When it comes to website migrations, the best advice is to avoid them if possible. I know, a bit of a pun there.
Why avoid them?
Because they are complex and carry risks that can impact your search engine rankings. It’s no surprise there are numerous questions about migrations.
The main reasons website migrations fail often include:
- Not fully understanding the risks involved
- Poor planning
- Inadequate or absent migration checklists
- Lack of expertise among involved parties
These are things many of us inherently understand, but how do you actually implement best practices?
I came across a comprehensive guide.
You can find the guide at Website Migrations: The Ultimate Guide to Successfully Manage Them.
It outlines an 8-step process that covers each phase in detail, highlighting crucial considerations and pitfalls to avoid:
- Planning
- Pre-migration preparation
- Pre-migration testing
- Launch
- Post-migration review
- Post-migration follow-up
- Post-migration monitoring
- Evaluating the success of your website migration
I hope this resource helps you avoid the mistakes I’ve encountered in the past. Honestly, most issues that arise during migrations can be prevented.
If you think anything is missing from the guide, please let me know.