Website migration without losing traffic
Gjethe migrates websites between hosts, content management systems and e-commerce platforms (for example WordPress to Next.js, Wix to WordPress or WooCommerce to Shopify) with full backups, content and data migration, a complete URL map with 301 redirects, a rehearsal on staging and close monitoring after the switch.
- Free first consultation
- Written quote for your project
- Flexible payment milestones
At a glance
- Moves
- Hosts, CMSs, stores, domains
- Protects
- Data, links and rankings
- Rehearsal
- Full staging run first
- After
- Search Console monitoring
Definition
What is website migration?
A website migration is any significant change to a site's platform, host, domain or URL structure. Done well, it moves content, data and search signals to the new set-up without losing rankings or functionality.
Migrations carry real risk: broken links, lost content, missing redirects, emails that stop working and rankings that fall. Most of that risk is removed by preparation, knowing every URL that matters, rehearsing the move and having a rollback plan. That preparation is most of what we do. Before switching over, we test the new site against a full list of old URLs and redirects.
Who is it for?
Businesses changing platform
Moving from Wix, Squarespace, Joomla or Drupal to WordPress, Webflow or Next.js.
Stores changing e-commerce platform
WooCommerce to Shopify, Magento to Shopify or similar moves, with customers and orders intact.
Sites changing host
Leaving slow or expensive hosting for a faster, more reliable provider.
Domain and structure changes
Rebrands, merging several sites into one, or moving languages into subfolders.
What's included, and what you keep
What's included
- Full backup of the current site and database
- Crawl of every URL with traffic and backlink data
- Content and data migration
- Customer and order migration for stores
- URL mapping and 301 redirects
- Metadata and structured data carried over
- Email and DNS records checked
- Rehearsal on a staging environment
- Switch-over plan with rollback
- Post-launch checks in Search Console
What you receive
Handed over at the end. Yours to keep.
- The migrated site live on the new platform or host
- Redirect map and test results
- Backup of the old site kept for reference
- Migration report: what moved, what changed
- Search Console and analytics checks after launch
How do we migrate without losing rankings?
- 01
Crawl and back up
A full backup and a crawl of every URL, with traffic and backlink data attached.
- 02
Map redirects
Every old URL mapped to its new equivalent with a 301 redirect.
- 03
Rehearse
The migration runs on staging first and is checked page by page.
- 04
Switch over
DNS change at a quiet time, with the rollback plan ready.
- 05
Monitor
Search Console, 404 errors and rankings watched closely in the following weeks.
Common migration routes
| From | To | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|
| Wix or Squarespace | WordPress, Webflow or Next.js | Exporting content cleanly; URL patterns change |
| WordPress | Next.js with a headless CMS | Re-creating plugin features; editor training |
| WooCommerce or Magento | Shopify | Customer passwords can't be migrated; URL handles differ |
| Old host | New host | DNS, email records and SSL during the switch |
| Several domains | One domain | Merging content and redirecting each old domain |
Why do migrations lose traffic, and how is it prevented?
Search engines have learned where your content lives. When URLs change without redirects, those addresses return errors, backlinks lead nowhere and rankings built over years have to be rebuilt from scratch.
Traffic also drops when content quietly disappears in the move: a page considered unimportant turns out to rank for valuable searches, or metadata and headings are replaced with generic defaults. A complete inventory and a page-by-page comparison between old and new prevent both.
Finally, technical details matter: canonical tags pointing at the old domain, a staging site accidentally left blocked from search engines, or hreflang tags referring to URLs that no longer exist. Our pre-launch checklist covers each of these.
Our pre-launch migration checklist
- Every old URL returns a 301 to the right new page
- No staging noindex tags or password protection left on
- Canonical tags point to the new URLs
- Sitemap updated and submitted to Search Console
- Forms, checkout and confirmation emails tested
- Analytics and pixels firing on the new site
- Email and other DNS records unchanged or migrated
- Images, downloads and embedded media loading
How website migration works, step by step
Every step has a clear output you can review. Timing is agreed in your quote.
