Planning
Website migration: what moves and what breaks
A migration moves a site without changing what visitors see, and it still can break forms, tracking and search visibility. Here is what to inventory and check.
“Website migration services”, “hosting migration”, “Wix to WordPress” and “Shopify to WooCommerce” all describe one situation: a site exists and has to move. The move might be to a new host, to a new domain name, or onto a different platform. Each has its own risks, and most of the damage comes from the same few things being forgotten.
I should be clear on scope. I do not offer platform-to-platform migrations as a service (for example between WordPress, Shopify, Wix or Webflow). A redesign with me rebuilds the site by hand and can carry your content across; see website redesign. This note is general guidance that applies to anyone doing a migration.
Three kinds of move
- A new host, same address and same site. The easiest. The files move; the address stays; people should not notice.
- A new domain or new addresses. Riskier. Every old address needs a permanent redirect to its new equivalent, and search engines need time to learn the change. Google’s site move guidance is the standard to follow.
- A new platform. The content may move, but the way pages are built, addressed and connected may change. It is often a redesign in disguise.
What to inventory before anything moves
Make a list. A spreadsheet is enough.
- Every page and its address. Include old pages you forgot.
- Pages that bring visits or enquiries, if you have analytics or Search Console.
- Images and documents, and where they are stored.
- Forms and what they do: where the message goes.
- Third-party scripts and embeds: maps, chat, tracking, fonts.
- E-mail on the domain. If mail is hosted with the website, moving the site can break mail.
- Redirects that already exist.
- Logins: domain, hosting, platform, analytics, Search Console. Website logins and access explains who needs what.
What usually breaks
- Addresses. A page that moved with no redirect gives visitors an error and search engines nothing to follow.
- Forms. A form that posted to a server on the old host stops. Test it after the move.
- E-mail. DNS changes can interrupt mail if the records are copied wrongly.
- Tracking. A missing script means a gap in your data, and you will not know until later.
- Images and files. Paths change and links break quietly.
- The certificate. HTTPS must be set up on the new host before the switch.
- Search visibility. Some fluctuation after URL changes is normal; losing pages is not.
A safer order
- Inventory everything above.
- Build or copy the new site where it cannot be seen by the public yet, or under a temporary address that is blocked from search.
- Check it: links, forms, mobile layout, images, speed.
- Prepare redirects for every address that changes, pointing straight to the closest match.
- Lower the risk of downtime by preparing DNS changes in advance and choosing a quiet time.
- Switch, then re-test the forms, the redirects and the tracking at once.
- Watch for a few weeks in Search Console and analytics, and fix what you find.
- Keep the redirects in place for a long time. Google advises at least a year.
Planning a redesign without losing search visibility goes deeper on the search side, and the launch checklist covers the final checks.
Who should do it
If the move is just a new host for a simple site, an experienced person can do it in a day. If it involves new addresses or a new platform, plan it like a project, with someone who owns the checklist. Whoever does it, you should keep the logins and a copy of the old site until you are sure. If your site needs rebuilding as well as moving, message or call Harman with the address and what it runs on, and I will say honestly what I can and cannot take on.