The Technical Sitemap: A Migration Saviour

Enjoy my slide deck from BrightonSEO Apr 2026

Transcript

1. The Technical Sitemap: A Migration Saviour Levi Clucas Footprint Digital @Socialhandle | Speakerdeck.com/username
2. What we’re gonna discuss FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 2 1. Common issues between teams 2. Common site launch issues 3. Why we need to be besties 4. Introducing: The Technical Sitemap 5. WTF is it 6. How to use it 7. Download!
3. Common Migration Pain Points What gets our goats during migrations FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 3
4. Developers and designers don’t prioritise SEO
5. Nobody knows what stage of build we’re at
6. Developers make up URLs
7. The build comes to SEO already done and we’re asked to ‘SEO it’
8. Nobody knows who’s responsible for what
9. Communication just doesn’t happen
10. Common Post-Migration Site Issues FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 10
11. 404s everywhere
12. Who made that new page?
13. Why is the whole site no-indexed?
14. Not a meta description to be found…
15. All of the internal redirects
16. Communication just doesn’t happen
17. So…. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 17
18. Don’t bite the hand that feeds - Don’t expect an SEO-friendly site if you piss off your devs FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 18 Why we need to be besties with designers & devs
19. We want to be brought into projects as early as possible - if we’re a pain, nobody will want to involve us! FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 19 Why we need to be besties with designers & devs
20. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 20 Why we need to be besties with designers & devs Clients often work directly with SEOs but not Devs - clients need to trust our relationship is sound
21. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 21 Why we need to be besties with designers & devs A site that launches at a high standard is a site that has less risk of performance drops
22. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 22 Why we need to be besties with designers & devs Not every dev or designer knows about SEO and Visa-Versa - sharing knowledge makes the end product better for everyone
23. How do we fix it? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 23
24. The Technical Sitemap! FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 24
25. WTF is a Technical Sitemap? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 25
26. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 26
27. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 27
28. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 28
29. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 29 You can add, remove, edit and fudge about with it as much as you like to fit your own projects - this is just a template!
30. What it do? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 30
31. What it do? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 31 1. Provides a single point of truth
32. What it do? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 32 2. Active document for devs, designers, PMs and SEOs to collaborate
33. What it do? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 33 3. Allows sites to be built to SEO standards without upsetting a sprint
34. What it do? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 34 4. Content teams have visibility of URL structure before upload starts
35. What it do? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 35 5. Provides pre-optimised meta data, Headings and content documents
36. What it do? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 36 6. Gives project managers a pre-made sheet to use for managing project progress
37. What it do? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 37 7. Helps even really Junior SEOs support a web build
38. What it do? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 38 8. Incorporates performance review, redirect mapping and initial optimisation for launch into one
39. Why use it? FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 39
40. Why use it FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 40 • To introduce juniors to web projects
41. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 41 • To introduce juniors to web projects • For collab between internal teams Why use it
42. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 42 • To introduce juniors to web projects • For collab between internal teams • To speed up high-pressure projects Why use it
43. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 43 • To introduce juniors to web projects • For collab between internal teams • To speed up high-pressure projects • To involve SEOs earlier in the process Why use it
44. • To introduce juniors to web projects • For collab between internal teams • To speed up high-pressure projects • To involve SEOs earlier in the process • To help avoid performance drops post-launch FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 44 Why use it
45. How to use it FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 45
46. • Between devs and SEOs How to use it FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 46
47. • Between devs and SEOs • Between SEOs and Designers How to use it FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 47
48. • Between devs and SEOs • Between SEOs and Designers • Across multiple teams or agencies How to use it FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 48
49. • Between devs and SEOs • Between SEOs and Designers • Across multiple teams or agencies • Between clients and agencies/SEOs/Devs/Designers for clarity How to use it FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 49
50. • Between devs and SEOs • Between SEOs and Designers • Across multiple teams or agencies • Between clients and agencies/SEOs/Devs/Designers for clarity • Use as early on in the project as possible, but valid even when backdated FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 50 How to use it
51. wow! FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 51
52. FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 52 A Testimonial “Footprint have been fantastic to work with on our SEO migration project so far. They took the time to properly understand our existing site and our wider vision. The technical sitemap Levi produced, pulling together multiple complex documents, showed just how deeply they understood what we were trying to achieve. They communicated every step clearly, making sure we fully understood the process and implications throughout.” Jess B, UK Teach
53. Template Version FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 53
54. Read the blog FOOTPRINT DIGITAL 54
55. Inspirational Call to Action. Levi Clucas Levi.clucas@footprintdigital.co.uk 01206 899517 Linkedin ^