Website migration can be a complex and challenging process. It’s important to follow best practices to ensure consistent results and on-time delivery. By doing so, you can control costs, maintain a well-designed process, and ensure close communication with your outsourcing partner. This will also help you achieve scalable resources and synchronize your internal process with your partners’ systems.
In this blog, with the help of WLA’s developers with years of experience on their shoulders, I will discuss the importance of website migration, the challenges you will face to migrate a WordPress site, and the benefits of following best practices.
About migration
Website migration is the process of moving a website from one hosting provider or platform to another. The reasons for website migration may include changing hosting providers, updating to a newer version of the platform, or switching to a more powerful server to handle increased traffic.
One of the most important potential benefits of website migration is improved website performance, which can lead to better user experience and higher search engine rankings. A well-planned migration can help optimize the website’s structure, speed up page loading times, and eliminate errors that may be causing the site to load slowly.
However, to migrate a WordPress site can also raise significant challenges.
Challenges of website migration
1. Compatibility issues with plugins and themes – Migrating a WordPress site may involve updating the site to a newer version of the platform or switching to a different theme or set of plugins. These changes can lead to compatibility issues that need to be resolved.
2. Data loss or corruption – During the migration process, it is possible to lose or corrupt data, which can have a significant impact on the website’s functionality and user experience.
3. Downtime – Migrating a website can result in downtime, which can be a significant concern for businesses that rely on their website to generate revenue.
4. SEO implications – A poorly executed migration can result in a decline in search engine rankings, which can have a significant impact on the website’s visibility and traffic.
To ensure a smooth and successful website migration, it is important to work with highly experienced developers to migrate a WordPress site. It is also important to thoroughly test the site after the migration to ensure that everything is working correctly and that there are no performance or functionality issues.
Best practices for migrating a WordPress site
I interviewed several developers here at WLA who have years of experience in migrating about best practices to follow to avoid the issues described above.
1. Ensuring compatibility of plugins and themes – According to our developers Natalia Poguzhelskaya and Dmitry Kaminsky, the best practices for migrating a WordPress site involve a combination of pre-migration tasks, careful consideration of the target server, and thorough quality assurance (QA) testing.
The pre-migration checklist used at WLA includes completing all bug fixes and ensuring that the site passes a QA checklist before beginning the migration process. Additional essential steps include updating all plugins and turning off any temporary plugins that may be slowing down the site.
2. Avoiding data loss and corruption – The first step to avoid data loss or corruption is to back up the website, including the database and all files. This backup will serve as a safety net in case any issues come up during the migration.
In terms of migration methods, Natalia and Dmitry stated that they primarily use an automated migration method, although this depends on the client’s access to the server and the site’s size. If there are issues with the automated method, they may request full access to the server and migrate the site manually. They also noted that the type of target server and the size of the site’s media library can affect the migration process, as some servers may not allow certain migration plugins
3. Minimizing downtime – My colleagues also addressed the issue of site traffic during the migration process. They stated that if there is a significant amount of traffic, they will enable a maintenance mode to ensure that users know the site is under construction. To minimize the impact of the migration and ensure the process takes the least time possible, several strategies can be employed: Thorough pre-migration planning and preparation help identify potential issues and develop a detailed migration plan. Optimizing server and network resources, utilizing efficient migration methods (automated or manual), and conducting comprehensive testing and quality assurance in a staging environment all contribute to a smooth transition.
4. Maintaining SEO rankings – My colleagues also emphasized the importance of ensuring that all APIs are updated with the new site URL. Ensuring that APIs are updated and properly functioning after the migration is an essential aspect of maintaining overall website quality, which includes search engine optimization in itself.
Tools for migration
Our developers suggest using the All-in-One Migration plugin and recommend using WP Engine as a server due to its flexibility and security features. After migrating the site from WP Engine to a different hosting provider, they also recommend performing a complete cleanup, by removing residual elements associated with the previous hosting environment, such as specific plugins, extensions, database remnants, unnecessary files, and configuration settings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, to migrate a WordPress site can be a daunting task. However, by following best practices, such as completing pre-migration tasks, carefully considering the target server, and thorough QA testing, you can ensure a smooth and successful migration. It is also essential to work with experienced developers who have a deep understanding of WordPress and the migration process. By doing so, you can achieve improved website performance, better user experience, and higher search engine rankings.
