CMS Migration Checklist: A Comprehensive Step-by-Step Guide

A good CMS makes all the difference. 

They make managing your website simple and straightforward, from writing to publishing and every part of the process in between (and quite a bit more). 

However, the wrong CMS can lead to headaches and inefficiencies that result in wasted time and money.

One CMS may seem great on the surface but turn out to be a bad fit after implementation. Other times, an entry-level CMS such as Wix or WordPress can serve you well in the beginning but may lack the scalability you require down the line once your business grows. 

There are many reasons why you might consider migrating to a new CMS. 

Regardless of that reason, managing a CMS migration properly is critical to ensure you retain your SEO rankings as well as minimize downtime.

An improperly handled CMS migration can lead to a slew of issues, not the least of which is a loss of domain authority, a death sentence for organic SEO rankings and revenue.

While the data migration process might seem scary and tedious, we’ve laid out a process below that ensures your next migration goes quickly and smoothly.

Read on to learn more about how to properly manage a content management system migration. 

When Should You Upgrade Your CMS?

Generally, you should upgrade your CMS when it begins to feel like your current platform or website is holding you back. 

With that said, there are many reasons you might consider updating your business website. 

Perhaps your company is growing and it’s time you had access to more features or better scalability and security. 

A rebrand or website redesign is also an ideal time to migrate to a new CMS. Or maybe you’re just sick of slow loading times and want something more efficient and reliable. 

Switching to a new CMS platform can be exciting, but you need to be vigilant about maintaining your website’s traffic and rankings during the migration process. --> Checkout our list of the top enterprise CMS for 2025.

It takes a lot of time and effort to build up the domain authority of your old site through link building, quality content, and careful attention to SEO strategy.

The last thing you want is for new and existing customers (or search engines, for that matter) to be unable to find your website at a new address.

How to choose a new CMS provider?

Choosing a CMS is an intentional process that requires knowing what tools you need now and for future growth. You can consult our CMS RFP questions here to help guide you in your process. 

You should have a good idea of the upgraded features and functionality you need for your website by the time you’re ready for a new CMS platform. 

You should consider everything, such as:

• Scalability

• Security and compliance

• Ease of use

• Content management features

• Omnichannel content delivery capability

• Multi-site management (if relevant)

• Access and permissions

• Analytics

• And dedicated customer support

You should learn about different types of CMS as well to understand the unique hybrid and headless CMS features available compared to traditional ones. 

In many cases, upgrading your CMS is due to growth and a need for scalability. Choosing the best CMS for business growth requires understanding the difference between entry-level vs. enterprise CMS.

Enterprise-level CMS typically offer the tools you need to scale your business as far as you can imagine, a capability that entry-level CMS such as WordPress don’t have.

Typically, this includes major features such as better security, omnichannel content publishing, more complex access and permissions controls, and dedicated customer support. 

When choosing a new CMS you should consider everything from the type of content you will be creating and managing to the size and complexity of your website. 

For that purpose, we put together a guide to help you make the right decision for your business. You can download it for free below:

What It Means to Move from a Traditional to a Headless CMS

The main reason for moving from a traditional to a headless CMS is that our digital world is more complex than ever, with new devices and channels popping out every other year. 

This means that businesses need to have a CMS that supports omnichannel content delivery and be flexible and scalable to grow with the company. 

It also means embracing a content management platform with an application programming interface (API) to access and manage content from any device or platform. 

This capability is increasingly important for businesses embracing omnichannel content strategies, including creating content for the Internet of Things (IoT).

Headless CMS is often used for websites requiring a lot of customization, as it allows developers to create custom applications and websites without worrying about the underlying CMS. It's handy for businesses trying to deliver a consistent user experience across channels while managing large volumes of content.

One of the essential aspects of headless CMSs is their enhanced security capabilities. 

Because they don't rely on an interface the way traditional platforms do, they are excellent options for businesses prioritizing content security. 

Managing aCMS migration from traditional CMS interfaces to a headless CMS will yield a more flexible and scalable website as long as you have the proper technical resources to manage the system.

How to Manage a Website Migration: 12-Point CMS Migration Checklist

Organizing a website migration process doesn't need to be a big source of worry. 

