Website Migration Checklist

Website migrations are tecnnical, moving from one Content Management System “CMS” to another is very technical. At Force Digital we do however like to be as transperant as possible and provide an insight into the process outlined below. When is comes to website migration services we are the Team to help you.

The Definitive Website Migration Checklist for Successful Transfers

Website migration can be a pivotal move for any organization, significantly impacting search engine visibility, user experience, and brand reputation. Done well, it can enhance your website’s performance, but it also carries risks if mishandled. Force Digital has the expertise and proven track record in executing seamless website migrations. With years of experience in the digital landscape, we understand that a well-planned migration ensures business continuity and improved performance, safeguarding your SEO, content, and site functionality.

Understanding Website Migration

What is Website Migration?

Website migration refers to the process of making substantial changes to a website’s underlying technology, structure, design, or domain. These changes can include migrating to a new hosting provider, switching to a different content management system (CMS), moving to a new domain, or rebranding. The primary objective of migration is often to improve site performance, user experience, SEO, or security.

Migrating a website is not a simple process, as it involves more than just transferring files. It’s a highly strategic operation that needs detailed planning to prevent disruptions, lost data, or drops in search rankings. Force Digital specializes in meticulous website migration services, ensuring every aspect of the migration is aligned with best practices in SEO, content management, and website performance.

Why Do a Site Migration?

The reasons for migrating a website vary widely, but here are some common motives:

Updating Technology: As technology advances, older platforms may not offer the performance, flexibility, or security needed to meet evolving digital demands.
Redesigning the Website: Companies may migrate a site as part of a major design overhaul, implementing a fresh layout, new content structures, or enhanced UX features.
Rebranding: If a business changes its name or direction, a new domain and redesign may be needed to align with the updated brand identity.
Improving SEO and UX: Properly executed migrations can enhance a website’s SEO performance, improve load times, and deliver a better user experience.

Whether you’re looking to improve your site’s technology or rebrand, Force Digital offers expert migration services to ensure minimal disruption to your SEO and user experience.

Pre-Migration Planning

Identifying Risks and Opportunities

Every migration presents both risks and opportunities, so it’s essential to carefully analyze the implications. Here are some key steps in pre-migration planning:

Risk Assessment: Evaluate the potential impact on SEO and organic traffic. Moving to a new domain or CMS can affect search engine rankings if not carefully managed.
Identify Opportunities for Improvement: Migration is an opportunity to optimize. Look for ways to improve the new site’s performance, whether by restructuring content or implementing SEO best practices.
Effort Estimation: Assess the time and resources required for migration. The complexity of the website, the CMS, and the amount of content all influence the level of effort involved.
Contingency Planning: Prepare for unforeseen issues by creating a backup plan. A contingency plan includes steps to revert to the original site if any major issues arise.

Building Requirements Around SEO Features

A successful migration integrates SEO requirements into every step of the process. Force Digital creates detailed SEO development tickets to ensure that SEO features are included at every stage. Here’s how we approach SEO requirements:

SEO Best Practices: Define a clear set of SEO best practices tailored to the new site, covering everything from URL structures to meta tags.
Developer Tickets: Convert SEO guidelines into actionable development tickets, each specifying the SEO features to be implemented.
Integration into Development: Ensure that SEO is built into the site’s architecture, coding, and design rather than being an afterthought.

Technical Preparation

Creating a Staging Site

To prevent issues from impacting the live site, Force Digital sets up a staging site—a duplicate environment that mirrors the live site. Here’s how we prepare it:

Staging Server Setup: We create a mirror image of your live website on a staging server, where changes can be tested without affecting the live site.
Blocking Search Engine Crawlers: Ensure that the staging site is invisible to search engines, preventing duplicate content penalties.
Testing Environment: Use this development environment to preview code changes, test features, and troubleshoot potential issues.

Crawling and Auditing the Staging Site

To ensure a seamless transition, Force Digital conducts a full audit of the staging site using tools like Screaming Frog and Sitebulb. This process allows us to detect and resolve issues before launch.

