Why Did My Rankings Collapse After Migrating from Blogger to WordPress?

The Problem

I migrated my 8-year-old blog from Blogger to WordPress 5 weeks ago following multiple migration guides. Instead of maintaining or improving rankings, my organic traffic dropped 91% and shows no signs of recovery. I’m losing $12,000/month in affiliate revenue and don’t understand what went wrong.

Site Details:

Before Migration (Blogger):

Platform: Blogger (blogspot.com subdomain)
URL: myblog.blogspot.com
Posts: 847 articles
Monthly traffic: 287,000 visits
Monthly revenue: $14,500 (affiliate commissions)
Average position: 8.3
Domain age: 8 years 4 months
Indexed pages: 847

After Migration (WordPress – Week 5):

Platform: WordPress (custom domain)
URL: myblog.com
Posts: 847 articles (all migrated)
Monthly traffic: 26,000 visits (-91%)
Monthly revenue: $1,300 (-91%)
Average position: 34.7
Domain age: 5 weeks (new domain)
Indexed pages: 441 (-48%)

Migration Process I Followed:

Week 1: Preparation

✅ Purchased domain myblog.com
✅ Set up WordPress hosting (SiteGround)
✅ Installed WordPress
✅ Chose theme (Astra)
✅ Installed plugins (Yoast, caching, etc.)

Week 2: Content Migration

✅ Used Blogger export tool (XML file)
✅ Imported to WordPress
✅ Verified all posts imported (847/847)
✅ Fixed broken images
✅ Updated internal links

Week 3: Technical Setup

✅ Set up 301 redirects (Blogger → WordPress)
✅ Submitted new sitemap to Google
✅ Verified new domain in Search Console
✅ Requested recrawl of URLs
✅ Checked for broken links

Week 4-5: Monitoring and Waiting

✅ Monitored Search Console
✅ Checked indexing status
✅ Waited for “Google to catch up”
❌ Traffic never recovered

The Redirect Setup:

Blogger redirect code (added to Blogger template):

<script type='text/javascript'>
var blog = "https://myblog.com";
var blogspot = window.location.pathname;
if (window.location.href.indexOf("myblog.blogspot.com") > -1) {
    window.location.href = blog + blogspot;
}
</script>

Expected behavior:

myblog.blogspot.com/2020/01/post-title.html
→ myblog.com/2020/01/post-title

Search Console Data:

Old Blogger property (myblog.blogspot.com):

Coverage: “Not found (404)” for all pages
Status: All URLs showing as 404
Impressions: Dropped to near zero
Clicks: 98% decline

New WordPress property (myblog.com):

Coverage: “Discovered – currently not indexed” (406 pages)
Indexed: 441 pages (of 847)
Impressions: Minimal
Clicks: Very low
Average position: 34.7 (was 8.3)

Specific Examples:

Top performing article before migration:

Title: “Best Budget Laptops Under $500 (2024 Guide)”
Blogger URL: myblog.blogspot.com/2023/03/best-budget-laptops-under-500.html
WordPress URL: myblog.com/2023/03/best-budget-laptops-under-500
Blogger ranking: Position 2 for “budget laptops under $500”
Blogger traffic: 8,500 visits/month
WordPress ranking: Position 47 (not even on first 5 pages)
WordPress traffic: 140 visits/month (-98%)

Another example:

Title: “How to Speed Up Windows 10 Computer”
Blogger URL: myblog.blogspot.com/2022/06/speed-up-windows-10.html
WordPress URL: myblog.com/2022/06/speed-up-windows-10
Blogger ranking: Position 5 for “speed up windows 10”
Blogger traffic: 12,300 visits/month
WordPress ranking: Position 52
WordPress traffic: 89 visits/month (-99%)

This pattern repeats across all top articles.

