Migrating a website to a new platform is no small feat. Whether a company is upgrading to a more robust CMS, moving to a cloud-based server, or simply refreshing their digital presence, the process can be complex and fraught with challenges. Too often, key aspects are overlooked in the rush to go live, leading to costly fixes down the line. Here are ten critical elements that businesses frequently forget during a website migration—and why remembering them can make all the difference.
One of the most significant oversights in any migration is failing to account for SEO. Migrating without a solid SEO plan can result in broken links, lost backlinks, and a steep drop in search rankings. Setting up 301 redirects from old URLs to their new counterparts is essential for maintaining search engine authority and ensuring that users don’t land on error pages.
Not all content translates seamlessly from one platform to another. Migrating outdated or irrelevant content can clutter the new site, while missing or misformatted content can hurt the user experience. A thorough content audit - examining every page to determine what stays, what goes, and what needs updating - can save substantial headaches post-migration.
In today’s mobile-driven world, ensuring that a new site is fully responsive across all devices is crucial. Yet, mobile-friendliness often falls by the wayside during migrations. This can lead to distorted layouts, unusable menus, and frustrated users. It’s essential to test extensively on various devices to ensure the new platform adjusts correctly for different screen sizes.
It’s surprisingly easy to overlook analytics tracking during a migration, but losing data or facing a gap in tracking can create blind spots in performance reporting. Make sure analytics tools, including Google Analytics, heatmaps, and event tracking, are properly configured on the new platform before going live to ensure seamless data continuity.
New platforms may introduce unexpected load speed issues due to unoptimised code, large images, or incompatible plugins. Slow load times frustrate users and negatively impact SEO rankings. Conduct speed tests and optimise content before the final launch to ensure smooth, fast loading on the new site.
Migrating a website without carefully reviewing user permissions and security settings can expose sensitive data and introduce security vulnerabilities. Ensure that access roles are correctly configured, test login processes, and verify that security protocols (like SSL certificates and firewalls) are in place.
Forms, buttons, and other CTAs often rely on backend configurations that may not transfer properly during migration. Forms that don’t submit, broken CTAs, and missing confirmation messages can all impact user experience and conversions. Testing each interactive element to confirm functionality is crucial.
Migrated websites sometimes forget to update their sitemap and robots.txt file, which provide search engines with a roadmap of the site’s structure. Without an updated sitemap, search engines may struggle to index new pages, impacting search visibility. Always generate and submit a fresh sitemap and double-check the robots.txt file to ensure search engines aren’t blocked from critical pages.
Sometimes, things go wrong during migration -files get corrupted, links break, or data is lost. Having a full backup of the original site, along with a rollback plan, is vital for troubleshooting. If something goes awry, a backup ensures the site can be restored to its pre-migration state without starting from scratch.
Finally, many teams neglect to monitor site performance after launch. Conducting regular tests and monitoring analytics data in the weeks following migration can highlight issues that weren’t immediately apparent. This includes tracking SEO performance, site speed, user behaviour, and monitoring error logs for any unforeseen glitches.
In summary, a successful website migration requires thorough planning, attention to detail, and robust post-launch monitoring. By addressing these often-overlooked areas, businesses can avoid common pitfalls, preserve their search rankings, and ensure a seamless user experience on the new platform. With the right preparation, migration doesn’t have to be a headache - it can be an opportunity to start fresh and optimise for long-term success.