start by checking where the old URL redirects to first. If there is another error page after you land on the homepage, then u are dealing with a redirect or plugin problem, not google being slow. make sure in Screaming frog that the redirect chain leads directly to the new URL of the homepage via 301.
Migrated my website and traffic dropped in half, is this normal or did I break something?
- Thread starter s666chez
- Start date
- Feb 28, 2019
- 7,619
- 8,068
There is no such thing as 301 screen. You either get a 404: Page Not Found error or a clean 301 redirect to the new URL. As you're getting "This page no longer exists" message, it's a 404 error. You should use a redirect instead.
Here is how Google sees it.
User clicks search result > lands on 404 error page > User returns to search results page = User intent not served ---- So, your rankings will drop.
User clicks search result > lands on 404 error page > User clicks "Go back home" button & lands on Home Page = 2 hops to reach home page ---- Your navigation is poor, so your rankings will eventually drop.
In this case, Google had to remove "xyz.com/es" from SERPs and index + rank "xyz.com" as a new URL.
In ideal case,
User clicks search result (xyz.com/es) > It redirects to home page (xyz.com) ---- It's technically still 2 hops but automated instead of giving user an option to either return to SERPs or click Home button. So, Google will eventually update the URL in SERPs to "xyz.com" and your rankings will return.
In this case, Google had to update "xyz.com/es" to "xyz.com" as we are saying that it's the same webpage with an updated URL.
itsworth
Regular Member
- Jun 17, 2026
- 385
- 143
Bro, what i'd really do is just to create a copy of your actual homepage in xyz.com/es, and point all the links in the homepage to your actual working one. Because a clean redirect don't have anything like "this page don't exist", it just goes straight to new one.
Kehjbacklinkshub
Newbie
- Oct 14, 2026
- 16
- 1
Yes, traffic are dropped last week, and google is update new features.
Ameila_john1
Registered Member
- Mar 24, 2026
- 60
- 8
I’d check the canonical tags and hreflang settings first, especially since the old URLs are still showing in Google. Some fluctuation after migration is normal, but it’s worth checking these before waiting longer.
