ASP.net to Wordpress - Conserving the Backlink Profile

[rmontanez]

I am converting a site from ASP.net to wordpress. The ASP site has a decent backlink profile. Most links are pointing to their homepage.

Is there anything I should be on the lookout so I do not lose their link profiles? I believe we are using the same server.

[seo-wanna-bs]

Hi Roberto, to conserve your back link profile, you must conserve your websites archetecture. Most importantly your URL structure.

If you have a page on blue widgets, /category/blue-widgets.html that has 10 back links and your new url structure is /category/blue-widgets/ then you'll lose the back links and history. /category/blue-widgets/ will be seen as a brand new page.

Wordpress has various permalink options, but whether any of those fit in with your current structure is another thing.

This will mean you'll have to do 1 of 2 things.

1. Create a custom solution, to ensure url structure is kept the same.
2. Create 301 redirects from old pages to new pages.

Both solutions will work, but number 1 is definitely most preferable. But if all else fails, number 2 is at least going to forward the link juice to your new pages.

Hope that helps

Paul

[rmontanez]

Paul,

Thanks for the reply.  I believe option 1 will be good for the home page, but interior pages end with an .asp extention, which complicate things.  I usually set the permalinks to /%postname%/, but on this case it will not help me with interior pages.

I would say that 90% of the backlinks are to the homepage, so in that case the structure will be the same.  I would probably 301 the interior pages.

[seo-wanna-bs]

In that case, going forward, I would drop the .asp extension and 301 redirect, just ensure they're all working. Even if that means going through one by one.

Slightly off topic, but moving forward I would work on ways to increase the back links to internal pages.

[rmontanez]

I agree.  The client has been doing linkbuilding internally and adhoc.  The anchor text is his website name.  That is why he is bringing me into the picture.

Paul, Thanks for your input.