With the right CMS migration strategy, you can guarantee your website migration goes off without a hitch and your new site has the same influence as the previous one. 

Below, we’re put together a simple checklist of CMS migration best practices that is divided into three sections: 

• Pre-migration

• During migration, and

• Post-migration

Here are the 12 steps for CMS migration success:

Part 1: Pre-CMS migration planning 

Preparation and the formation of a data migration strategy is an integral element and the first step of the migration process.

To be sure your organization is in the best place to complete the move, the following should be done prior to executing the migration:

1. Define the end goal and the resources you’ll need (data architecture and project viability)

Prioritize crawling your old website to collect data on URLs, page titles, metadata, redirects, etc., because this will help determine the scope of the project. 

You need to know the number of URLs that you’ll need to migrate, and if there are any technical issues that should be addressed before the migration process begins.

To get a complete list of web pages, you should reference:

• Crawl data

• Google Search Console pages

• Google Analytics pages, and 

• XML sitemaps

2. Get your team ready

Identify all necessary stakeholders and ensure they understand both their role and level of involvement throughout the migration process.

3. Define security requirements

All key stakeholders must agree to and clearly articulate the security requirements. 

It is important to thoroughly analyze the security regulations to guarantee that all regulations are adhered to. In order to guarantee that the right protocols are being followed, approval from all relevant parties must be obtained. 

Don’t overlook this step. Security is of the utmost importance when setting up your CMS and must be taken seriously, or else you could risk a breach of sensitive information from both the organization and your customers.

4. Gather your CMS migration tools

Before starting, ensure that you have the necessary CMS migration tools and resources so that the process runs as efficiently and effortlessly as possible. 

Consider if you need to acquire any migration applications, such as documentation programs or examination programs, to mechanize a number of jobs connected with the transfer. This can save a significant amount of time and effort.

5. Establish a contingency plan

Before you make a go of your migration plan, contingency planning is key.

Most notably, make sure you store a back-up before any data migration. 

Keeping a full reproduction of your website is important in case there is any loss of data. If that happens during the migration and you have no data backup, it could be a huge loss.

Part 2: During the CMS migration

Congratulations, you’re ready for the website migration process to your new content management system! 

Here are a few recommended actions for a successful content migration:

6. Prepare a staging site

It is critical to examine the capacity of your new content management system before transferring your website entirely. 

Create a test site to assess the functions, capabilities, and execution of the new CMS and rectify any possible issues prior to entering the public domain.

7. Test your site migration

Test your migration as close to the live environment as possible. 

Testing is critical because it helps you detect possible errors or defects. This will help you catch those issues before the process begins, potentially saving you from a major setback. 

8. Make adjustments

Use the results of the test migration to figure out how to optimize the migration. Possibly adjustments can include:

• Change your system configuration

• Migration method

• or data as needed

If you haven’t done so yet, optimizing your data architecture is a good idea. Eliminating the old, outdated content will make the transfer faster and more efficient.

9. Migrate the data

Finally, it’s time for the migration. 

There are a few ways you can do it, which method you use depends mostly on preference and the method that allows the two systems to transfer between one another the easiest. 

You can relocate the data either by:

• Using a custom script

• Manually copy-pasting all the content

• Using exporting and importing tools (many systems have these natively built-in)

• Or using an automated migration service

Part 3: Post-CMS migration items

Once your website is up and running in the new system, it’s time to make sure everything is functioning correctly and that you haven’t lost any data.

You should also test the new CMS on the live site, update any necessary settings and configurations and train the appropriate team members to manage the new CMS. 

10. Monitor Google Search Console crawl & server logs

Once you’re rolling on the new CMS, you’ll want to review the crawl / indexing stats in Google Search Console, as well as the server logs:

The goal here is to make sure all the pages in your sitemap are fully crawlable by Googlebot. 

Do this regularly for the first couple of weeks post-migration so you can correct any crawl errors (i.e., setting up 301 redirects for all potential 404 errors).

11. Comb through and optimize the site

This is admittedly an imperfect science. Even the most seasoned of us inevitably encounter a few issues after a CMS migration. 