What Changed:

URL structure:

Removed .html extension
Kept date-based permalink structure
Changed domain from blogspot.com to custom domain

Content:

Identical content (exact copy)
Same images
Same formatting
No content changes

Technical:

Blogger: Blogspot platform
WordPress: Self-hosted, SiteGround
Theme: Blogger template → Astra theme
Page speed: Blogger 78 → WordPress 92 (improved)

What I’ve Checked:

✅ Redirects working (tested in browser, redirects correctly) ✅ No noindex tags (all pages set to index) ✅ Robots.txt allows crawling ✅ Sitemap submitted and processed ✅ No manual actions (Search Console shows none) ✅ No security issues ✅ All images loading ✅ Internal links updated ✅ Mobile-friendly (passed test) ✅ HTTPS enabled ✅ Schema markup added (wasn’t on Blogger)

What Confuses Me:

1. Why aren’t redirects working for Google?

Browser redirects work fine
Users are redirected correctly
But Google doesn’t seem to follow them
Old Blogger URLs showing 404 in Search Console

2. Why is indexing so slow?

5 weeks post-migration
Only 441 of 847 pages indexed (52%)
406 pages “Discovered – currently not indexed”
Should be faster, right?

3. Why did rankings collapse so dramatically?

Position 2 → Position 47
Position 5 → Position 52
Not just slight drops, complete collapse
Even for content that hasn’t changed at all

4. Did I lose 8 years of domain authority?

Blogger had 8+ years of history
New domain only 5 weeks old
Did authority not transfer?
Starting from scratch?

5. Should I have kept the Blogger blog live?

I added redirects but left blog active
Should I have deleted it?
Is duplicate content an issue?
Conflicting signals?

Redirect Testing:

Testing in browser:

Visit: myblog.blogspot.com/2023/03/best-budget-laptops-under-500.html
Result: Redirects to myblog.com/2023/03/best-budget-laptops-under-500
Status: Works perfectly

Testing as Googlebot:

curl -A "Googlebot" -I https://myblog.blogspot.com/2023/03/best-budget-laptops-under-500.html

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: text/html

Wait, that’s not a 301 redirect…

The Googlebot sees 200, not 301!

That might be the problem, but why?

What I’ve Tried (No Results):

✅ Requested indexing for top 100 URLs (via URL Inspection Tool)
✅ Resubmitted sitemap multiple times
✅ Posted new content on WordPress (3 articles)
✅ Built 15 new backlinks to WordPress site
✅ Waited 5 weeks for “migration processing”
✅ Updated internal links to new URLs
✅ Checked for duplicate content (none found with Copyscape)

Nothing has improved. Traffic remains at 9% of previous levels.

Financial Situation:

Pre-migration monthly revenue: $14,500
Current monthly revenue: $1,300
Monthly loss: $13,200
Total loss so far (5 weeks): ~$16,500
Hosting costs: $45/month (new expense)
Net impact: $13,200/month ongoing

At this rate:

Annual revenue loss: $158,400
This blog was my primary income
Now unsustainable
Considering reverting to Blogger

Questions:

Did I do something fundamentally wrong?
- Followed multiple guides
- Seemed straightforward
- What critical step did I miss?
Are JavaScript redirects the problem?
- Googlebot sees 200, not 301
- Is this why rankings collapsed?
- How do I fix this on Blogger?
Should I revert to Blogger?
- Would this restore rankings?
- Or have I already lost authority permanently?
- Is it too late to go back?
How long does migration take?
- Is 5 weeks too soon to panic?
- Should I wait 3-6 months?
- But I can’t sustain $13k/month loss
Did I need to do this migration at all?
- Blogger was working fine
- Was migration necessary?
- Did I sabotage my successful blog?

I followed what seemed like standard migration advice and destroyed my blog’s traffic. I need to understand what went wrong and whether this is fixable, or if I should cut my losses and try to revert.

Expert Panel Discussion

Dr. Sarah C. (Migration & Technical SEO Expert):

“This is a catastrophic migration failure with a clear root cause. Your discovery that Googlebot sees 200 instead of 301 is exactly right – this is your primary problem. JavaScript redirects don’t work for SEO migrations. Let me explain what happened and how to fix it.

