The tables below compare two approaches. On the left is the manual route taken by a developer or agency, including tool requirements and an honest time estimate for a 250-page site. On the right is the Sitejump route, where data is prepared automatically for your AI builder to implement. The time total refers only to the manual path: 53–87 h of specialist time plus tool licenses. Following the comparison, “How Sitejump works” explains the automated workflow in detail.
All 29 checks are handled via four automated routes
- Your crawl package — A complete inventory of every URL, including metadata, assets, languages, structured data, and screenshots, generated by the Sitejump crawl agent.
- Your rebuilt project — Your AI builder writes titles, canonicals, hreflang, schema, alt text, and tracking IDs directly into your code via the Sitejump MCP.
- The launch verifier — A tool to test every old URL against your live domain for 301 redirects, chains, and indexability. This can be run for free as often as needed.
- Google Search Console — A secure integration for your new domain. Once connected, your ranking baseline, sitemap submission, and coverage monitoring are managed within your own Google account.
| Phase | Manual (Developer/Agency) | Manual time |  Sitejump— automated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pre-migration | Licensing a crawler, running the crawl, and cleaning the export by hand | 14–22 h | Complete inventory of pages, metadata, assets, and languages in a ready-to-use package |
| 2. Mapping | Building a 301 spreadsheet row by row, then writing and deploying host rules | 10–16 h | A full redirect map and a configuration file formatted for your host |
| 3. Development | Manually porting titles, headings, alt text, schema, and tracking IDs | 16–26 h | Values written into your new project by the AI agent via the Sitejump MCP |
| 4. Launch day | Spot-checking redirects and indexability, then submitting the sitemap | 5–9 h | Automated testing of every old URL and automated sitemap submission |
| 5. Post-launch | Additional paid crawls and manual monitoring against the baseline | 8–14 h | SEO/GEO reporting, automated Search Console monitoring, and free re-runs of the verifier |
| Total | Specialist time for a 250-page site, plus tool costs | 53–87 h | Automated package preparation and AI-assisted rebuild |
1Pre-migration: Record the existing site
Most ranking losses occur because the original site data wasn't fully documented while live. This phase creates a definitive inventory of URLs, metadata, assets, and performance baselines.
Manual effort for this phase: 14–22 hours for a 250-page site.
| Manual developer or agency build | Sitejump— automated |
|---|---|
Configuring and running a crawl, then reconciling the export against sitemaps and server logs for missed URLs. Tools: Screaming Frog SEO Spider (from ~£239/yr) or Sitebulb; sitemap.xml Time: 3–5 h | Every URL discovered and indexed Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Extracting crawl data, de-duplicating columns, and manually checking client-side rendered pages. Tools: Screaming Frog export, spreadsheet Time: 2–4 h | Metadata captured for every page Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
A separate crawl for assets, followed by de-duplication and locating media stored outside the CMS. Tools: Screaming Frog (asset crawl), CMS media library export Time: 2–3 h | All assets identified and downloaded Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Auditing hreflang annotations URL by URL to build a parity sheet for each locale. Tools: Screaming Frog hreflang report, Merkle hreflang tester Time: 2–3 h | Automatic detection of all locales Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Validating templates by page type and identifying properties used by Google and AI assistants. Tools: Google Rich Results Test, Schema Markup Validator Time: 2–3 h | Current schema recorded automatically Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Capturing full-page screenshots of every URL to serve as a design reference for the rebuild. Tools: Browser extensions or paid capture APIs Time: 2–3 h | Full-page screenshot for every URL Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Exporting 16 months of Search Console data and archiving it for future comparison. Tools: Google Search Console export; Looker Studio for charting Time: 1–2 h | Baseline data pulled automatically before the move Managed via Google Search Console within your new project Tools: Google Search Console integration Automated |
Manual
Configuring and running a crawl, then reconciling the export against sitemaps and server logs for missed URLs.
Tools: Screaming Frog SEO Spider (from ~£239/yr) or Sitebulb; sitemap.xml
Time: 3–5 h
With Sitejump
Every URL discovered and indexed
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Extracting crawl data, de-duplicating columns, and manually checking client-side rendered pages.
Tools: Screaming Frog export, spreadsheet
Time: 2–4 h
With Sitejump
Metadata captured for every page
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
A separate crawl for assets, followed by de-duplication and locating media stored outside the CMS.
Tools: Screaming Frog (asset crawl), CMS media library export
Time: 2–3 h
With Sitejump
All assets identified and downloaded
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Auditing hreflang annotations URL by URL to build a parity sheet for each locale.