Site speed is an important SEO ranking factor across all platforms, so be sure to consistently check the speed of your site with Google’s PageSpeed Insights or your measurement tool of choice:

12. Keep the old site up

While you may be tempted to cut the cord from the old site or perhaps even sell the old domain if you changed it right, don’t do it just yet. 

While search engines generally recognize web migrations, it’s good to give them time to catch up.

4 Types of CMS Migrations

Now that you know what is necessary to perform a proper CMS replatforming, let’s cover the types of CMS migrations you can choose from.

Now all migrations are the same. In fact, there are four primary migration methods you can use depending on your:

• Goals

• Infrastructure

• And technical requirements

Let’s talk about each:

1. Platform-to-Platform Migration

One of the most common migrations, a platform-to-platform migration is simply a migration to another platform of the same type (i.e. traditional, headless, hybrid). 

This is often a matter of needing more features or greater scalability that your current CMS just doesn’t offer. 

The most common challenges here are the main challenge with a migration:

• Ensuring proper SEO settings during the transfer so that no rankings are lost

• And ensuring content structure compatibility. 

Why Migrate to a New Platform?

The two primary reasons to migrate to another platform of the same type are to get more advanced features or greater scalability. This often comes by way of migrating from an entry-level to an enterprise CMS. 

An enterprise CMS can also offer better integrations with third-party tools (often key with an eCommerce CMS migration) or it may offer a broader range of content types.

2. Traditional to Headless CMS Migration

A headless or “decoupled” CMS is one in which the front end and back end are separate. 

The back end is instead an API-driven CMS, making it more flexible and capable of delivering personalized experiences across different platforms. 

The challenge with this type of migration is that it requires more technical expertise to both implement and maintain. You may also need custom front-end development for each platform. 

Why Migrate to a Headless CMS?

A headless CMS migration offers lots of benefits, one of the primary ones being the flexibility to publish to customize for any channel.

Another is the scalability. By migrating to a headless CMS, you’re investing in future growth and positioning yourself ideally to take full advantage of new platforms. 

A headless CMS is also more secure compared to a traditional one. With no front-end, the risk of certain types of attacks is lessened.

3. Hybrid CMS Migration

A hybrid CMS brings the benefits of both traditional and headless CMS together to offer the most flexible CMS experience.

It combines the API-driven back end of a headless CMS with the simple and easy-to-use frontend of a traditional CMS.

While it has great benefits, this type of migration tends to be more complex to manage. Integrations with existing systems may also require custom solutions furthering that complexity. 

Why Migrate to a Hybrid CMS?

The primary reasons for a hybrid CMS migration include the omnichannel content delivery and all-around flexible publishing capabilities.

A hybrid setup is ideal for businesses with diverse content needs while still offering an easy-to-use publishing experience for less technical users.

4. On-Premises to Cloud-Based CMS Migration

An on-premises CMS migration is primarily focused on making the jump to a cloud-hosted CMS, with the slew of benefits that come with being on a cloud-based system.

A cloud CMS migration doesn’t come without its challenges, though. The downtime during transition can be the longest of any of the migration methods which should be planned for ahead of time.

In addition to this, maintaining data security and compliance requirements during this kind of migration can make the process more complex than other migrations, 

Why Migrate to a Cloud CMS?

The primary reasons to migrate from an on-premises to a cloud-based CMS include:

• Enhanced security features

• Reduced IT infrastructure costs

• Automatic updates and other automation features

• Access content and manage workflows from anywhere

5 Common CMS Migration Challenges (and How to Overcome Them)

Migrating to a new CMS comes with significant benefits, but it is not without its challenges. 

Understanding these potential hurdles can help you anticipate problems ahead of time and smooth out the CMS transition. 

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the most common CMS migration challenges alongside tips for how to overcome them:

1. Data Loss and Integrity Issues

Data loss and integrity issues are two of the most significant challenges that can arise during the migration process. 

This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as a lack of backups, errors during the data transfer, or incompatible formats. 

To avoid this, make sure to conduct a thorough content audit and inventory before performing the migration. 

Also, create a complete backup of the current website including databases and media files. This is the single most important step to take to guard against data loss. 

Lastly, use automated tools for the data transfer and validate data accuracy post-migration.

2. SEO Disruptions

Arguably the most commonly cited challenge, SEO disruptions due to migration challenges are, well… scary.  