The JavaScript Redirect Catastrophe:

Your redirect implementation:

if (window.location.href.indexOf("myblog.blogspot.com") > -1) {
    window.location.href = blog + blogspot;
}

This is a JavaScript redirect. Here’s what happens:

For regular users (browsers):

Request: myblog.blogspot.com/post.html
Server returns: HTTP 200 OK
HTML loads with JavaScript
JavaScript executes
User redirected to myblog.com/post
User experience: Seamless redirect

For Googlebot:

Request: myblog.blogspot.com/post.html
Server returns: HTTP 200 OK
Googlebot reads: “This is the page content”
Googlebot MAY execute JavaScript (sometimes)
Even if JavaScript executes, it’s a 200 response
No 301 signal = No authority transfer

Critical: Search engines need server-side 301 redirects, not JavaScript redirects.

Why This Destroys Your Migration:

From Google’s perspective:

Old Blogger site:

All URLs return 200 OK
Content still exists
Pages appear active
But you removed from sitemap
Google sees: “These pages exist but owner removed from sitemap – quality issue?”
Result: Deindex old pages

New WordPress site:

New domain, no history
Identical content to old site
No 301 redirects pointing from old site
Google sees: “New site with duplicate content, no authority signals”
Result: Start from scratch, low rankings

You lost ALL authority because 301 redirects never happened.

The Blogger Platform Limitation:

Critical problem: Blogger doesn’t support server-side redirects easily.

Blogger is a hosted platform. You don’t control the server. You can’t add .htaccess rules. You can’t configure server-level redirects.

Why migration guides use JavaScript:

Only option available on Blogger
Works for user experience
Doesn’t work for SEO
This is a known Blogger migration problem

The Correct Migration Approach for Blogger:

You needed a different strategy entirely:

Option 1: Keep Blogger, custom domain (What you should have done)

Point custom domain to Blogger
- Settings → Basic → Publishing
- Set custom domain: myblog.com
- Blogger handles redirect from myblog.blogspot.com to myblog.com
- These are server-side 301 redirects
- Authority transfers seamlessly
WordPress never needed
- Blogger with custom domain = professional appearance
- All SEO authority intact
- No migration risk
- $0 additional cost

This was the correct approach. You over-complicated.

Option 2: Parallel publication (Migration with authority)

If you MUST move to WordPress:

Set up WordPress on custom domain
Publish new content on WordPress only
Keep Blogger live for 6-12 months
Gradually redirect individual posts (as possible)
Build WordPress authority organically
Eventually retire Blogger

This takes 12-18 months but preserves authority.

Option 3: Domain forwarding (Compromise)

Use custom domain on Blogger (myblog.com points to Blogger)
After 6-12 months, export content
Move hosting to WordPress backend
Domain remains same (myblog.com)
Authority stays with domain

This is better than your approach.

The Domain Authority Loss:

You lost 8 years of authority because:

Blogger subdomain had the authority
- myblog.blogspot.com = 8 years of backlinks, trust, history
- That subdomain remains at Blogger
- You don’t own it
New custom domain starts fresh
- myblog.com = brand new domain
- 5 weeks old
- No history
- No authority
Authority didn’t transfer because no 301 redirects
- JavaScript redirects don’t pass authority
- Even if they did, you can’t control Blogger server
- Your 8 years of authority is stranded on blogspot.com

You essentially started a brand new blog.

