Website Migration Procedures

13/12/2025

During the migration process, care must be taken to ensure the website is moved with minimal traffic and data loss.

Backup

At the very beginning of the process, a full backup of the existing website should be taken. In case anything goes wrong, the website can be restored from this backup.

The following should be backed up before the migration:

Website files
Database
Media files

SEO Performance

Page URLs should be migrated exactly as they are.
If page URLs change, 301 redirects must be implemented to alternative pages to prevent 404 errors.
If redirects are in place and there are 3xx links within internal linking, these links should be cleaned up.
Page content, meta titles, and meta description tags must be migrated.
Structured data should also be transferred.
If there is a change in infrastructure, the new site’s robots.txt file should be reviewed again, as there may be URL patterns that need to be blocked.
Site speed performance should be carefully monitored. If the old website had good performance, the new site should be optimized to maintain the same level. If the previous site’s speed metrics were low, the new site should be fully optimized to achieve significantly better performance.

Choosing the Migration Time (Lowest Traffic Period)

During the website migration, traffic data should be analyzed to identify the time period with the lowest traffic. Performing the migration during this time helps minimize traffic loss.

Pre-Migration Testing

Before going live, the site should be tested locally or in a staging environment. The migration should only be carried out once everything is confirmed to be ready.

Potential Risks

Traffic Loss: Even if links are properly redirected, traffic loss may occur during the period when search engines update page URLs.
Redirect Errors: Incorrect redirects can lead to organic traffic loss and wasted advertising spend.
Product Information for E-commerce Sites: Incorrect stock information or pricing can result in customer dissatisfaction.

Migration Checklist

Tracking the migration process using a checklist like the one below (or a similar one) helps improve the overall efficiency and success of the migration.

Category	Checklist Item	Completed (✓)
Planning	Was a full site backup taken?
Planning	Was the migration goal clearly defined?
Planning	Was a timeline and low-traffic period selected?
Planning	Was the entire team informed?
SEO Preparation	Was a list of old URLs created?
SEO Preparation	Is the 301 redirect plan ready? (Old URL → New URL mapping)
SEO Preparation	Were critical pages (traffic/backlinks) identified?
SEO Preparation	Were meta data (title, description, H1, etc.) copied?
SEO Preparation	Were canonical tags updated to the new URLs?
SEO Preparation	Are the sitemap and robots.txt prepared according to the new structure?
Technical Checks	Is the SSL certificate installed and HTTP → HTTPS properly redirected?
Technical Checks	Was mobile compatibility (responsive design) tested?
Technical Checks	Were custom 404 pages and broken link checks completed?
Technical Checks	Were internal links and media paths updated?
Technical Checks	Was hreflang (if applicable) preserved and validated?
Pre-Launch	Were all 301 redirects and functionalities tested on staging?
Pre-Launch	Were analytics and Search Console (GTM/GA/GSC) codes added?
Pre-Launch	Were forms, search, and payment flows tested?
Pre-Launch	Were page speed tests (PageSpeed, GTmetrix) performed?
Post-Launch	Are 301 redirects active on the live site?
Post-Launch	Was the sitemap submitted to GSC and tested with fetch?
Post-Launch	Are 404 errors regularly crawled and resolved?
Post-Launch	Are traffic and rankings being monitored (GA/GSC/Ahrefs, etc.)?
Post-Launch	Were key backlink sources updated with the new URLs?
Post-Launch	Is the old domain still active and redirected via 301s?

Migration Checklist for E-Commerce Websites

In addition to the checklist items mentioned above, it is also recommended to review the following points specifically for e-commerce websites.

Category	Checklist Item	Completed (✓)
Planning	Has a full backup of the website, database, and product images been taken?
Planning	Have the migration goals and scope been clearly defined?
Planning	Has a low-sales period (off-season / low-traffic period) been selected?
Planning	Have IT, SEO, marketing, customer support, and operations teams been informed?
SEO & URL	Has a complete URL list of all product, category, brand, and campaign pages been created?
SEO & URL	Has the 301 redirect plan (old → new) been prepared?
SEO & URL	Have meta data (title/description/H1) and structured data (Product/Offer/Review schema) been migrated?
SEO & URL	Have canonical tags been updated to the new URLs?
SEO & URL	Have the sitemap(s) and robots.txt been updated according to the new structure?
Product Data	Have product name, description, price, stock, SKU, and GTIN/MPN fields been fully migrated?
Product Data	Have product variations (size, color, bundle, etc.) been migrated correctly?
Product Data	Have product images, galleries, and video files been migrated without issues?
Product Data	Have category, filter, and attribute mappings (faceted navigation) been preserved?
Customer Data	Have user accounts and passwords been migrated securely (hash compatibility / SSO)?
Customer Data	Have customer order history, addresses, wishlists, and carts been migrated?
Customer Data	Have product reviews and ratings been migrated?
Payment & Shipping	Have all payment methods (credit card, bank transfer, cash on delivery, BNPL, etc.) been tested?
Payment & Shipping	Have shipping/courier integrations (API labels, tracking numbers) been tested?
Payment & Shipping	Are tax, invoicing, e-invoice/e-archive, and shipping fee rules working correctly?
Technical Checks	Is the SSL certificate installed, and are HTTP → HTTPS and www/non-www redirects correct?
Technical Checks	Are mobile compatibility and the checkout flow (guest/member) working smoothly?
Technical Checks	Are site speed tests (LCP/INP/TTFB) and CDN configuration completed?
Technical Checks	Have custom 404 pages and broken link/redirect chain checks been completed?
Pre-Launch	Has the full order flow (add to cart → payment → invoice → shipping) been tested in the staging environment?
Pre-Launch	Have GTM/GA4, GSC, pixels, and conversion events (purchase, add_to_cart, view_item) been verified?
Pre-Launch	Was inventory/stock synchronization performed immediately before going live?
Post-Launch	Are 301 redirects active and being monitored in production?
Post-Launch	Have sitemap(s) been submitted to GSC, and have critical pages been tested with fetch & render?
Post-Launch	Are traffic, conversion rate (CR), average order value (AOV), and sales being closely monitored?
Post-Launch	Are customer complaints and support requests (especially payment/delivery-related) being regularly monitored?
Post-Launch	Are promotions, coupons, gift cards, and campaigns working correctly?