- 1
Inventory
URLs, content types, data, integrations, email and DNS set-up documented.
- 2
Plan
Target structure, redirect map, migration method and rollback plan agreed.
- 3
Build the destination
New platform or host set up and content migrated to staging.
- 4
Rehearse and test
Links, redirects, forms, checkout and metadata tested on staging.
- 5
Switch
Final content sync and DNS switch at an agreed quiet time.
- 6
Monitor
Errors, rankings and traffic watched, with fixes made immediately.
Tools, and what shapes your quote
Pricing is based on your project and agreed in your quote. These are the things that move it.
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Number of URLs | Larger sites need more mapping and testing. |
| Data complexity | Customers, orders, users and custom fields take more work than pages and posts. |
| Platform differences | The further apart the platforms, the more must be rebuilt rather than moved. |
| Integrations | Every connected system must be re-pointed and tested. |
| Redesign at the same time | Combining a redesign with a migration adds design and build work. |
| Area | Tools |
|---|---|
| Crawling | Screaming Frog, Search Console, backlink data |
| Migration | platform importers, custom scripts, database tools |
| Redirects | server rules, platform redirect managers, edge middleware |
| Monitoring | Search Console, GA4, uptime monitors |
Common mistakes to avoid
What we see go wrong most often, and how a good project avoids it.
Migrating without a URL inventory
You can't redirect what you don't know exists. A full crawl comes first.
Forgetting email and DNS records
Changing name servers without copying mail records can silently stop company email.
Switching on a busy day
DNS changes take time to spread. Switch when traffic is lowest and the team is available.
Deleting the old site immediately
Keep a backup of the old site until the new one has been stable for some time.
Frequently asked questions
Will my site go down during migration?
We aim for no visible downtime by preparing the new site in advance and switching DNS at a quiet time. Complex moves may need a short maintenance window, agreed beforehand.
Will I lose my Google rankings?
Some fluctuation is normal after any migration, but proper redirects, preserved content and metadata, and close monitoring keep the risk low.
Can customer accounts move to Shopify?
Customer records can, but platforms store passwords differently, so customers set a new password. We help you send a clear invitation email.
Do you migrate blog posts and images?
Yes, posts, pages, media, categories, authors and metadata, cleaned up along the way.
Can you migrate and redesign at the same time?
Yes. It's efficient when the platform is changing anyway; see website redesign for how we keep both safe.
What happens to my old hosting?
Keep it until the new site has been stable for a while and you've confirmed nothing is missing. Then it can be cancelled.
Do you handle email migration?
We make sure email keeps working through the switch and can help move mailboxes to a new provider if needed.
How long should I keep the redirects?
Indefinitely, if possible. Backlinks and bookmarks keep pointing at old URLs for years, and keeping redirects costs almost nothing.
Can you merge several websites into one?
Yes. We decide which content to keep from each site, build the combined structure and redirect every old domain and URL to its new home.
What should we freeze during the migration?
Ideally, content changes on the old site during the final days before the switch. If that isn't possible, we run a final content sync just before launch so nothing published in the meantime is lost.
Do you migrate analytics and tracking?
Yes. GA4, Tag Manager, ad pixels and conversion events are reinstalled and tested on the new site, so reporting continues without gaps.
Related services
Website Redesign
Rebuild an outdated site without losing traffic.
Website Maintenance & Support
Updates, backups, monitoring and fixes every month.
Shopify Development
Custom Shopify themes, apps, migrations and Shopify Plus.
SEO Audit
A prioritised list of what's holding your rankings back.
Cloud Deployment
Vercel, AWS, Azure and Google Cloud set up properly.
Website Migration by industry
Plan your migration.
Tell us what you need. You get an honest assessment, a clear plan and a written quote. The first consultation is always free.
- What happens next
- 1You tell us what you need
- 2We aim to reply within 24 hours with questions
- 3You get a written quote for your project