The Website Migration Guide to Switching Platforms the Right Way

A full practical website migration guide that explains how to switch platforms safely, protect SEO, transfer content, and avoid common migration mistakes.

Website migration is the process of moving your site from one setup to another without breaking what already works. You may plan to switch your CMS or your domain, and you need your pages to stay live, so your visitors barely notice anything happened.

Most platform switches happen for practical reasons. You might move from Webflow to WordPress because you want more control over blog posts, custom fields, or how multiple writers work together. Or do a Shopify to WooCommerce switch because you need custom checkout rules or deeper control over how your store behaves.

Either way, during a migration, some things are allowed to change, and some absolutely should not. For example, you can update your templates, backend tools, and make changes to your URLs, however, the intent of each page needs to stay the same, because from a search engine’s perspective, consistency signals trust and when that consistency breaks, rankings follow.

With that being said, I wrote this guide to walk you through how to make that move safely. You’ll learn what to prepare before you touch anything and what elements you must protect at all costs.

Types of website migration

Not all website migrations are created equal, because the risks, workload, and prep depend entirely on what’s changing and what’s staying the same. Once you identify the type of migration you’re dealing with, planning stops feeling abstract and starts feeling doable.

CMS migration

A CMS migration happens when you move your content to a new content management system but keep the same domain. A classic example is Webflow to WordPress.

In this scenario, you’re moving pages, blog posts, and CMS fields, but the way those elements are structured often changes. WordPress handles content, metadata, and custom fields differently than Webflow. That means you’re translating content from one system’s logic to another.

For example, a Webflow CMS collection might become a custom post type in WordPress. If that mapping isn’t done correctly, some of your fields may disappear or end up in the wrong place.

Domain change

Here, your platform stays the same, but your site moves to a new domain, which usually happens when you decide to rebrand.

This type of migration is mostly about redirects and signaling. Search engines already trust your content, but only if you clearly tell them where it moved. Every old URL needs a direct, one-to-one redirect to its new version. Please note that without that map, Google will treat your site like you just launched it yesterday.

If you’ve ever clicked an old link and landed on a Page Not Found, you’ve seen what happens when you skip this step.

Hosting change

A hosting change looks simple on paper. Your CMS, content, and URLs stay exactly the same. Only the server changes.

Behind the scenes, though, there are DNS records, caching rules, and server configurations and if those settings don’t match your previous environment, you might see short outages, slower page loads, or inconsistent behavior across devices in general.

For example, your site might load fine for you but break for users in another region because DNS hasn’t fully propagated.

Design refresh on the same platform

This happens when you redesign your site without changing the CMS or domain.

Even though the platform stays the same, this type of migration can quietly cause SEO issues. New templates often change heading structures, remove internal links, or alter how content blocks load. For example, search engines will immediately notice if an H1 disappears or a key section gets buried.

In short, your “refresh” still needs to communicate the exact same meaning.

Full platform switch with URL changes

And we came to the real high-risk scenario.

A move like Shopify to WooCommerce often changes everything at once. This includes all your products, categories, blog posts, URLs, and backend logic. Whether you succeed or not here depends on how well you preserve parity between the old and new site.

For example, if a product existed before, it needs to exist after, with the same intent, metadata, and a clear redirect from the old URL. Do not miss that step, because you risk entire sections of your site disappearing from search results. We don’t want that!

The risks that you need to know before you start

Most migration failures such as traffic drops, broken pages, and ranking losses, all come from missed details.

Traffic loss after poor redirects

Redirects serve to tell search engines that your pages have moved, not disappeared.

If your old URLs don’t have proper 301 redirects, search engines will hit dead ends. Imagine you have a very popular blog post that ranked on page one and now vanishes from results in a matter of days, because visitors land on a 404 page instead.

Even one missing redirect on a high-traffic page can create a noticeable drop in overall traffic.

Ranking drops from missing metadata

Metadata doesn’t always transfer cleanly during migrations.

For example, when you import content from Webflow into WordPress, the custom meta fields often get skipped unless you’ve mapped them manually. As a result, your page will still exist, but the search engines will lose important context like what the page is about and why it matters.

Broken pages and lost assets

Your images, PDFs, and embedded files often live in different folder structures after you migrate your site. This means, the files paths change, but the page still points to the old ones.

As a result, when a visitor opens a page, they’ll see text loading fine, but the visuals will be gone, which is especially bad for landing pages, portfolios, or product listings where visuals do the heavy lifting.

