Step-by-Step Guide to Migrating a Website to Another CMS Without Losing Traffic and Rankings

When and Why to Migrate a Website to Another CMS

Migrating a website to a new platform is always a challenge. Is it really necessary, or can you get by with cosmetic tweaks? The wrong timing for migration can hurt traffic, sales, and nerves. But if the time has come, you can’t delay — the old CMS starts working against your business.

How to Know When It’s Time for Your CMS to Retire

Not all site problems require radical changes. But there are situations where migration is not a whim but the only chance to survive in competition. If you have even one of these issues, it’s time to think about it:

1. The site is slow even after optimization. You minimized images, connected CDN, disabled unnecessary plugins, but the pages still load slowly? Google does not forgive slowness, and users will not wait.
2. Updating the CMS is a lottery. Every update threatens that something will break, and old modules are no longer supported.
3. Working with content is a pain. If you need to involve a developer to add a new section or change text, that’s a huge minus. A CMS should simplify work, not complicate it.
4. The system does not scale. You want to add marketing tools, integrations, new language versions — but the platform does not allow it.
5. High cost of support. If every edit takes time and money, and finding a specialist for your CMS is no simple task, that’s a worrying sign.

Familiar? If at least two of these problems are relevant, migration is no longer a question of ‘if,’ but a question of ‘when.’

When moving a site is not just a desire, but a necessity

You shouldn’t change the platform just because a new “fashionable” system has appeared. But there are situations when changing CMS is the only chance to stay in the game. If you encounter these problems, consider switching:

• If the business model changes. For example, you had a blog on WordPress, and now you want a large-scale marketplace. The logic, functionality, and security requirements change — the old CMS simply won’t withstand it.
• If the platform is insecure. The site is constantly under attack, vulnerabilities are not closed, and updates are released once a year? This is a risk that could cost you not only traffic but also your reputation.
• If SEO suffers due to technical limitations. Some CMS generate duplicate pages, do not allow proper URL or metadata configuration. And if Google doesn’t like your platform — you won’t be able to compete.
• If the site can’t handle the load. A logical scenario: you launched an ad, and the server crashes. Because the old CMS is not optimized for heavy traffic.
• If CMS support has been discontinued. This was the case with Magento 1: official support ended, and everyone who remained on this version was left to deal with the issues on their own. If the system is not updated, you’re doomed to fall behind.

At one time, Shopify itself moved its site from Ruby on Rails to a modern architecture because it couldn’t handle the load from an increasing number of customers. As a result — the page loading speed increased, and with it, the conversion.

Conclusion: migration is not scary if done correctly. But if postponed for too long, you might lose more than just a bit of traffic.

Preparatory stage: how to avoid data and traffic loss

Migrating a website is like moving to a new office: if you don’t pack things in advance, something important might get lost. So before hitting the “Transfer” button, it’s worth doing thorough preparation. Without this, you risk losing traffic, SEO positions, and even some content.

Backup and content audit

First rule: save everything before migration. If something goes wrong, you can revert back. When IGN moved their site to a new platform, they lost some materials from recent months—simply because they didn’t back up properly.

What needs to be saved:

• Site files (images, documents, templates).
• Database (posts, users, comments).
• CMS settings (URL structure, SEO parameters, plugins).
• Analytics data (to understand what changed after the migration).

It’s like insurance: maybe you won’t need it, but if something goes wrong, you’ll be grateful for your foresight.

Current SEO analysis: which pages are the most important

Losing SEO positions after migration is like moving to a new office and forgetting to tell your clients where to find you now. To avoid this, it is worth analyzing which pages bring the most traffic.

Here’s what needs to be done:

1. Identify key pages. Check in Google Analytics which sections generate the most visits.
2. Gather all URLs. Use Screaming Frog or similar tools to get a list of all the links on your site.
3. Analyze external links. Make sure that the pages backed by backlinks do not disappear after migration.

Often companies lose traffic simply because they change URLs without setting up redirects.

Site structure assessment before migration

During migration, there is a chance not just to transfer the site but to make it better. If the old CMS limited you in structure, now is the time to fix mistakes.