Tools: Screaming Frog hreflang report, Merkle hreflang tester
Time: 2–3 h
With Sitejump
Automatic detection of all locales
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Validating templates by page type and identifying properties used by Google and AI assistants.
Tools: Google Rich Results Test, Schema Markup Validator
Time: 2–3 h
With Sitejump
Current schema recorded automatically
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Capturing full-page screenshots of every URL to serve as a design reference for the rebuild.
Tools: Browser extensions or paid capture APIs
Time: 2–3 h
With Sitejump
Full-page screenshot for every URL
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Exporting 16 months of Search Console data and archiving it for future comparison.
Tools: Google Search Console export; Looker Studio for charting
Time: 1–2 h
With Sitejump
Baseline data pulled automatically before the move
Managed via Google Search Console within your new project
Tools: Google Search Console integration
Automated
2Map every old URL to a new one
Every old URL needs a destination. An unmapped page results in a 404, leading to lost ranking signals and broken citations for AI assistants.
Manual effort for this phase: 10–16 hours for a 250-page site.
| Manual developer or agency build | Sitejump— automated |
|---|---|
Building the redirect map row by row from crawl data and performing multiple reviews. Tools: Crawl export, spreadsheet, VLOOKUP against new sitemap Time: 4–6 h | Complete redirect map generated automatically Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Manual review and stakeholder meetings to decide which URLs should inherit existing equity. Tools: Search Console performance data Time: 2–4 h | Proposed mapping provided for your review Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Individual decisions for every sunsetted page, often overlooked in large spreadsheets. Tools: Spreadsheet review, analytics data Time: 1–2 h | No pages dropped by accident Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Global find-and-replace followed by manual checks for edge cases. Tools: Spreadsheet, regex Time: 1 h | Rules applied consistently across the entire map Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Formatting the map into platform rules (_redirects, vercel.json, .htaccess), deploying, and testing. Tools: Host documentation, deployment pipeline, httpstatus.io Time: 2–3 h | Configuration file written specifically for your host A single file to deploy with your new site Tools: Sitejump redirect writer Automated |
Manual
Building the redirect map row by row from crawl data and performing multiple reviews.
Tools: Crawl export, spreadsheet, VLOOKUP against new sitemap
Time: 4–6 h
With Sitejump
Complete redirect map generated automatically
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Manual review and stakeholder meetings to decide which URLs should inherit existing equity.
Tools: Search Console performance data
Time: 2–4 h
With Sitejump
Proposed mapping provided for your review
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Individual decisions for every sunsetted page, often overlooked in large spreadsheets.
Tools: Spreadsheet review, analytics data
Time: 1–2 h
With Sitejump
No pages dropped by accident
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Global find-and-replace followed by manual checks for edge cases.
Tools: Spreadsheet, regex
Time: 1 h
With Sitejump
Rules applied consistently across the entire map
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Formatting the map into platform rules (_redirects, vercel.json, .htaccess), deploying, and testing.
Tools: Host documentation, deployment pipeline, httpstatus.io
Time: 2–3 h
With Sitejump
Configuration file written specifically for your host
A single file to deploy with your new site
Tools: Sitejump redirect writer
Automated
3Carry over on-page signals
A new site should feel fresh to users but familiar to machines. Titles, headings, and schema are what search engines and LLMs rely on; these should be preserved unless you are intentionally improving them.
Manual effort for this phase: 16–26 hours for a 250-page site.
| Manual developer or agency build | Sitejump— automated |
|---|---|
Copying and pasting values from the export into the new CMS or codebase page by page. Tools: Crawl export, new CMS/codebase Time: 3–5 h | Original values applied, not placeholders Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP Automated |
Manually recreating the content outline for every page to match the original structure. Tools: Page source, Screaming Frog heading report Time: 3–5 h | Heading structure preserved per page Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP Automated |
Re-uploading assets and manually re-entering every alt attribute. Tools: Media export, alt-text report Time: 3–4 h | Alt text mapped to each image automatically Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP Automated |
Rewriting JSON-LD for new templates and re-validating each type. Tools: Schema Markup Validator, Google Rich Results Test Time: 2–4 h | Schema re-implemented automatically Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP Automated |
Updating template logic followed by a full audit to verify tag accuracy. Tools: Platform templates, verification crawl Time: 2–3 h | Logic auto-written into the rebuilt project Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP Automated |
Manual creation and review; often rushed or skipped during launch. Tools: robots.txt tester, sitemap generator Time: 1 h | Both files generated automatically Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Re-verifying ownership, which often requires coordination with DNS or template access. Tools: Google Search Console, DNS panel Time: 1–2 h | Verification tags carried over Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP Automated |
Extracting GA4, GTM, and pixel IDs from old code and re-implementing them. Tools: GA4, Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel Time: 1–2 h | Tracking IDs re-applied automatically Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP Automated |
Manual
Copying and pasting values from the export into the new CMS or codebase page by page.