SEO Auditing: Conduct an in-depth audit to identify broken links, missing metadata, and crawl errors. Fixing these issues at the staging stage prevents post-migration disruptions.
Technical Error Identification: Identify potential technical issues, such as incorrect redirects or missing files, and address them proactively.

Creating New URL Structures

URL structures play a critical role in SEO, so optimizing the URL structure for the new site is a priority. Force Digital works to make URL structures logical, consistent, and easy for search engines to index.

Optimized URL Structure: Ensure URLs are short, descriptive, and keyword-rich, improving both SEO and user experience.
Google Search Console Testing: Use tools like Google Search Console to test and validate URL structures before launch, identifying and fixing errors.

Content and Metadata Preparation

Content Mapping and Review

Content mapping involves pairing old URLs with new ones to ensure nothing is lost in the transition. Our team meticulously maps content to its new location to avoid broken links and preserve SEO value.

URL Mapping: Every old URL is mapped to its new counterpart to retain ranking authority.
Content Review: Analyze and update content to align with the new site’s design and structure. Content should be optimized for readability and SEO.
Account for All Content: Ensure all images, videos, and text are successfully migrated and accurately represented on the new site.

Metadata Strategy and Review

Metadata, including title tags, meta descriptions, and alt text, is crucial for SEO. We develop a robust metadata strategy to ensure that every page’s metadata aligns with SEO objectives.

Consistent Metadata: Ensure all metadata is complete and accurate for each page on the new site.
Metadata Optimization: Tailor metadata for target keywords to boost search engine visibility on the new site.

Launch Day Checks

Testing URL Redirects

Redirects are essential in a migration to maintain traffic and avoid 404 errors. Force Digital carefully tests all redirects to ensure they’re functioning properly.

Redirect Testing: Use Google Search Console to test and validate redirects.
Comprehensive Coverage: Confirm that all old URLs are redirected to the correct new pages to prevent loss of link equity.

Reviewing Robots.txt File

The robots.txt file controls search engine crawling behavior. It’s essential to ensure it’s correctly set up before launch.

Correct Permissions: Ensure that the robots.txt file allows search engines to crawl the site without restrictions.
Testing with Google Search Console: Validate the robots.txt file to catch any mistakes that could prevent search engines from indexing the site.

Post-Migration Checks

Monitoring Website Migration with Google Search Console

After the migration, Force Digital monitors the website’s performance using Google Search Console to track changes in search engine rankings and traffic.

Traffic and Ranking Monitoring: Track visibility in search results, keeping an eye on traffic and rankings.
Issue Identification: Watch for 404 errors, indexing issues, and any drop in rankings, allowing us to resolve issues quickly.

Reviewing Benchmark Data and KPIs

Measuring the impact of the migration involves comparing post-migration performance with pre-migration benchmarks.

Benchmark Analysis: Track KPIs like organic traffic, engagement, and conversion rates.
Tools: Google Analytics and other SEO tools provide insights into how the migration affects user behavior and performance.

SEO Best Practices and Tools

Using SEO Best Practices for Migration Process

Force Digital follows a meticulous process to integrate SEO best practices at each step of the migration.

Comprehensive SEO Integration: SEO is woven into each step, from URL structures to metadata and content optimization.
Testing and Validation: Tools like Google Search Console ensure that SEO elements are correctly configured post-migration.

Recommended Site Migration Tools

We rely on a suite of specialized tools to ensure a smooth migration process:

Screaming Frog & Sitebulb: These tools help identify SEO issues before and after migration.
Google Analytics: Provides insights into traffic and user behavior on the new site.
Ahrefs & SEMrush: Track search engine rankings and backlinks, measuring the migration’s impact on SEO.

Final Thoughts

Website migration is a comprehensive process that requires attention to detail, technical expertise, and a strategic approach to minimize risk and maximize results. Force Digital has a proven track record of successful migrations, delivering results without compromising SEO, user experience, or site performance. Whether you’re switching platforms, moving to a new domain, or rebranding, our team is here to ensure a seamless transition. Contact Force Digital today to learn how we can make your migration as smooth and effective as possible, supporting your business every step of the way.