What to pay attention to:

• Are there unnecessary levels of nesting in the URLs?
• Are there duplicate pages due to the technical features of the platform?
• Is the entire site structure clear to users and search engines?

Sometimes during migration, companies decide to make everything perfect but forget the main thing — ensuring convenience for users.

How to Avoid Common Mistakes

Imagine you’re relocating a store to a new location. If you forget to inform suppliers or rent a space without electricity, problems will be inevitable. It’s the same with a website.

Here are the main mistakes that can cost you traffic:

• No backup or done incorrectly. This means in case of a failure, you’ll have to start from scratch.
• The URL structure changes without redirects. Users and search engines won’t find pages that were in the results.
• The speed of the new site is not checked. Even if the design is beautiful, if the pages take too long to load, users will leave.
• No test launch. Switching the site to a new CMS without prior testing is like jumping out of a plane without a parachute.

Preparation is 50% of success. If everything is done correctly, the migration process will be painless.

Choosing a New CMS: How Not to Make a Mistake

Choosing a CMS is like choosing a business partner: this decision determines how easy it will be for you to operate in the future. You don’t want to find out in a year that the new system restricts your growth or forces you to spend twice as much on maintenance? Therefore, the choice should be approached prudently.

What to Consider When Choosing a CMS

If you simply choose the first platform that seems popular, you might encounter many surprises. Before making a decision, consider a few key factors:

• Functionality tailored to your tasks. Does the system support the necessary features: blog, store, multilingual support, integrations?
• Flexibility and customization. Can the site be adapted to your needs without complex coding?
• SEO optimization. Does the CMS allow changing URLs, meta tags, quickly adapting content for search engines?
• Ease of management. Will you be able to add content by yourself, or will you need a developer for every edit?
• Security. How protected is the CMS from attacks, and does it have regular updates?
• Scalability. Can the website handle business growth, or will you need to switch platforms again in a year?
• Maintenance cost. This is not only the CMS cost but also additional expenses: hosting, plugins, developers.

If the platform does not meet at least two points, it is better to look for another one — saving at this stage can be costly.

Which CMS options are popular now

The market offers dozens of options, each with its strengths and weaknesses. Here are the most popular ones:

1. Shopify — ideal for those who want to launch an online store quickly. However, you will have to pay for each additional feature, and customization is limited.
2. Magento — a powerful system for eCommerce, used by large brands. But if you don’t have a developer, managing it will be difficult.
3. OpenCart — a free solution for small stores, but it has security issues and a limited set of features.
4. Drupal — a good choice for corporate sites and government portals. However, it is complex to work with, so without an experienced programmer, you won’t get far.
5. Tilda, Wix, Webflow — suitable for quick landing pages or portfolio sites, but not for large-scale business where full management freedom is required.
6. WordPress — perfect for content projects, blogs, corporate websites. It has thousands of plugins but requires good optimization for fast performance.

If you need a website that will scale, index well in search engines, and not limit your capabilities, you need a more versatile platform. WordPress is exactly the option that might suit your business. Flexible, convenient, with the ability to adjust for any tasks.

Why WordPress is the optimal choice for most businesses

According to statistics, 43% of all websites in the world run on WordPress. It is used by both small companies and giants like The New York Times, BBC, Sony, and even NASA.

Why has this CMS become so popular? Firstly, WordPress is suitable for blogs, corporate sites, and large online stores due to WooCommerce plugins. Moreover, search engines ‘love’ WordPress. With its correct structure, convenient work with meta tags, and integration with Yoast SEO, you obtain better positions in search results. Not to mention, the WordPress admin panel is understandable even to those without a technical background. You can make content changes, update the site, or add new pages without programmer assistance.

The company Sony uses WordPress for their corporate and regional sites. They needed a system that allows easy content management, quick changes, and scaling resources for different countries. They chose WordPress because this CMS allowed them to centrally manage all versions of the site without unnecessary costs.

Mercedes-Benz uses WordPress for publishing news, press releases, and content marketing. This proves once again that WordPress is not just a ‘blog CMS’, but a powerful tool for business.

If you’re still considering which CMS to choose, ask yourself: do you want full control over your site, ease of management, and better SEO capabilities? If the answer is ‘yes’, then WordPress is your choice.

