Website Migration

Website migration in Perth

Migration means moving an existing site to a new platform or host while protecting content, URLs and day-to-day operations. It is not the same as a redesign — though many projects do both.

We migrate from common platforms (Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, Webflow, Shopify and others) with a plan for redirects, content parity and cutover — not a hope-and-pray DNS flip.

What a migration includes

An inventory of pages, posts, products, media and forms; target platform setup and content model mapping; a URL map and redirects for anything that must change; content and media move with cleanup of exporter mess; staging verification for forms, analytics and key journeys; and a go-live checklist plus a short watch window for critical issues. Domain and DNS changes are planned so email can keep working while the website moves.

The inventory is the project. If we do not know every URL that currently earns traffic or bookmarks, we cannot protect it. Exporters lie in small ways: missing alt text, stripped tables, duplicate slugs, products without images. Cleanup in staging is cheaper than a week of “where did that page go?” after DNS changes.

Migration vs redesign vs stay-and-fix

Migration keeps experience largely intact while changing foundation. Redesign changes experience and visuals. Doing both is fine — we scope them separately so SEO risk and design ambition do not get tangled into one opaque quote. See website redesign when visuals and conversion are the primary goal.

Stay on the current platform if the pain is neglected updates or a bad theme, not the CMS itself. A WordPress rebuild on the same host can be a migration of theme and content model without changing vendors. Moving because a salesperson said “everyone is on X” is how you pay twice.

Who this is for — and who should wait

This suits businesses trapped on a platform that no longer fits, facing hosting limits, or consolidating sites — especially when search traffic and bookmarks matter. Retail catalogues moving between carts, professional firms leaving website builders, and hospitality brands outgrowing a template are typical.

Wait if you cannot get DNS, domain or CMS access, if legal has not approved a content freeze during cutover, or if the destination platform is still a vibe. Destination should be a decision: WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, Drupal or a custom stack — not “somewhere modern”. Our process starts with a risk map for that reason. How long a website project takes is relevant because content cleanup is where migrations stall.

Decisions that change risk

Keep URLs where you can. Where you cannot (platform forces a new pattern), map old-to-new redirects and test them before go-live. Decide what not to bring: ancient blog spam, unused landing pages, duplicate location copies. Migrating junk is still junk, just on a nicer host.

Email is not the website. MX and related records can stay put while A/CNAME records change, but only if someone lists every record before the cut. Forms, analytics, pixels and CRM webhooks are re-wired in staging; they do not “come across” magically. For Shopify destinations see Shopify development; for CMS destinations see the relevant build service.

Risks, measurement and the watch window

Migrations always carry ranking risk. We reduce it with redirects, parity checks and monitoring — we never promise zero fluctuation. Other failure modes: SSL or mixed-content issues, missing thank-you pages so ads stop converting, and robots.txt or noindex leftover from staging. We treat those as launch-checklist items.

After cutover we compare: key URLs return 200 or a correct 301; forms deliver; analytics sees traffic; Search Console is aware of the property. SEO after a move is often “protect and repair”, not a new content campaign in week one.

Small sites can move in a few weeks; larger catalogues or complex redirects need more discovery and staging time. Post-launch, maintenance can continue care. Handover includes the URL map, DNS notes, credential ownership, and what to do if a forgotten URL appears in an old PDF. Our work shows completed platform builds if you want a sense of destinations.

Get a quote with current platform, approximate page/product count, and the destination you have in mind.

What you get

• Full inventory of pages, products, media and forms before move day
• URL maps and redirects to protect bookmarks and search equity
• Content and media cleanup after platform exporters
• Staging verification of forms, analytics and key journeys
• Go-live checklist plus a short watch window for critical issues

How we deliver

1. Inventory and risk map
2. Rebuild on target platform
3. Redirects and SEO checks
4. DNS cutover support

Get a quote for website migration in Perth — tell us your goals and current setup.