Platform preparation

Before you move a single page, your new platform needs a solid foundation. This is the setup phase where you will quietly prevent most post-launch problems.

CMS setup basics

To begin with the most important factor, your new CMS should reflect the structure of your old one as closely as possible.

That means defining page templates, post types, and taxonomies before importing anything. If you’re moving from Webflow to WordPress, for example, you’ll usually need custom post types to replace Webflow CMS collections, so your blog posts, case studies, resources, and testimonials won’t all land as generic pages.

Behind the scenes, this structure tells the CMS how content behaves, so your imported content won’t lose context like dates and categories.

Theme or layout match plan

Don’t worry, by matching layouts I don’t mean you actually have to recreate every single pixel. Just preserve the layout logic and hierarchy.

This means that your homepage, for example, should still tell the same story in the same order (this is the hero, this is the intro, these are the benefits, these are the use cases, then the process follows, then testimonials, and here’s the contact form). The same goes for blog posts that should still follow a familiar reading flow.

If you’re moving a Shopify store to WooCommerce, design your category pages first, since those usually drive the most traffic and revenue.

Plugin or app equivalents

Every platform solves the same problems with different tools for SEO, forms, caching, security, and eCommerce features without direct equivalents.

For example, if an app handled schema, meta titles, and sitemap generation before, your new plugin needs to do the same things or better. Research these in advance, because the missing features will often show up weeks later as performance or ranking issues.

Media handling differences

Webflow ties images to individual pages, WordPress uses a centralized media library, or Shopify serves assets from its own CDN. This is why during migration, your file names, compression rules, and folder paths can shift.

If you don’t plan for this by setting clear rules and if you have image-heavy pages, you risk those pages suddenly load slower or show broken visuals entirely.

Content transfer strategy

How you move content determines how stable your site feels after launch but it all depends on how much content you have and how much control you need over the final result.

Automated import vs manual rebuild

Automated imports are fast, which makes them tempting, especially for large sites. But just like everything automated, which is suited for average cases, they rarely deliver perfect results. You’ll often see formatting issues, missing fields, or broken links.

Manual rebuilds, on the other hand, work better for smaller sites or high-value pages like landing and product pages that depend more on layout precision than text.

If you search for a common middle ground, you can still use automation for bulk content but do manual work for pages that drive revenue or conversions.

Pages, posts, products, and custom fields

Of course, not all content behaves the same way during migration.

For example, your blog posts will most likely import cleanly. Products and custom fields, however, need extra attention. That’s because eCommerce migrations fail most often when product variants, pricing rules, or category relationships don’t transfer correctly.

A common issue is a product page that imports well at first, but only one variant shows up, or it loses its category connection. Which is a data structure issue, not a content issue.

Image paths and file structure

Image URLs almost always change during migration. Hardcoded paths from the old platform stop working on the new one and this shows up frequently after Shopify exports, where product images still point to the old CDN.

But, the good news is that a simple search-and-replace pass before launch can catch most of these issues so don’t skip this one.

URL structure and redirect plan

URL mapping table

Start by listing every existing URL and matching it to its new destination. Here you can use a simple spreadsheet.

For example, /blog/web-design-tips might become /insights/web-design-tips. That change is fine as long as there’s a clear connection between the two.

Also, pay extra attention to high-traffic (high risk) pages like top-ranking blog posts and product pages.

301 redirect logic

Your job here is to keep your redirects, well, direct. One old URL should point straight to its new version.

This is to avoid redirect chains, where one redirect leads to another, because these slow down crawlers and weaken signals. They’re common after platform switches, but they’re fixable.

Clean vs risky redirect setups

A clean setup sends /old-page straight to /new-page.

A risky setup sends /old-page to /category, then to /new-page. Each extra step reduces efficiency and increases the chance of failure. Over time, these chains also hurt SEO performance.

Removed or merged pages

Some pages shouldn’t survive the migration. When you merge content, redirect old URLs to the most relevant remaining page. If no replacement exists, return a proper 410 status to tell the search engines the page is intentionally gone.

This way, your index will be clean and you’ll avoid wasting crawl budget on content that no longer matters to you.

SEO elements that must carry over

Enter one of the most common “nothing looks broken, but traffic fell” scenarios after a migration. Basically, each of your pages carries a set of SEO signals that tell search engines what the page is about and why it matters, so when those signals don’t transfer, your rankings drop even when everything looks fine on the surface.

