SEO Migration for 41 AutoCircuit Websites

For NDC Mediagroep, SmartRanking managed the entire SEO migration to AutoCircuit: 41 used-car websites were consolidated into a single new platform. Using carefully designed and tested redirects, 4 million URLs were successfully migrated without compromising organic search performance.

SEO migration

SEO Migration for AutoCircuit

AutoCircuit, formerly Handelsprijzen, is part of NDC Mediagroep. NDC Mediagroep acquired the Handelsprijzen websites, after which the plan emerged to create a single used-car platform for the (Northern) Netherlands. Through Iwan Post, an online marketer at NDC Mediagroep, we were asked to assist with the SEO migration process. After all, a botched migration can cost valuable search rankings.

The Challenges of SEO Migration

Using our 7-step SEO migration process, we began by identifying the changes that would take place, the stakeholders involved, and conducting a baseline assessment. The baseline measurement allows us to closely monitor the effects of the migration after going live, to ensure that everything is proceeding smoothly. It immediately became clear that an entirely new platform would be developed by an external web developer. As a result, all URLs would change—not a single one would remain the same.

The second major challenge was that all the individual websites—such as audi-kopen.nl, mercedes-kopen.nl, and bmw-kopen.nl—had to be merged into autocircuit.nl. In total, there were 41 of these “brand platforms.” During the assessment, a third challenge immediately came to light: not all car models from the old platforms would be carried over to the new platform.

Create a migration plan and write redirects

To set up redirects correctly, we worked with Iwan Post to define the new URL structure, taking into account the various models and the existing situation. After creating the new URLs, we set to work on drawing up the migration plan and writing the RegEx redirects. Setting up redirects manually would have been an impossible task, as it involved 41 different websites with a total of over 4,000,000 URLs.

Using well-designed RegEx redirects and a solid migration plan, we were then able to simulate the redirects so they could be tested properly. It soon became apparent that a number of redirects were not working quite right, after which the RegEx scripts were refined and retested. We also paid specific attention to redirect loops during this process.

Initiating Migration

After extensive testing, the implementation of technical SEO improvements, and the populating of the platform by NDC Mediagroep, the migration could begin. During the migration, we closely monitored the platforms to ensure that the migration proceeded smoothly. In the period following the migration, we continued to closely monitor the URLs based on the baseline measurement, Google Search Console, and additional tools.

The result

In the meantime, Google has successfully indexed the old URLs, and AutoCircuit now receives tens of thousands of visitors from Google every month. This provides a solid foundation for further organic growth.

4,000,000 URLs migrated

41 websites merged into a single website

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