Essential checklist for a seamless WordPress to Webflow migration
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The essential checklist for a seamless WordPress to Webflow migration
Migrating your website from WordPress to Webflow doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By following this simple checklist, you will have a cunning plan to preserve your precious SEO and even more precious user experience. As with many things in life, the secret is in the preparation!
Pre-migration preparation
- Backup your WordPress site: Create a full backup of your site, including database and media files.
- Audit your content: Review and clean up outdated or unnecessary content to avoid migrating excess data. Very similar to when you move home!
- Plan your URL structure: Map old URLs to new ones for easy redirect setup.
Content migration
- Export content: Use WordPress export tools to create export files for posts, pages, and media. The format will vary depending on what you export, how you export it, and where to.
- Automate data mapping: Leverage a tool like PowerImporter to map fields and migrate your data seamlessly.
- Preserve media files: Upload all images and videos to Webflow and reassign them to their respective pages.
SEO and technical details
- Set up 301 redirects: Redirect old URLs to new ones in Webflow to preserve traffic and SEO equity. Check out this guide on setting up 301 redirects in Webflow.
- Transfer metadata: Ensure meta titles, descriptions, and alt tags are migrated correctly. Tools like a CSV import can help with that, at least for the CMS part..
- Optimize site speed: Compress media and clean up unused interactions to enhance performance. Check out this Webflow guide on their image conversion tool.
Post-migration testing
We can't say it enough (working in Saas, we definitely know this) - test, test and test!
- Check for errors: Use tools like Google Search Console to monitor for crawl errors or broken links.
- Review your website design and look: Ensure your Webflow site matches your desired look across all devices - that's a given.
- Submit a new sitemap: Notify search engines of the new structure via Google Search Console. The sitempa is generated automatically by Webflow, but you still have to submit it yourself to Google.
Launch and monitoring
- Go live with confidence: Set your Webflow site live and monitor initial performance.
- Track SEO performance: Regularly review analytics for ranking changes and adjust as needed.
Conclusion
A methodical approach ensures your migration process is smooth and efficient.
Ready to simplify migration? Check out PowerImporter’s WordPress to Webflow Migration Tool to handle the heavy lifting for you.