Title tags and meta descriptions

These two are the first things to disappear during imports, and they are the ones that influence click-through rates and help search engines understand page intent.

In many cases, you need to manually map custom meta fields so they don’t get skipped. You want to restore original titles and descriptions for every important page, especially those already ranking well.

Headings and internal links

Heading structure tells search engines how content is organized. When you change a template, this can often flatten heading hierarchies, turn multiple H2s and H3s into plain text or misalign headings altogether.

Internal links break just as quietly. Your blog posts might still load, but some of their links can point to old URLs that no longer exist. That cuts off internal authority flow and weakens related pages across your entire site.

Schema data

Schema helps search engines interpret your content faster and more accurately. When it disappears, visibility often drops before you even notice.

This includes product schema, article markup, breadcrumbs, and category data that rarely survives a platform switch without attention, because it depend on platform-specific tools. After a Shopify-to-WooCommerce move, for example, your category pages will often lose their structured data entirely unless you rebuild it with a new plugin or custom setup.

Image alt text

Alt text is easy to overlook and easy to lose. When you do bulk imports you may strip alt text from images which hurts accessibility and removes image search visibility. This is especially painful on eCommerce sites, since product galleries drive long-tail traffic through image results.

You can, of course, prevent this with a quick post-migration audit of key pages and catch this before it becomes a problem.

Schema-friendly migration step-by-step

Step 1. Do site audit and export URLs

Start by capturing a full snapshot of your current site.

Export URLs, top-performing pages, metadata, and index status. Pulling data from Search Console is especially useful because it shows which pages exist and, more importantly, which ones actually matter.

This will be your reference point when something looks off after launch.

Step 2. Setup your new platform in a test environment

Your new platform should be in a private test space before launch.

A staging site lets you review layouts, content placement, and SEO output without search engines indexing the new version. WordPress migrations, for example, often use a no-index rule at this stage to prevent duplicate listings.

Step 3. Transfer your content safely

You can move content only after the structure is ready. When you’re ready with your structure, transfer your pages, posts, and products directly where they belong instead of temporary placeholders. For large blogs, you can move content in batches to limit formatting errors and keep review cycles manageable.

Step 4. Implement redirects

Since redirects should exist before launch (not after), make sure your old URLs point to their new versions inside the test environment. That way, the moment the site goes live, search engines crawl working paths.

Step 5. Verify SEO

Now you will check patterns at scale, review metadata, schema output, and internal links across top pages. Start by sampling your most important URLs to catch recurring issues (like missing descriptions, altered headings, broken internal links or stripped schema) fast.

Step 6. Do a final QA

Confirm that content exists, pages load, and links point where they should.

Step 7. Launch and monitoring

Once live, early feedback comes from crawl stats and index coverage.

Minor traffic fluctuations in the first few days are normal, so don’t panic. Sharp drops, however, usually signal technical gaps (missing redirects, blocked pages, or metadata loss) instead of algorithm updates.

Quality assurance before launch

These are the things to look out for when you perform the final QA successfully.

Page-by-page review

High-value pages deserve manual review. These are your homepage, top category pages, and best-performing blog posts. They can often reveal layout breaks or missing elements faster than any automated tool, so if something feels off here, it usually is.

Form and checkout tests

Forms and checkout flows need real submissions and you have to test them like a real user.

If your contact form looks fine but doesn’t send emails, it will costs you leads, so catch any tax, shipping, or payment issues before your customers do.

Mobile checks

Mobile layouts break more often than desktop ones after template changes. This is why you need to check your navigation, sticky elements, and image scaling especially on category and product pages. If it’s frustrating on your phone, it’s frustrating for your users too.

Speed comparison

Comparing old and new load times helps you spot regressions before they affect rankings. In short, your site should be just as fast, or faster, after migration.

If it’s slower, the cause is usually heavy plugins, uncompressed images, or missing cache rules.

Crawl test results

A crawl shows how search engines see your site, and if you have any broken links, redirect chains, or orphan pages , they will surface quickly here. Fix these issues before launch.

Post-migration checks

Search engines and real users start reacting to the changes you made in the first few days after you migrate your site. Do some early checks to catch small issues while they’re still easy to fix.

Search console setup

If your migration changed URLs or domains, Search Console needs attention right away.