Content Migration, URL Maintenance, and SEO Optimization: How Not to Lose Traffic and Rankings

At this stage, it’s easy to make a mistake that could cost you months of work. Incorrect content transfer, chaos with URLs, or neglecting SEO, and suddenly, your site disappears from search engines. But this can be avoided if you do everything right. The approach should be like a professional logistician: every file, every text, every URL should be organized and ready to move without losses.

How to Properly Transfer Content: Don’t Lose the Essentials

When the company BBC updated its platform, they made a key mistake—some articles simply disappeared due to compatibility issues. Therefore, the first rule of migration: do not transfer anything manually if there are tools that can do it flawlessly.

What to do before the transfer:

• Create a copy of all content. All texts, images, files—nothing should be lost.
• Check how the new CMS handles your data format. Some platforms may incorrectly display the old content.
• Test Import. Upload a portion of the materials to a test domain and see if everything displays correctly.
• Ensure all URLs remain the same, or prepare redirects.

If the URL changes and search engines are unaware, your site risks dropping from the index.

What needs to be done:

1. Make a list of all old URLs. You can obtain this through Screaming Frog or Google Search Console.
2. Compare with the list of new addresses. If they are changing, prepare redirects.
3. Set up 301 redirects. This is essential if you don’t want to lose SEO rankings.

And ensure all internal links lead to the correct pages.

SEO settings: how to maintain visibility in search

You can transfer content and even set up redirects, but if you forget about SEO optimization, you may see a sharp drop in traffic. For example, this happened to the company Digg after a redesign: due to URL changes and incorrect SEO settings, the site lost over a quarter of traffic.

What to check:

• Title and meta description. They should be transferred considering the previous search positions.
• Headings H1-H3. If changing the structure of pages, don’t forget about SEO.
• Robots.txt file. Ensure you are not blocking important pages from indexing.
• Sitemap.xml. Update the sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console.

This way, you will maintain the visibility of your site in search and not lose rankings.

Post-migration check: don’t launch the site “blindly”

Before launching a new website into production, every element must be tested. This is what saved Amazon during a platform update: they tested each scenario for several weeks and identified issues before the launch.

What needs to be checked:

• Are all redirects working correctly?
• Are there any broken links?
• How is the page loading speed?
• Is the content displayed correctly on all devices?

Thus, if you approach migration with a clear plan and a cool head, losses can not only be minimized — the site can be made even more efficient. The main thing is not to rush, to test every stage, and not to neglect SEO. If everything is done correctly, your site will not only retain traffic but also gain new opportunities for growth.

Testing the site after migration: key aspects

After transferring the site, the work is not finished yet. If you launch the updated platform without verifying, you might encounter chaos: inaccessible pages, broken functions, lost data, and traffic drops. Testing is like a dress rehearsal before a performance: everything must be checked to work flawlessly before showing the site to the world.

To avoid such issues, testing should be conducted according to a clear algorithm. What to check first:

• Site functionality. Do all buttons, forms, and search work?
• Content accuracy. Have any parts of the text, images, or videos disappeared?
• Loading speed. Has the site become slower after the transfer?
• Cross-browser compatibility. Does the site work correctly in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge?
• Mobile version. Is the responsiveness affected on smartphones and tablets?
• SEO settings check. Are meta-tags, redirects, and robots.txt correctly set up?

Even if it seems like everything is working, it’s better to check again. Most problems usually arise with forms, search, authorization, and integrations.

Testing speed and performance

If the new site loads slower than the old one, it is the first signal of a problem. Google considers speed in ranking, and users won’t wait more than 3 seconds. How to check speed:

1. GTmetrix — provides a detailed analysis of performance.
2. Lighthouse (in Chrome DevTools) — helps evaluate the speed and accessibility of the site.

If the site has become slower after migration, it could be due to unoptimized images, unnecessary plugins, or server issues.

How to ensure SEO is not affected

Even if all redirects are set up, it’s important to ensure the site is indexed correctly.

What needs to be done:

• Check indexing in Google Search Console. It’s important to see if there are any crawl errors.
• Analyze traffic in Google Analytics. Is there no drop in organic traffic?
• Check the site’s XML map. It should include all important pages, not old URLs.