Tools: Crawl export, new CMS/codebase
Time: 3–5 h
With Sitejump
Original values applied, not placeholders
Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild
Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP
Automated
Manual
Manually recreating the content outline for every page to match the original structure.
Tools: Page source, Screaming Frog heading report
Time: 3–5 h
With Sitejump
Heading structure preserved per page
Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild
Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP
Automated
Manual
Re-uploading assets and manually re-entering every alt attribute.
Tools: Media export, alt-text report
Time: 3–4 h
With Sitejump
Alt text mapped to each image automatically
Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild
Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP
Automated
Manual
Rewriting JSON-LD for new templates and re-validating each type.
Tools: Schema Markup Validator, Google Rich Results Test
Time: 2–4 h
With Sitejump
Schema re-implemented automatically
Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild
Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP
Automated
Manual
Updating template logic followed by a full audit to verify tag accuracy.
Tools: Platform templates, verification crawl
Time: 2–3 h
With Sitejump
Logic auto-written into the rebuilt project
Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild
Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP
Automated
Manual
Manual creation and review; often rushed or skipped during launch.
Tools: robots.txt tester, sitemap generator
Time: 1 h
With Sitejump
Both files generated automatically
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Re-verifying ownership, which often requires coordination with DNS or template access.
Tools: Google Search Console, DNS panel
Time: 1–2 h
With Sitejump
Verification tags carried over
Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild
Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP
Automated
Manual
Extracting GA4, GTM, and pixel IDs from old code and re-implementing them.
Tools: GA4, Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel
Time: 1–2 h
With Sitejump
Tracking IDs re-applied automatically
Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild
Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP
Automated
4Launch day verification
Immediate verification prevents issues that might otherwise only be noticed weeks later, after traffic has already declined.
Manual effort for this phase: 5–9 hours for a 250-page site.
| Manual developer or agency build | Sitejump— automated |
|---|---|
Testing a small sample manually and assuming it represents the whole site. Tools: httpstatus.io, curl, Screaming Frog list mode Time: 1–2 h | Every old URL tested live Verified against your live domain; re-run anytime Tools: Sitejump launch verifier Automated |
Tracing hops manually or running a full audit in list mode. Tools: Screaming Frog redirect report Time: 1–2 h | Chains and loops identified Verified against your live domain; re-run anytime Tools: Sitejump launch verifier Automated |
Inspecting pages after every deploy and re-testing after changes. Tools: Search Console URL Inspection, crawler report Time: 1–2 h | Checked against the live site Verified against your live domain; re-run anytime Tools: Sitejump launch verifier Automated |
Configuring DNS and host settings, then testing every variant. Tools: DNS panel, host settings, curl Time: 1–2 h | Specific settings provided for your host A single file to deploy with your new site Tools: Sitejump redirect writer Automated |
Manually submitting the new sitemap URL to search engines. Tools: Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Time: 1 h | Submitted directly from your rebuilt project Managed via Google Search Console within your new project Tools: Google Search Console integration Automated |
Manual
Testing a small sample manually and assuming it represents the whole site.
Tools: httpstatus.io, curl, Screaming Frog list mode
Time: 1–2 h
With Sitejump
Every old URL tested live
Verified against your live domain; re-run anytime
Tools: Sitejump launch verifier
Automated
Manual
Tracing hops manually or running a full audit in list mode.
Tools: Screaming Frog redirect report
Time: 1–2 h
With Sitejump
Chains and loops identified
Verified against your live domain; re-run anytime
Tools: Sitejump launch verifier
Automated
Manual
Inspecting pages after every deploy and re-testing after changes.
Tools: Search Console URL Inspection, crawler report
Time: 1–2 h
With Sitejump
Checked against the live site
Verified against your live domain; re-run anytime
Tools: Sitejump launch verifier
Automated
Manual
Configuring DNS and host settings, then testing every variant.
Tools: DNS panel, host settings, curl
Time: 1–2 h
With Sitejump
Specific settings provided for your host
A single file to deploy with your new site
Tools: Sitejump redirect writer
Automated
Manual
Manually submitting the new sitemap URL to search engines.
Tools: Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster
Time: 1 h
With Sitejump
Submitted directly from your rebuilt project
Managed via Google Search Console within your new project
Tools: Google Search Console integration
Automated
5Post-launch monitoring
Fluctuation is normal as crawlers re-index your site. Success depends on tracking the recovery curve and addressing errors quickly.
