live, you’ll want to reconfigure your SEO tracking tools (if you had them on your previous site).
Be sure to:
- Set up or update your Google Analytics to track traffic on your new site.
- Reconnect your domain in Google Search Console and submit your new sitemap.
- Monitor performance to catch any dips or errors early.
6. Don’t Pause Your Blog
One of the biggest SEO powerhouses on your site? Your blog. If you’ve been posting regularly and ranking for certain keywords, keep that train rolling.
Showit uses WordPress for blogging, so your posts can transfer over smoothly. Just make sure your categories, tags, and permalinks stay consistent.
7. Test Before You Launch
Before making your Showit site live:
- Use a site audit tool (like Ubersuggest, Semrush, Moz, or Ahrefs) to crawl your current site and spot potential SEO pitfalls.
- After launch, track your keyword rankings and traffic using tools like Google Search Console or Ubersuggest.
A platform switch doesn’t have to mean a traffic dip. With smart planning, your SEO doesn’t just survive the move—it thrives.
Ready for a website that truly clicks with your ideal client, a brand that makes you excited to show up online, and an experience you can’t wait to share with the world—without losing an ounce of your SEO traction? At Swan Haus, that’s kind of our thing. Let’s chat about how we can help you launch a stunning, strategy-backed website that brings your dream clients straight from Google to your inbox.
Have questions? Shoot me an email!
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