This is especially true in the case of an incorrectly modified URL structure but can also occur to a lesser extent due to broken links or missing meta data.

To ensure this isn’t an issue, besides making sure that data transfers over correctly, make sure to set up 301 redirects so that the old URLs pass all visibility to the new URLs.  

Once that’s done, closely monitor your traffic analytics for any fluctuations and check your Google Search Console for new crawl or related issues.

3. Downtime and Performance Issues

Downtime and performance issues are common during and after migration. 

They can impact user experience and ultimately your bottom line, especially for eCommerce businesses. 

To some degree, they’re often unavoidable, but with the proper precautions you can minimize both as well as their impact. 

For example, by scheduling the migration during low-traffic periods you can minimize the impact of the migration.

You can also use a staging environment to test the new CMS and ensure it can handle the expected traffic loads, reducing the chance of encountering performance issues.

Lastly, make sure to leverage tools such as media compression and caching to reduce load times and smooth out performance.

4. Compatibility with Existing Tools

There’s a good chance that the CMS you’re considering doesn’t integrate with all your tools and systems, including your:

• CRM

• ERP

• Or marketing platform

One of the biggest headaches you can encounter during a migration is finding this out after the migration has finished, which can lead to all kinds of issues.

To make sure this doesn’t happen, review the compatibility between different CMS and existing tools before selecting a new CMS. 

If you’ve done that and there still isn’t a perfect match, you can use middleware or APIs to bridge the gap or speak with your IT team or CMS vendor to discuss custom integration solutions.

5. Stakeholder Alignment and Training

Finally, stakeholder alignment and training is a big part of the migration process. 

Resistance to change from your team or a lack of understanding about the new system can slow down the adoption process and lead to inefficiencies.

This can be trickier to overcome than the other challenges, but it’s integral that you get everyone onboard to reduce productivity loss and other potential inefficiencies from the migration. 

Start by getting key stakeholders involved in the migration process early and often. Gather feedback, make sure they feel heard, and that they’re clear on the benefits you’ll get from the new CMS to secure buy-in. 

Provide comprehensive training so that everyone feels comfortable with the new CMS and offer ongoing support, including a knowledge base, after the migration is complete. 

How to Minimize the SEO Impact When Migrating to a New CMS: 13 Steps

For those of us who strive to maximize our SEO efforts, the CMS migration process can be nerve-wracking.
SEO preservation during migration can seem like a tricky thing when you’re staring down such a huge undertaking. 

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be a dreadful experience. And, performed correctly, a migration won’t impact your SEO.  

We created a second checklist you can use alongside the migration management checklist above, this one to help you avert any potential damage to your SEO campaign during the data migration process.

Take note of each of these items to minimize the SEO impact of migrating to a new CMS:

• Compile a list of all pages affected by the migration

• Generate 301 redirects for the affected pages

• Verify the validity of the redirects

• Confirm indexing of all pages by search engines

• Track organic search traffic and keyword rankings

• Edit internal links to point to the new page URLs

• Scan the new webpages to detect broken links

• Include rel=canonical tags to eliminate duplicate content

• Analyze analytics data to monitor if traffic has been affected

• Send an updated sitemap to search engines

• Evaluate and adjust the search engine crawl rate

• Survey search engine error logs (see: Google Search Console) for any irregularities

• Analyze organic search traffic and keyword rankings

In particular, 301 redirects are vital for preserving SEO during a CMS migration. 

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that communicates on the server level that a particular page has moved to a new location.

Without properly setting up 301 redirects, you won’t be able to pass on the visibility related to your old pages to their new location, effectively losing all SEO-related traffic.

With 301 redirects and other preparation work in place, the rest is primarily monitoring the site for issues:

• Use analytics to check for pages that have been negatively affected

• Check Google Search Console for crawl or other technical errors

• And scan for broken links.

A content management system migration might seem intimidating, but with the correct planning and preparation, the CMS transition can be not only successful but straightforward. 

Choosing the correct CMS for your company and dedicating sufficient time to plan the migration will ensure it is carried out smoothly. 

Check out how YMCA Greater Toronto increase their online subscriptions by 500% after migrating from Sitecore to Core dna.