Name the kind of migration first
Hosting, CMS, domain and architecture changes carry different risks.
If URLs stay the same, the work centres on files, databases, certificates, forms and scheduled jobs. If they change, every old address also needs an explicit destination.
Launching a new CMS, domain and design together blends three possible causes of failure. Google recommends separating major changes when the project allows it.
- Hosting with stable URLs
- New CMS
- New domain
- Merge or split websites
Inventory what must survive
A migration is not simply a page copy.
We collect indexed URLs, content, files, languages, forms, accounts, permissions, automations and external connections.
Tests use fictitious or anonymised data. Staging access, temporary copies, retention and deletion are recorded before the first production export.
- Pages and media
- Data and relationships
- Users and permissions
- Anonymised test copies
- Export access and deletion
Choose the destination after diagnosis
WordPress is not automatically simpler and Drupal is not automatically too heavy.
The right foundation depends on content models, roles, languages, integrations and the people who will maintain it.
A representative pilot proves more than ten meetings: one complex page, form, media item, language and redirect expose the real route.
- Representative sample
- Team editing workflow
- Maintained dependencies
- Explicit ownership cost
Cut over, measure and repair
Launch is a checkpoint, not the finish line.
Before opening, we test redirects, canonicals, robots.txt, sitemaps, forms and events.
The DNS zone is exported and reviewed: web, MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, subdomains, TTL and DNSSEC. After cutover, monitoring covers email and automations as well as pages.
- Rollback plan
- Direct 301s
- DNS zone and email
- Search Console and Bing
- Post-launch checks
Decide before cutover
Which migration route fits your site?
- Migration type named
- Inventory exported
- Test data anonymised
- Pilot migrated
- URL mapping approved
- DNS and email tested
- Cutover owner assigned
Official sources