Overview
Client: Carousell Philippines (formerly OLX Philippines)
Industry: Online Classifieds Marketplace
Market: Southeast Asia
Challenge: Preserve search rankings during complete brand and domain migration
Industry: Online Classifieds Marketplace
Market: Southeast Asia
Challenge: Preserve search rankings during complete brand and domain migration
The Challenge
When OLX Philippines transitioned to become Carousell Philippines, the stakes were incredibly high. The site had years of search equity built up, ranking for thousands of buying and selling keywords. One mistake in the migration could wipe out millions in organic traffic value overnight.
Brand migrations are notoriously risky for SEO. Studies show that poorly executed migrations can lose 30 to 50 percent of organic traffic permanently. For a classifieds platform where organic search drives the majority of users, this would be catastrophic.
The challenge was not just technical. Users knew the brand as OLX. They searched for “OLX Philippines” or “sell on OLX.” We needed to maintain visibility for these brand searches while building visibility for the new Carousell brand, all without confusing search engines or losing the accumulated ranking authority.
Category pages like “Sell Electronics” or “Buy Cars Philippines” drove the most valuable traffic. These pages had taken years to rank on page one. We could not afford to lose these positions during the transition.
Brand migrations are notoriously risky for SEO. Studies show that poorly executed migrations can lose 30 to 50 percent of organic traffic permanently. For a classifieds platform where organic search drives the majority of users, this would be catastrophic.
The challenge was not just technical. Users knew the brand as OLX. They searched for “OLX Philippines” or “sell on OLX.” We needed to maintain visibility for these brand searches while building visibility for the new Carousell brand, all without confusing search engines or losing the accumulated ranking authority.
Category pages like “Sell Electronics” or “Buy Cars Philippines” drove the most valuable traffic. These pages had taken years to rank on page one. We could not afford to lose these positions during the transition.
Our Approach
We treated this migration like a surgical operation, with detailed planning, multiple safety checks, and constant monitoring. The goal was zero ranking losses for critical pages and minimal disruption to overall traffic during the transition period.
Before touching anything, we documented the current state completely: every ranking keyword, every indexed page, every high-value URL. This baseline let us measure impact and quickly identify problems.
We built a comprehensive redirect strategy mapping every old URL to its new equivalent. This wasn’t just about the homepage – we mapped thousands of category pages, listing pages, and content pages to preserve as much link equity as possible.
The migration happened in phases. We did not flip everything at once. This let us test the strategy on lower-traffic sections first, verify redirect functionality, and make adjustments before migrating high-value pages.
Before touching anything, we documented the current state completely: every ranking keyword, every indexed page, every high-value URL. This baseline let us measure impact and quickly identify problems.
We built a comprehensive redirect strategy mapping every old URL to its new equivalent. This wasn’t just about the homepage – we mapped thousands of category pages, listing pages, and content pages to preserve as much link equity as possible.
The migration happened in phases. We did not flip everything at once. This let us test the strategy on lower-traffic sections first, verify redirect functionality, and make adjustments before migrating high-value pages.
What We Did
Phase 1: Pre-Migration Audit (Weeks 1-2)
- ✓Crawled entire OLX Philippines site to inventory all URLs
- ✓Documented current rankings for 2,000 plus target keywords
- ✓Identified highest-value pages by traffic and conversion rates
- ✓Audited backlink profile to understand link equity distribution
- ✓Established baseline metrics for traffic, rankings, and conversions
- ✓Created monitoring dashboard for real-time migration tracking
Phase 2: Migration Planning (Weeks 3-4)
- ✓Mapped every OLX URL to corresponding Carousell destination
- ✓Created redirect rules for category structures and listing patterns
- ✓Developed fallback strategies for edge cases and orphaned content
- ✓Prepared updated XML sitemaps for new domain
- ✓Coordinated with development team on implementation timeline
- ✓Set up monitoring alerts for crawl errors and ranking drops
Phase 3: Technical Implementation (Week 5)
- ✓Implemented 301 redirects at scale using rule-based mapping
- ✓Verified redirect functionality through automated testing
- ✓Updated internal links to point to new domain structure
- ✓Submitted new sitemaps to Google Search Console
- ✓Updated structured data to reflect new brand information
- ✓Monitored server logs for redirect errors
Phase 4: Migration Execution (Week 6)
- ✓Migrated lower-traffic sections first to test strategy
- ✓Monitored rankings and traffic hourly during initial rollout
- ✓Fixed redirect chains and loops as they were discovered
- ✓Gradually migrated higher-traffic sections after validation
- ✓Maintained both domains briefly to catch missed redirects
- ✓Updated canonical tags across all pages
Phase 5: Post-Migration Monitoring (Weeks 7-12)
- ✓Daily ranking checks for all priority keywords
- ✓Weekly traffic analysis compared to pre-migration baseline
- ✓Rapid response protocol for any ranking drops
- ✓Fixed residual crawl errors and indexation issues
- ✓Updated remaining external links to new domain
- ✓Optimized new site structure based on performance data
Phase 6: Recovery and Growth (Months 4-6)
- ✓Identified opportunities for improvement on new platform
- ✓Optimized underperforming pages that moved to new structure
- ✓Built new content to target Carousell brand queries
- ✓Enhanced technical performance on new infrastructure
- ✓Expanded keyword targeting with improved site architecture
The Results
Not only did we avoid traffic losses, we actually grew organic traffic during and after the migration:
Migration Success
Migration Success
- ✓Zero critical ranking losses during migration window
- ✓Maintained page one positions for all priority “Sell” categories
- ✓Preserved 95 percent plus of link equity through redirect strategy
- ✓No major indexation issues or crawl errors
Traffic Performance
- ✓136% traffic growth post-migration compared to pre-migration baseline
- ✓Faster-than-expected recovery of brand search volume for new name
- ✓Improved rankings for category pages on new platform
- ✓Better user engagement metrics on optimized new site
Technical Improvements
- ✓Faster page load times on new infrastructure
- ✓Cleaner URL structure improving crawlability
- ✓Better mobile experience driving higher mobile traffic
- ✓Improved conversion rates on redesigned pages
What Made This Work
Meticulous planning was everything. We spent twice as long planning as executing. Every URL was accounted for. Every redirect was tested. Every potential failure point had a backup plan.
