What a migration can change in your links
A redesign or a move to a new host or platform is a good moment to look at outbound links, because so much of what produces them changes at once: the theme, the plugins, the footer, the embedded widgets and the content that was carried across.
Link Signals checks links that lead to other sites. It does not test your own internal links or redirect maps, so it is not a replacement for a crawler that does. What it adds is a view of everything your pages now point at, and whether those destinations are sound.
- A new theme can bring links with it. Credit links in the footer, or in some downloaded themes, links that were not put there by you.
- Migrated content keeps its old links. A link that was fine in 2019 may now point at a lapsed domain.
- Plugins and widgets are replaced. A new set can add its own links, and an old one that was missed can carry on.
- The new host has its own certificate and HTTPS set-up. A mistake there shows as a warning for every visitor.
Before: record where you are
- Scan the live sitePaste the sitemap of the site visitors use and run a scan. Every scan is saved in History with its counts, so this is your starting record.
- Fix what you are about to carry acrossRemove or replace links to taken-over, unregistered and parked domains now, so you do not move them to the new site. Re-check to confirm.
- Export the findingsDownload the CSV and keep it with the project. It lists the destination and the page for each finding, which is useful when you are comparing later.
- Note the page countLoading a sitemap shows how many pages it lists. Write it down, because it is the quickest check after the move that the new sitemap is complete.
After: scan the new site
- Find the new sitemap addressA new platform often publishes it somewhere new. See how to find your sitemap URL. If the domain is unchanged, the scan joins the same history on the Sites page.
- Compare the page countA big gap from the number you noted means pages are missing from the sitemap, or the sitemap is incomplete. Fix that first, because pages outside the sitemap are not scanned.
- Scan and read the headlineLook first for anything with a Hidden badge or an Out of context label, because a new theme or a plugin is the usual source.
- Check the site’s own set-upEach scan reads when your domain registration and security certificate run out, and whether http:// sends visitors on to https://. After a move to a new host, this is the quickest check that the switch went well.
- Compare with beforeOpen the site on the Sites page. The sentence at the top says what is new, what got worse and what is no longer flagged since the previous check.
Out of context: “Contact us” links to unrelated content (hidden link)
/contact · Anchor text “website by”A finding like this one is a typical result of a new theme: a link that is hidden in a block that visitors do not see. It may be harmless, but it is worth a look, and it is usually the same on every page, which points to a template.
What to look at, and where
| Question | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Did the new theme or a plugin add links? | New findings on the Sites page, and the Found on column. The same destination on many pages points to a template. |
| Do any carried-over links go to domains that have lapsed? | The Not registered and Parked cards on the overview, and the linked domains that expire in the next 90 days. |
| Is the new HTTPS set-up right? | The Your site card, which covers the domain, the certificate and how http:// and https:// behave. Flags appear within 60 days of the domain running out and 21 for the certificate. |
| Is the sitemap complete? | The page count when the sitemap loads, compared with the one you noted before the move. |
| Are the links marked correctly? | The Ranking credit card, which shows how your links are marked nofollow, sponsored or ugc. See which rel a link should have. |
Mistakes to avoid
- Scanning only the new site. Without a record from before, you cannot tell what the migration changed.
- Scanning staging and assuming it covers the live site. Each address has its own history, and a staging site that sits behind a login cannot be read.
- Expecting redirect checks. Link Signals does not map your internal URLs or test redirects between the old site and the new one.
- Assuming the sitemap is complete. Scan after the sitemap is live, and compare the count.
- Stopping at one scan. Add the site to monitoring for the weeks after the move, when plugins are updated and content is still being edited.
Questions
Do I need a paid plan to compare before and after?
No. Every scan is saved in History and gathered on the Sites page. A plan decides how many pages are read for a large site.
What if the domain changes in the move?
Each site is kept separate by its address, so the new domain starts its own history. Keep the CSV from the old site to compare.
Can it check the old site and the new one at the same time?
Yes. They are separate sites, so you can scan each and compare the reports yourself.
Will it find broken internal links?
No. It collects links to other sites. Use a crawler that follows your own internal links for those.
How this counts in your LinkSignal
After a migration, the rows most likely to move in your site’s external LinkSignal are broken links and HTTPS on your site. Scan before and after, and compare. The LinkSignal overview lists every row. LinkSignal is Link Signals’ own metric, worked out only from what this tool finds, and it is not connected to any search engine or third-party score.
Scan the live site before the move, then again afterwards.