The Indexing Issues:

Only 441 of 847 pages indexed because:

1. New domain trust issues:

Google doesn’t trust brand new domains
Slower indexing for new sites
Especially with 847 pages at once
Appears as sudden mass content publication

2. Duplicate content concerns:

Old Blogger site still live (returning 200)
New WordPress site has identical content
Google sees duplication
Chooses not to index to avoid duplication
“Discovered – currently not indexed” = “We see it but won’t index it”

3. No authority signals:

No 301 redirects pointing to new site
No backlinks to new domain yet (only 15 new ones)
Thousands of backlinks still pointing to blogspot.com
New site has minimal signals

The Ranking Collapse Explanation:

Your top article example:

Before (Blogger):

Position 2 for “budget laptops under $500”
Domain: myblog.blogspot.com (8 years old)
Backlinks: 47 pointing to this post
Authority: Accumulated over 8 years
Trust: Established

After (WordPress):

Position 47 for same keyword
Domain: myblog.com (5 weeks old)
Backlinks: 0 pointing to new URL (old backlinks still go to Blogger)
Authority: None (new domain)
Trust: None (new site)
Same content, but zero authority

Google sees: “New domain, duplicate content, no authority, no backlinks. Why should this rank?”

Your Blogger site rankings also collapsed because:

You removed from sitemap (signal you don’t want them indexed)
You redirect users away (JavaScript redirect)
Confused signals
Google deindexed many pages

You destroyed both sites’ rankings simultaneously.

Recovery Options:

Option 1: Revert to Blogger with Custom Domain (RECOMMENDED)

This is your best option for fastest recovery:

Implementation:

Immediately stop WordPress site (don’t delete content, just unpublish)
Point myblog.com domain to Blogger:
- Blogger Settings → Basic → Publishing
- Add custom domain: myblog.com
- Follow Blogger’s DNS setup instructions
- Blogger will handle redirects
Re-enable Blogger sitemap submission
Request reindexing of Blogger content:
- Submit sitemap
- Request indexing for top 100 posts
- Signal that Blogger is primary site
Wait for recovery:
- Domain now points to Blogger
- Blogger provides server-side redirects from .blogspot.com to custom domain
- Authority transfers to custom domain
- Rankings recover over 4-8 weeks

Expected timeline:

Week 1: Domain pointed to Blogger, waiting for DNS propagation
Week 2-3: Google begins recognizing custom domain on Blogger
Week 4-6: Rankings begin recovering
Week 7-12: 60-80% traffic recovery
Month 4-6: 90% traffic recovery

This fixes the core issue: No server-side redirects.

Option 2: Fix WordPress Migration Properly (DIFFICULT)

If you’re committed to WordPress:

The problem: You can’t create proper 301 redirects from Blogger to WordPress because you don’t control Blogger’s server.

Workaround:

Set custom domain on Blogger (myblog.com)
Let that run for 3-6 months (builds custom domain authority)
Export Blogger content
Move myblog.com hosting from Blogger to WordPress (same domain)
URL structure stays identical
No redirects needed (same URLs, same domain)

This is 6-12 month process but works:

Builds authority on custom domain (at Blogger)
Then moves backend to WordPress
Domain stays same
Authority preserved

Option 3: Accept Loss and Rebuild (LAST RESORT)

If you stay on current WordPress setup:

Reality:

You lost 8 years of authority
Starting from scratch
Will take 12-24 months to rebuild
During this time: 70-90% revenue loss
Not sustainable

Requirements for this path:

12-24 month runway financially
Aggressive link building campaign (need 500+ backlinks)
Consistent content publication
Gradual authority rebuilding
Patience

Not recommended given financial situation.

Immediate Actions:

Today – Hour 1:

Decision point: Revert or rebuild?

If financial situation critical (it is): → Choose Option 1 (Revert to Blogger with custom domain)

Implementation steps:

DNS changes:
- Go to domain registrar
- Point myblog.com to Blogger
- Follow Blogger’s specific DNS instructions
- Remove any WordPress-related DNS records
Blogger settings:
- Settings → Basic → Publishing
- Set up custom domain (myblog.com)
- Blogger will automatically set up redirects
WordPress site:
- Don’t delete (keep as backup)
- But make private/unpublish
- Remove from search engines (noindex)

Hour 2-4:

Wait for DNS propagation (can take 24-48 hours)
Test when live: Visit: myblog.com/2023/03/best-budget-laptops-under-500 Should show: Blogger content
Check redirects: curl -I https://myblog.blogspot.com/2023/03/best-budget-laptops-under-500.html Should see: 301 redirect to myblog.com version
Blogger handles these 301s automatically when custom domain configured

