What is a website migration and what steps does it involve?

One Site migration — whether through a domain change, a move to a new one CMS or a hosting upgrade — is a complex process that can lead to ranking losses, traffic drops, or technical errors without careful planning. This guide shows you how to make your website secure, efficient, and SEO-friendly migrate — from preparation to go-live.

Whether you have your website on Webflow Move, change the domain or switch to a new server: With our checklist and practical tips, you can avoid typical mistakes and secure your online presence in the long term.

Risks of website migration — and how to avoid them

One Site migration There are several risks that can affect your visibility on search engines:

• Ranking losses: Missing or incorrect Redirects result in 404 errors and lose backlinks.
• Traffic breaches: Incomplete URL structures or missing metadata reduce discoverability.
• Technical issues: Incompatible plugins, slow load times, or broken scripts damage the user experience.

solution: One detailed planning, regular backups, and continuous Monitoring Minimize these risks after migration.

Site migration in 7 steps: Here's how

Step 1: Planning & Preparation

Start with a comprehensive inventory:

• Create a sitemap all current URLs.
• Define clear goals (e.g. “No loss of traffic,” “Better load times”).
• Put a timetable fixed — including test phase and go-live date.

Step 2: Data backup

• Safe all files (HTML, CSS, images, databases) via FTP or hosting backup.
• Use tools such as UpdraftPlus (WordPress) or Webflow's backup feature.

Step 3: SEO checklist

• Set up redirects: Use 301 redirects for all changed URLs (e.g. from old-domain.de/page to new-domain.de/page).
• Check metadata: Titles, descriptions, and alt texts should 1:1 adopted or be optimized.
• Update XML sitemap and in the Google Search Console submit.

Step 4: Technical testing

Try out the new website on:

• Mobile optimization (Google mobile-friendly test)
• charging speed (PageSpeed Insights)
• functionality (forms, links, scripts)

Step 5: DNS adjustments & go-live

• Pass the DNS records on (reduce TTL value to 5 minutes to minimize downtime).
• Use tools such as DNS checkerto monitor propagation.

Step 6: Monitoring & post-optimization

For the first few weeks, monitor:

• Traffic (Google Analytics)
• Rankings (Ahrefs, SEMrush)
• Crawl error (Google Search Console)

Resolve issues immediately and optimize performance.

5 typical website migration mistakes—and how to avoid them

1. Don't set up redirects→ Consequence: 404 errors and lost backlinks.→ Solution: Use 301 redirects for every URL that has been changed.
2. Ignore SEO metadata→ Consequence: Worse rankings due to missing titles/descriptions→ Solution: Check all metadata with Screaming Frog.
3. Don't schedule a test phase→ Episode: Technical problems only visible after go-live→ Solution: Test the website in advance in a staging environment.
4. Make DNS changes too late→ Consequence: Longer downtime→ Solution: Adjust DNS entries at least 24h before go-live on.
5. No post-migration monitoring→ Consequence: Undiscovered errors damage the ranking. → Solution: Use Google Search Console and analytics.

Recommended tools for your website migration

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Questions and answers about website migration

When is a website migration even necessary?

A website migration is necessary if domain, CMS or URL structure fundamentally change — for example when moving to Webflow, in the event of a change of hosting or a relaunch.
It ensures that search engines and users find the new website without interruption and that no rankings or traffic are lost.
You can also find more about this topic in the glossary at SEO.

Which SEO measures are particularly important before and after the migration?

Before you migrate:

• URL mapping: Make a list of all current URLs and plan the new paths.
• Save metadata: Titles, descriptions and alt texts must be adopted or optimized.
• Prepare redirects: Set up 301 redirects for all changed URLs.

After go-live:

• Monitoring: Monitor rankings, traffic, and crawl errors in the Google Search Console.
• Performance checks: Check load times, mobile-friendliness, and indexing.
• Troubleshooting: Correct 404 errors or broken links immediately.
  You can find more information in our article on technical SEO.

How do I know if my website migration was successful?

A successful migration is reflected in the following criteria:
✅ Stable rankings: No burglaries in search results.
✅ No 404 errors: All old URLs redirect correctly.
✅ Consistent or increasing traffic: No loss of visitors.
✅ Error-free indexing: Google Search Console shows no crawl issues.
✅ Quick load times: Performance stays or improves.

If you are unsure, our will help you AEO & SEO monitoringto check the results after go-live.

How does a migration from WordPress to Webflow work?

Expiration:

1. Exporting content: Use plugins such as All-in-one WP Migration or the WordPress Exporter.
2. Adjust structure: Adapt URLs, categories, and menus to Webflow logic.
3. Implement design: Recreate the layout in Webflow or use a template.
4. Set up redirects: Redirect all old WordPress URLs to the new webflow paths with 301 redirects.
5. Optimize SEO: Check metadata, alt texts, and the XML sitemap.
6. Go-live: Go live with the new website and monitor performance.

advantages:
✔ Better performance (faster load times)
✔ Less maintenance (no plugin updates required)
✔ More modern design (more flexible design options)

More about this in the article Why Webflow instead of WordPress?.

Conclusion: This is how your website migration works

One successful website migration requires planning, technical care and continuous monitoring. With this guide, you can avoid typical mistakes and ensure your SEO performance in the long term.

Questions? Contact us for a individual advice!