Website migration is usually a process that seems easy. However, a wrong move can impact your daily activities. We will see how to perform website migration safely. Migrating a website can be a delicate step, but necessary for many businesses. Whether it is for:
This process can present risks, especially in terms of SEO, performance, and content management. However, most issues can be avoided by planning the migration properly and being aware of common mistakes. In this article, we will explore common mistakes when migrating a website and give you tips on how to avoid them.
One of the most common mistakes is underestimating the complexity of the migration process and not developing a clear plan. Without planning, crucial steps can be missed, leading to downtime, data loss, or site display issues.
Not backing up your site before starting the migration is a serious mistake that can lead to data loss. If something goes wrong, you may not be able to restore your site to its original state.
Migrating a website, especially when the URL changes, requires setting up 301 redirects. Forgetting this step can lead to 404 errors, which affects user experience and SEO, with a possible drop in traffic.
Migration can have a significant impact on your SEO if not managed well. Losing your backlinks, changing your URLs without redirecting, or changing the structure of your site can degrade your search engine rankings.
Some migrations can make your site slower, especially when transferring to a poor quality host or if the files are not optimized for the new server. This can harm the user experience and affect your SEO.
Testing directly on the production site may cause interruptions or errors visible to your users.
It is possible that some pages or files are not migrated correctly. If this happens, visitors will encounter 404 errors, which degrades the user experience and affects your credibility.
After a migration, especially when the site structure changes, some internal links may be broken. This prevents users from navigating properly and can cause your pages to be poorly indexed by Google.
Migrating a website can be a complex process, but avoiding these common mistakes will greatly reduce the risk of malfunction and loss of traffic. The key to a successful migration is careful planning, backup, and implementation of each step of the process. Don’t forget to test every aspect of your site after the migration is complete to ensure it functions properly and continues to provide an optimal user experience.
Gilblas is a senior entrepreneur and developer with around 13 years of experience, deeply involved in the WordPress community. He helps SMEs grow through custom web solutions and training. He stands out for his ability to automate and industrialize website creation through Phoenix Forge.