Day 2-3:

Search Console:
- Verify myblog.com property
- Submit Blogger sitemap
- Request indexing for top 100 posts
Update backlinks (if possible):
- Contact sites linking to .blogspot.com
- Request update to myblog.com
- Blogger’s 301s will handle automatically, but direct links better

Week 1-2:

Monitor recovery:
- Check indexing status daily
- Monitor traffic in Analytics
- Track rankings for key terms
Expected pattern:
- Week 1: DNS propagates, Blogger live on custom domain
- Week 2: Google recognizes custom domain
- Week 3-4: Rankings begin recovering
- Week 6-8: 60-70% traffic recovery

The Custom Domain on Blogger Approach:

Why this works:

Server-side redirects:
- Blogger provides proper 301 redirects
- From myblog.blogspot.com to myblog.com
- These pass authority properly
No content migration:
- Content stays on same platform
- No duplicate content issues
- Continuity maintained
Professional appearance:
- Custom domain (myblog.com)
- No .blogspot.com visible to users
- Still on Blogger backend (which was working fine)
Zero risk:
- Blogger platform stable
- You were already successful on it
- Just adding custom domain

Why you should have done this instead of WordPress migration:

Blogger was working perfectly
You had 8 years of success
Custom domain gives professional look
No risk of catastrophic failure
$0 additional cost

The Migration Mistake Analysis:

You followed bad advice:

Common “Blogger to WordPress” migration guides say:

Export Blogger content
Import to WordPress
Add JavaScript redirects
Submit new sitemap

This advice is WRONG for SEO because:

JavaScript redirects don’t pass authority
Blogger doesn’t allow server-side redirects
This method always fails for SEO
Works for users, fails for rankings

What guides should say:

Set up custom domain on Blogger first
Run on custom domain for 6-12 months
Build authority on custom domain
THEN migrate backend to WordPress (same domain)
Or just stay on Blogger with custom domain

You skipped the critical custom domain step.

The “Should I Have Migrated at All?” Question:

No, you shouldn’t have.

Blogger limitations that might justify migration:

Design flexibility (limited themes)
Plugin functionality (no plugins)
Monetization restrictions (some limitations)
Ownership concerns (Google owns platform)

But for SEO:

Blogger works perfectly fine
Google owns Blogger (crawling/indexing prioritized)
Custom domain option available
No technical SEO disadvantages

Your blog was successful on Blogger. Migration was unnecessary and destroyed your rankings.

Expected Recovery Timeline:

If you revert to Blogger with custom domain today:

Week 1-2:

DNS propagates
Blogger live on myblog.com
Server-side 301s active
Google begins crawling

Week 3-6:

Google recognizes custom domain
Begins transferring authority
Rankings start recovering
Traffic returns to 30-40%

Week 7-12:

Continued ranking recovery
Traffic reaches 60-80%
Most top articles recover positions

Month 4-6:

Near-complete recovery
Traffic at 85-95% of pre-migration
Some rankings may not fully recover
Revenue approaching previous levels

This assumes you act immediately. Every week of delay extends recovery.

The Critical Insight:

You didn’t fail at WordPress migration. You attempted an impossible migration:

Impossible migration:

From hosted platform (Blogger) where you can’t control redirects
To new domain with zero authority
Using JavaScript redirects that don’t pass SEO value
Expecting authority to transfer magically

This migration was doomed from the start.

The only successful path was:

Custom domain on Blogger first (builds domain authority)
Then migrate to WordPress using SAME domain
Or stay on Blogger forever (it was working)

Your path forward:

Revert to Blogger with custom domain (today)
Accept 4-6 month recovery period
Learn that platform migrations require server-side 301s
If you want WordPress later, do it right (same domain, 6+ month custom domain build-up first)

This is fixable, but requires immediate action and patience for recovery.”