Manual effort for this phase: 8–14 hours for a 250-page site.
| Manual developer or agency build | Sitejump— automated |
|---|---|
Weekly monitoring of Search Console and cross-referencing errors with the redirect map. Tools: Search Console coverage report, server logs Time: 3–5 h | Coverage monitored from your project; verifier available for re-runs Managed via Google Search Console within your new project Tools: Google Search Console integration Automated |
Running additional paid audits to identify missing signals. Tools: Screaming Frog or Semrush (plans from ~$140/mo) Time: 3–5 h | SEO and GEO report with specific fixes identified Included in your migration package Tools: Sitejump crawl agent Automated |
Ensuring redirects aren't deleted during future updates or staff changes. Tools: Version control, documentation Time: 1 h | Redirect configuration is versioned within your project Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP Automated |
Monthly paid crawls to check for broken internal links. Tools: Screaming Frog or Ahrefs (plans from ~$130/mo) Time: 1–3 h per month | Run the verifier whenever needed Verified against your live domain; re-run anytime Tools: Sitejump launch verifier Automated |
Manual
Weekly monitoring of Search Console and cross-referencing errors with the redirect map.
Tools: Search Console coverage report, server logs
Time: 3–5 h
With Sitejump
Coverage monitored from your project; verifier available for re-runs
Managed via Google Search Console within your new project
Tools: Google Search Console integration
Automated
Manual
Running additional paid audits to identify missing signals.
Tools: Screaming Frog or Semrush (plans from ~$140/mo)
Time: 3–5 h
With Sitejump
SEO and GEO report with specific fixes identified
Included in your migration package
Tools: Sitejump crawl agent
Automated
Manual
Ensuring redirects aren't deleted during future updates or staff changes.
Tools: Version control, documentation
Time: 1 h
With Sitejump
Redirect configuration is versioned within your project
Handled by your AI builder during the rebuild
Tools: AI builder via Sitejump MCP
Automated
Manual
Monthly paid crawls to check for broken internal links.
Tools: Screaming Frog or Ahrefs (plans from ~$130/mo)
Time: 1–3 h per month
With Sitejump
Run the verifier whenever needed
Verified against your live domain; re-run anytime
Tools: Sitejump launch verifier
Automated
What happens to your backlinks
Backlinks—links from other sites to yours—are vital for ranking. They are often the biggest concern during a migration. Here is the reality.
- They stay with your domain. Backlinks aren't moved. Links published by other sites will still point to your old URLs; they remain effective as long as you retain the same domain name.
- They only retain value if the old addresses still work. A link to a page that returns a "404 Not Found" error is a dead link. A 301 redirect map prevents this by ensuring every old address leads to its new equivalent in one permanent hop.
- Your most important pages are protected first. Our crawl maps your site's internal link structure to identify high-priority pages. These are rebuilt in the first wave and prioritized by our launch verifier to ensure they never break.
- Search Console is your final check. The "Top linked pages" report in Google Search Console is the only definitive list of your external links. After launch, compare this against your redirect map to confirm total coverage.
This isn't a separate service or a paid subscription. The redirect map and launch verification are the backlink strategy.
How Sitejump works
The comparisons above contrast manual labor with automation. If you choose Sitejump, here is the five-step journey from your free audit to a finished website.
- 01
Enter your website address.
Sitejump performs a free audit of your sitemap and five sample pages. No account, installation, or connection required.
- 02
Select and purchase a migration.
Sitejump crawls the entire site to create a migration package containing every page, metadata field, redirect, schema record, asset, and language, alongside SEO and GEO data.
- 03
Connect the Sitejump MCP to your AI builder.
Paste the connector URL once to grant your AI builder access to the migration package. View the connection steps.
- 04
Your AI builder reconstructs the site.
The builder processes the Sitejump package page by page, writing pages, metadata, schema, assets, and redirect configurations directly into your project.
Connect Google Search Console before you point your domain to the new host.
Add your preferred integrations.
Once the site is rebuilt, ask your builder to connect its supported services. For everything else, use your host or a developer.
Integrations remain under your own accounts; Sitejump never accesses or stores these credentials.
Start with the inventory
Phase one is about visibility. The free audit samples five pages plus your sitemap to report on CMS type, page and language counts, branding assets, and SEO status. This provides the information needed to plan your move before committing. The full page-by-page crawl required for these 29 checks runs once the migration begins.
Tool pricing is indicative only. Time estimates assume a 250-page, multi-language site managed by an experienced developer.
Ask the AI assistant
Sitejump is developed and operated by miPlug.