Moving to WordPress

What a site migration really involves, which source files reduce the budget and how to keep your pages and search rankings.

Moving to WordPress is rarely just copying files. Templates have to be rebuilt, materials moved, forms and integrations reconnected, and old page URLs preserved. The scope depends above all on the source files.

First define the goal of the move

One project needs a convenient admin panel, another a new design, a third the revival of an abandoned site. Without a clear goal, the team may faithfully repeat old mistakes on a new CMS.

Before the estimate, decide what stays unchanged, what needs improving and which problems WordPress should solve.

Source files determine the cost

Only the live site exists. The design and page behaviour have to be studied from the published version. Then the team recreates the mockups, front end and templates.

Mockups exist. Design recovery can be skipped and work can go straight to front-end development for WordPress. The mockups are still checked for relevance and responsiveness.

A ready front end exists. It is adapted to CMS templates. That reduces the work if the code really is complete, clear and matches the current site.

Content moves by structure

First, the content types of the old and new systems are mapped: pages, articles, products, categories, team members. Then you decide which fields move automatically and what has to be checked by hand.

Automatic import is justified for a large number of similar records. For ten pages, moving materials by hand is faster and more reliable than writing a dedicated importer.

Page URLs must not change by accident

If the old site gets search traffic and external links, its URLs should ideally be kept. When the structure changes, permanent redirects are set up from old URLs to new ones.

Without a URL map, a site risks losing part of its search traffic even with a great new design. So the SEO check is part of the technical migration, not something postponed until after launch. Why traffic is lost when URLs change is covered in the article on duplicate pages.

Forms and integrations are rebuilt

A form may look like ordinary fields and a button, but behind it are email delivery, the CRM, analytics, spam protection and consent to data processing. These connections do not move along with the page text.

Before the estimate, list all external systems: telephony, payments, email marketing, maps, personal accounts and data exchange. Each integration has to be checked separately.

The move goes through a staging version

The new site is built at a temporary address closed to search engines. There, pages, forms, the mobile version, speed, user permissions and the redirect map are checked.

Only after acceptance is the domain pointed to the new server. The old version and database are kept as a backup so information can be restored.

What to provide for an estimate

You need the site link, access to the current CMS, a list of integrations and all surviving source files. Separately, note the approximate number of pages and materials, whether the design should change and the requirements for keeping URLs.

After such an audit, the move can be estimated stage by stage. Trying to name a price from the site address alone almost always hides assumptions that later turn into extra work.