Website Migration Checklist: 10 Key Steps

1. Define the Scope and Objectives of the Migration

Why It Matters:

Understanding what’s changing and why helps prevent unexpected issues and allows for proper planning.

What to Do:

Identify the type of migration:

1. Domain change (e.g., from oldsite.com to newsite.com)
2. Hosting provider migration
3. CMS/platform switch (e.g., moving from WordPress to Webflow)
4. URL structure or site architecture change
5. Full site redesign

Set clear objectives:

1. Preserve SEO rankings and organic traffic
2. Improve site speed and user experience
3. Maintain all key functionalities and integrations

Identify stakeholders involved (developers, SEOs, content teams, designers) and assign responsibilities.

👉 Example: A SaaS company moving from Squarespace to WordPress clearly documents the goals: improve site flexibility, maintain SEO rankings, and enhance mobile responsiveness.

2. Back Up Your Entire Website

Why It Matters:

A full backup ensures that, if anything goes wrong, you can restore your site quickly without losing content or data.

What to Do:

Use cPanel, FTP (FileZilla), or backup plugins (UpdraftPlus, VaultPress) to download:

1. Website files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
2. Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL)
3. Media assets (images, videos, documents)

If using a CMS like WordPress, back up:

1. Themes and plugins
2. User data and comments
3. Custom settings and configurations

Store backups in multiple locations (local drive + cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox).

👉 Example: An e-commerce store switching hosting providers downloads both product images and customer order history to ensure a complete migration.

3. Audit the Existing Website for SEO and Performance

Why It Matters:

Auditing helps identify which pages are performing well, what needs improvement, and what should be prioritized during migration.

What to Do:

Crawl your site using Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or Ahrefs to capture:

1. Current URL structure
2. Meta titles and descriptions
3. Internal linking structure

Benchmark SEO performance:

1. Record organic traffic, keyword rankings, and backlink data using Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and SEMrush.
2. Check for high-performing pages that should remain unchanged.

Identify potential issues:

1. Pages with thin content, duplicate content, or slow load times
2. Broken links or orphaned pages

👉 Example: A travel blog migrating to a new CMS documents its top 50 organic traffic pages to ensure their structure remains intact.

4. Set Up a Staging Environment for Testing

Why It Matters:

A staging site allows you to test everything in a private environment before making the migration live.

What to Do:

Clone your website to a staging domain (e.g., staging.yoursite.com).

Ensure the staging site is blocked from search engines by adding noindex tags and updating robots.txt.

Test:

1. Page layouts, navigation, and content formatting
2. Image loading and mobile responsiveness
3. Contact forms, login pages, and checkout flows

👉 Example: A subscription-based site tests payment gateway functionality on staging before launching on the live domain.

5. Plan and Implement 301 Redirects

Why It Matters:

Proper 301 redirects prevent SEO ranking loss and ensure users land on the correct pages after migration.

What to Do:

Create a URL mapping document listing:

1. Old URLs → New URLs
2. Status (redirect needed or not)

Set up 301 redirects in the .htaccess file (Apache) or Nginx configuration.

Use tools like Screaming Frog or Redirect Checker to verify that all redirects work correctly.

👉 Example: An online course provider mapping old course pages to new structured URLs avoids 404 errors and lost traffic.

6. Migrate Website Files and Databases

Why It Matters:

Transferring site files and databases correctly ensures a seamless move without broken pages or lost content.

What to Do:

For hosting changes:

1. Transfer files via FTP (FileZilla, Cyberduck) or cPanel’s File Manager.
2. Migrate the database using phpMyAdmin or WP Migrate DB (for WordPress sites).

For CMS migrations:

1. Import/export content via built-in CMS tools.
2. Reinstall plugins and themes manually if needed.

👉 Example: A news website moving from Blogger to WordPress manually imports 2,000+ blog posts while preserving URLs.

7. Test and Fix Any Issues on the New Site

Why It Matters:

Before going live, ensure that all functionalities work correctly and that no major SEO or UX issues exist.

What to Do:

1. Test site speed using Google PageSpeed Insights.
2. Check for broken links and missing images using Xenu Link Sleuth or Screaming Frog.
3. Verify all forms, CTAs, and conversion paths.

👉 Example: A SaaS company tests account sign-ups, password resets, and dashboard functionality before switching domains.

8. Update DNS Settings and Go Live

Why It Matters:

Updating DNS records makes the new website accessible under the correct domain.

What to Do:

1. Update A records and CNAME records with your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare).
2. Allow 24-48 hours for global propagation.
3. Keep the old site live for a short time (if possible) as a fallback.

👉 Example: An online marketplace times its DNS update overnight to minimize disruptions.

9. Submit New Site to Google Search Console

Why It Matters:

Search engines need to reindex your new website as quickly as possible.

What to Do:

1. Submit the updated XML sitemap to Google Search Console.
2. Use the URL Inspection Tool to request indexing for key pages.
3. Monitor crawl errors and search performance over the next few weeks.

👉 Example: A fintech startup launching a new domain tracks ranking drops and recovers lost traffic using Google Search Console.

10. Monitor Post-Migration Performance and Fix Issues

Why It Matters:

Continuous monitoring helps catch and fix issues early to prevent traffic loss.

What to Do:

1. Track organic traffic and keyword rankings using Ahrefs or SEMrush.
2. Check Google Analytics for sudden traffic drops or bounce rate spikes.
3. Review 404 errors and fix any missed redirects.

👉 Example: A retailer that changed its URL structure fixes unexpected traffic drops by correcting missing redirects.