Marcus R. (Blogger Migration Specialist):

“Sarah’s technical diagnosis is perfect. Let me add the Blogger-specific recovery protocol and business survival strategy.

The Blogger Custom Domain Setup:

Step-by-step implementation:

Phase 1: DNS Configuration (Hour 1)

Log into your domain registrar
Create A records pointing to Blogger: @ A 216.239.32.21 @ A 216.239.34.21 @ A 216.239.36.21 @ A 216.239.38.21
Create CNAME record: www CNAME ghs.google.com

Phase 2: Blogger Setup (Hour 1)

Blogger Dashboard → Settings → Basic → Publishing
Click “+ Add a custom domain”
Enter: myblog.com
Blogger verifies DNS settings
Enable HTTPS redirect

Phase 3: Redirect Verification (Day 2)

After DNS propagates (24-48 hours), verify:

curl -I https://myblog.blogspot.com/post-title.html

Expected response:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://myblog.com/post-title.html

This is the server-side 301 you needed all along.

Financial Survival Strategy:

Current situation:

Monthly loss: $13,200
Total loss so far: $16,500
Recovery timeline: 4-6 months
Additional loss: $52,800-$79,200

Revenue protection:

Month 1-2 (while recovering):

Diversify affiliate programs
- Sign up for additional networks
- Test different products
- Optimize conversion rates
- Squeeze more from reduced traffic
Direct monetization:
- Add display ads (Mediavine/AdThrive if eligible)
- Sponsored posts
- Email list monetization
- Digital product sales
Cost reduction:
- Keep WordPress hosting (sunk cost, may need later)
- But minimize other expenses
- $45/month hosting is negligible

Month 3-4 (recovery accelerating):

Traffic recovering to 60-80%
Revenue recovering proportionally
$8,000-12,000/month
Cash flow improving

Month 5-6 (near recovery):

Traffic at 85-95%
Revenue at $12,000-14,000/month
Back to sustainable

The Future Migration (If Desired):

If you still want WordPress after recovery:

Correct approach (12-18 month timeline):

Months 1-6: Custom domain on Blogger

Already implemented
Build domain authority
Maintain traffic and revenue

Months 7-12: Authority consolidation

All backlinks pointing to myblog.com (not .blogspot.com)
Domain has independent authority
Platform becomes less important

Month 12-13: Backend migration

Export content from Blogger
Set up WordPress on SAME DOMAIN (myblog.com)
Move hosting, not domain
URL structure stays identical
No redirects needed

Month 14-15: Testing and transition

Verify everything works
Monitor for issues
Gradual traffic recovery

Month 16-18: Complete transition

Fully on WordPress
Same domain, same authority
Clean migration

This is how to migrate from Blogger to WordPress without losing authority.

Recovery expectation:

Act today: 4-6 month full recovery
Act in 1 month: 6-9 month full recovery
Wait 2+ months: May never fully recover

Immediate action required.“

Emma T. (Platform Migration Expert):

“Final perspective on platform migrations and authority transfer:

The Platform Migration Rules:

Rule 1: Authority lives with the domain, not platform

myblog.blogspot.com = Blogger owns the domain authority
myblog.com = You own the domain authority
Switching domains = starting fresh

Rule 2: Server-side 301s are non-negotiable

JavaScript redirects = user experience only
Server 301s = authority transfer
No exceptions

Rule 3: Same domain migrations are safe

myblog.com on Blogger → myblog.com on WordPress = safe
myblog.blogspot.com → myblog.com = impossible without custom domain first

Your mistake: Violated all three rules

Recovery protocol:

Today: Point myblog.com to Blogger
Week 1-2: Verify 301 redirects working
Week 3-6: Submit for reindexing
Month 2-6: Recovery progresses

Expected outcome:

70-80% traffic recovery by month 4
85-95% by month 6
Some permanent loss (normal for any migration)
But business survives

Long-term lesson:

Custom domain on Blogger FIRST (always)
Then migrate backend if desired
Never switch domains and platforms simultaneously

This is fixable. Execute immediately.”