Adding a new property lets you monitor crawl activity, index coverage, and errors from day one. For full domain moves, the change-of-address tool helps Google connect your old signals to the new site instead of treating it like a brand-new launch.

This way Google will know that your site has moved, but it’s still the same entity.

Sitemap submission

Submit a fresh sitemap to give search engines a clean, up-to-date map of your site.

This step will speed up discovery, especially after large CMS or eCommerce migrations. For example, WooCommerce category pages often start appearing faster once you submit the new sitemap, because Google no longer has to guess where those pages live.

Index status review

Index coverage reports show what’s being indexed and what hasn’t. Failures in indexing include soft 404s, blocked URLs, and redirect errors that usually surface within the first week. These aren’t dramatic problems in the short-run and are easy to fix, so don’t ignore them.

Traffic comparison after launch

Like I mentioned earlier, small dips are normal, but sharp drops are not.

When you look at total traffic, also make sure to compare performance page by page. If one blog post or category suddenly loses traffic, the cause is usually specific, like a missing redirect or stripped metadata.

Common issues you can encounter in the first two weeks

Most early problems fall into three categories: redirects that didn’t fire, metadata that didn’t carry over, or internal links pointing to old URLs.

eCommerce sites often surface checkout, tax, or filtering issues during this window as real users interact with the store. Fortunately, these are easy to fix and things will stabilize quickly after you do it.

[Bonus] Migration checklist

Complete the audit ✔️

You have a full snapshot of the old site, which includes URLs, metadata, and key content so you can compare easily when pages behave differently after launch.

Test the redirects ✔️

Every major URL goes where it should. High-traffic pages and product URLs load cleanly, without redirect chains or loops.

Verify metadata ✔️

Titles, descriptions, headings, and schema appear exactly as expected so pages that ranked before the migration still send the same signals afterward.

Connect analytics ✔️

You made sure your analytics and tracking tools are live from day one, so traffic, conversions, and errors show up.

Store backup ✔️

You have full backups of both the old and new environments. Now you have a fallback to save you from panic fixes or data loss.

FAQ about website migration

Will my SEO drop after migration?

Short-term changes are normal, even when everything goes right.

During the first few weeks, search engines reprocess URLs, redirects, and page signals, so you might see a small dip while that settles. Long-term losses, however, usually point to something specific, like missing redirects, lost metadata, or broken internal links.

How long does a CMS migration take?

It depends on size and complexity. A small site with ten pages might take a few days from setup to launch, but a large eCommerce store with thousands of products usually needs several weeks to handle structure, content checks, redirects, and testing properly.

Can you migrate without downtime?

Yes, if you use a staging environment. Your new site needs to live privately while you move content, test layouts, and validate redirects. This way your visitors will continue to use the old site until you’re ready. Once the DNS switches, your new site takes over and nothing ever goes offline from a user’s perspective.

Do I need to migrate all content at once?

Not always, especially on large sites, where you need to move your high-traffic pages first. Your lower-priority content can follow in batches. This reduces risk and allows you to keep review cycles manageable, especially when you have thousands of URLs.

What happens to backlinks after migration?

Backlinks keep their value only when redirects are accurate. Make sure you have a strong 301 setup to pass authority from old URLs to new ones. When your redirects are missing, those links turn into dead ends and their value disappears.

Should I expect ranking improvements after migration?

Yes, but gradually. Improvements tend to follow real upgrades such as faster load times, cleaner URL structures, or clearer category pages. You get steady gains rather than overnight jumps.

And there you have it!

Not every migration needs outside help. For example, simple sites with limited pages and no custom features are often safe to migrate yourself.

You can use a page builder, do the basic redirects, and careful manual checks yourself, because these projects are forgiving and easy to validate.

If you have an online store, however, this come with higher stakes, because the product data, pricing rules, checkout flows, payment gateways, and SEO signals all connect. Even the smallest mistake can affect your revenue immediately. That’s why these migrations often benefit from experienced hands.

Blogs with years of posts, internal links, and search traffic also need extra care.

One broken pattern like a missing category redirect or altered URL structure, can affect hundreds of pages at once. This is a case where scale outgrows manual review, so consider getting support to keep things stable.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out our other awesome UI/UX design articles! We’ve got loads of tips and inspiration to help you create awesome designs.

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• Everything You Should Know About Website Migration [Checklist Included]
• How to Migrate from Magento to Shopify