Site Launch: Final Check Before Going Live

Before making the site available to users, it’s worth conducting a final test:

• Ensure the site works stably even under load.
• Check all important pages — homepage, contact, categories, product cards.
• Test real scenarios — ordering, form submission, user registration.

Site migration is only half the work. Without thorough testing, you can lose not only positions but also clients. Checking each stage before launch helps avoid critical errors and ensures your site will work even better than before the migration.

Site Launch: How to Maintain Positions in Search Engines

So, the site has been transferred, testing is complete, and you’re ready to press the ‘publish’ button. But wait! The launch is not yet the final sprint, but the last stage of the marathon, where a wrong step can cost traffic and search positions.

If the new version of the site does not quickly receive a signal from Google, you may lose valuable positions in search results. To avoid this, it’s important to precisely execute the last steps before the official launch.

How to Notify Google About Site Migration

Google cannot instantly understand that your site has moved. If you don’t give it the right cues, old pages may remain indexed, and new ones may take a long time to appear in search results.

What needs to be done:

• Update the sitemap.xml file and submit it in Google Search Console. This will help the new site be indexed faster.
• Ensure that the robots.txt file does not block important pages. Sometimes, due to incorrect settings, Google simply cannot see your site.
• Use the “URL Inspection” tool in Google Search Console. This will prompt Google to scan new pages faster.
• Reconfigure internal links. If there were links to pages that changed in the old version of the site, they need to be updated.
• Check the mobile version. Google prefers mobile sites, so it is important that the site works correctly on all devices.

Monitoring traffic after migration

Even if everything is done correctly, it is important to monitor traffic behavior in the first few weeks after launch.

What to check:

• Is there a sharp decline in visitor numbers? If traffic starts to decrease, it’s worth investigating the cause: perhaps Google has lost some pages.
• How are users behaving? Has the bounce rate increased? Has it become more difficult to find the necessary information?
• Which pages receive the most errors in Google Search Console? This could be a signal that some URLs are not functioning correctly.

Ensure that all configured goals and events in analytics are working correctly and have not lost their values.

How to Quickly Regain Lost Positions

If the site’s rankings have dropped after launch, swift action is required:

1. Ensure all redirects are working. Often, 301 redirects are improperly configured, and Google sees the new site as an entirely different resource.
2. Increase internal linking. It helps search engines quickly ‘read’ the new site structure.
3. Create new content. Regularly updating articles and adding new pages shows Google that the site is active.
4. Initiate site crawling. Tools like Screaming Frog can help find pages that may have disappeared from the index.
5. Check loading speed. If the site has become slower, Google may lower its rankings in search results.

If migration is done correctly, you will not only avoid problems but also have an updated site that works faster, more conveniently, and generates more profit.

Conclusions: How to Migrate a Site Without Loss and What to Remember

Migrating a site to a new CMS is always a challenge. But if you act with a clear plan, many problems can be avoided, and new opportunities for business development can be gained. Therefore, remember that successful migration depends on five main factors:

• Competent preparation. Backups, SEO analysis, testing all important pages before migration.
• Correct CMS selection. WordPress remains the most flexible solution suitable for most businesses.
• Accurate transfer of content and structure. All texts, URLs, images, and meta-tags must be reproduced unchanged.
• Setting up SEO and redirects. If not done, the site may lose traffic and drop out of search results.
• Thorough testing and monitoring after launch. Only then can problems be identified in time and quickly fixed.

If everything is done correctly, you get not just a site on a new CMS, but a faster and more stable operation of the resource. Page load time can significantly decrease, improving behavioral factors. Furthermore, you will discover better SEO opportunities and more convenient content management. WordPress, for example, allows for more effective SEO structure setup and plugin use for content optimization.

If you are just planning a migration, start with a testing environment. Transfer the site in closed access, test all functionalities, check the speed and SEO. Only then launch the new version for users.

Migration is not scary if approached as an investment in the future of the site. The main thing is not to rush, follow the plan, and remember that success depends on details, as well as the specialist who will do the job. Want everything to go smoothly without unpleasant surprises? Contact 6Weeks, and we will help with site migration.

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