Website Migration Guide – Chapter 1: Types of Website Migrations

• Oct 18 2024
• by Ilona K.

Migrating your website can be a daunting process, filled with landmines if not executed correctly. Learn how to ensure a smooth transition that preserves your online presence and SEO rankings with a comprehensive website migration guide from it.com Domains.

Just like moving houses or immigrating to a new country, migrating a website is not an easy task, which requires careful planning and a systematic approach. But fear not – we got you covered! In our three-chapter website migration guide, we’ll discuss:

• Why and when to migrate a website: typical migration types,
• Website migration plan: what happens when,
• Website migration SEO checklist: get your rankings and traffic covered.

Chapter one is all about website migration basics. So if you are advised you need to migrate your website, or evaluate your web development priorities for next year, learn why and when you might require a website migration. 

What Is Website Migration?

Website migration is moving the website to a new platform or location, or making significant updates to its underlying technology, structure or design, with a goal to improve your online presence and the ways users interact with your website. The reasons to migrate can be grouped into two categories.

Technical Issues

Most typical reasons to start the migration process. If your website is not technically sound, it’s like a house without a foundation that can collapse any minute.

• Outdated technology: using outdated platforms or programming languages can lead to security vulnerabilities, compatibility issues, and a poor user experience.
• Performance issues: slow loading times and frequent crashes can negatively impact user engagement and search engine rankings.
• Scalability: if a website struggles to handle increased traffic or data, migration to a more robust platform can be necessary.
• Security vulnerabilities: older websites may have known security flaws that can be exploited by hackers.
• System integration: a new website might be needed to integrate with business-critical systems or software – for example, if you move from non-ecommerce to ecommerce.

Business Rationale

If your tech is in place, you might still need to migrate for business reasons, such as:

• Rebranding: a migration can be a great opportunity to refresh a brand’s online presence and align it with a new identity – for example, through a new domain name.
• Improved user experience: a new website can offer a better user experience, leading to increased engagement and conversions.
• Enhanced SEO: a well-structured and optimized website can improve search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic.
• Cost reduction: in some cases, migrating to a different platform,  domain or hosting provider can result in cost savings.
• Expansion into new markets: a website migration can be a way to adapt to changing market conditions or expand into new geographic areas.

Before kicking off a migration process, thoroughly analyse the reasons you’re doing it (and whether it can be avoided. This process typically takes up major resources, and is associated with risks, such as:

• Website downtime,
• Loss of functionality, 
• Errors and bugs,
• Loss of search rankings, traffic and revenue,
• Need for further investment.

Clearly defining your migration goals and assessing the potential impact will help you make informed decisions throughout the process and mitigate potential risks.

10 Types of Website Migration

It’s important to know that a website migration is a generic term, unifying one or more processes impacting your website. Before starting the migration process, come together with your team and get a clear understanding of the changes the website will go through.

1. Template or theme change. Probably the most painless process, a so-called ‘design migration’ involves updating the visual design of a website by switching to a new template or theme. It can be done without changing much in the infrastructure, yet the resources might be required to create or adapt content to match new themes. The risk might be incorrect content rendering. 
2. Hosting provider change. Another type not associated with major structural changes, it involves moving a website from one hosting provider to another, often due to cost, performance, or support.  While switching to a new host could speed up your site overall, especially if it’s growing, a risk here is temporary website downtime. 
3. New server. This migration type involves moving a website to a different server, often to improve performance, scalability, or security.Website downtime or data loss are the two typical risks in this scenario.
4. Data migration. Quite often executed as a part of a larger migration project, or as a standalone migration on occasions, it involves transferring data from one database or storage system to another. Main risk is partial or full data loss and temporary loss in functionality – for example, unavailability of a product catalogue.
5. CMS (Content management System) change. If your current CMS limits your business growth and doesn’t offer critical features (for example, your website is built on basic WordPress, but you now need a custom ecommerce functionality), you can embark on a new CMS better suiting your needs. One risk often associated with it is the time required to complete content transfer and train your team on the new CMS.
6. Moving/merging website areas. At this point, we’re going deeper into website restructuring. For example, if you want to move your blog from a subdomain into a subfolder, merge or remove some sections of your website within the same domain hierarchy, this is the type you’re facing. A risk here is the loss of valuable content driving website traffic. 
7. Changing information architecture. At the early stages of business, you might have placed all website content on pages under a homepage – or even opted in for a one-pager website. As it grows, you might consider building a more comprehensive website structure, with subdomains and subfolders, and to migrate your growing website content onto a new architecture. One thing you’re risking is discoverability of key content elements placed beyond the homepage.
8. HTTP to HTTPS. A tricky, yet necessary step. If your website still runs on HTTP, it is highly recommended to switch from the standard HTTP protocol to the more secure HTTPS protocol, typically to protect sensitive data and improve search engine rankings. You’re risking temporary duplication of your website in search rankings, but it is manageable and it’s highly recommended by Google to encrypt your users’ data.
9. TLD (top-level domain) change. If you decide to relocate your business to another country, or opt in for a non-country specific domain with a .com or .it.com extension, a migration to a new TLD is needed. It involves moving all your content and functions to a new domain, and adapting a website to serve different geographic markets, often requiring translations, cultural adaptations, and considerations for local regulations.
10. Domain name change. This biggest change often comes after a rebranding, a pivot in business, a rapid growth, or an acquisition. For example, if you started your business with a long and hard to remember domain name, and now you’ve found a short and nice domain name matching your business on it.com Domains, you’ll need this migration. You’ll need to move all relevant content from one domain name to another, and correctly redirect or retire the old content.

Your project might involve one or multiple changes from the list above. In the next Chapter of our Website Migration Guide, we’ll discuss how to ensure you have a correct process and tools in place to execute a website migration.

Need more tips to improve your website? Visit it.com Domains blog and contact us on social media.

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