One-to-one redirect mapping preserved link equity. Rather than redirecting everything to the homepage or using generic category redirects, we mapped specific old URLs to specific new destinations. This told search engines exactly where content had moved.
Phased rollout reduced risk. By migrating sections gradually, we could validate the strategy before committing fully. When we found redirect issues on low-traffic pages, we fixed them before they could impact high-value content.
Real-time monitoring enabled rapid response. We caught and fixed issues within hours, not days or weeks. This prevented small problems from becoming ranking disasters.
Finally, we treated the migration as an optimization opportunity, not just risk mitigation. The new platform had better infrastructure and cleaner architecture. We used the migration to improve technical SEO fundamentals, which drove growth beyond just maintaining existing rankings.
One-to-one redirect mapping preserved link equity. Rather than redirecting everything to the homepage or using generic category redirects, we mapped specific old URLs to specific new destinations. This told search engines exactly where content had moved.
Phased rollout reduced risk. By migrating sections gradually, we could validate the strategy before committing fully. When we found redirect issues on low-traffic pages, we fixed them before they could impact high-value content.
Real-time monitoring enabled rapid response. We caught and fixed issues within hours, not days or weeks. This prevented small problems from becoming ranking disasters.
Finally, we treated the migration as an optimization opportunity, not just risk mitigation. The new platform had better infrastructure and cleaner architecture. We used the migration to improve technical SEO fundamentals, which drove growth beyond just maintaining existing rankings.
Lessons for SEO Migrations
Planning prevents disasters. Spend at least as much time planning as executing. Document everything. Map every URL. Test redirects before going live. The more thorough your planning, the smoother your migration.
One-to-one redirects preserve rankings. Generic redirects to category pages or homepages waste link equity. Take the time to map specific old URLs to specific new destinations. Your rankings will thank you.
Monitor obsessively during migration. Set up alerts for ranking drops, traffic changes, and crawl errors. Check data hourly in the first days, daily in the first weeks. Fast response to issues prevents permanent damage.
Phase migrations when possible. Do not flip everything at once if you can avoid it. Test your strategy on lower-risk sections first. Use what you learn to improve the approach for high-value content.
Use migrations to improve, not just maintain. A migration is a chance to fix technical debt, improve site architecture, and enhance user experience. Do not just replicate the old site – make the new one better.
Communicate with search engines. Submit updated sitemaps immediately. Use Search Console to request re-crawling of important pages. Make it easy for search engines to understand what changed.
One-to-one redirects preserve rankings. Generic redirects to category pages or homepages waste link equity. Take the time to map specific old URLs to specific new destinations. Your rankings will thank you.
Monitor obsessively during migration. Set up alerts for ranking drops, traffic changes, and crawl errors. Check data hourly in the first days, daily in the first weeks. Fast response to issues prevents permanent damage.
Phase migrations when possible. Do not flip everything at once if you can avoid it. Test your strategy on lower-risk sections first. Use what you learn to improve the approach for high-value content.
Use migrations to improve, not just maintain. A migration is a chance to fix technical debt, improve site architecture, and enhance user experience. Do not just replicate the old site – make the new one better.
Communicate with search engines. Submit updated sitemaps immediately. Use Search Console to request re-crawling of important pages. Make it easy for search engines to understand what changed.
Services Delivered
- ✓Comprehensive Pre-Migration SEO Audit
- ✓URL Mapping and Redirect Strategy
- ✓Technical Migration Implementation
- ✓Real-Time Monitoring and Issue Resolution
- ✓Post-Migration Optimization
- ✓Performance Analysis and Reporting
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