Considerations when migrating your WordPress site to a new host or agency
When considering migrating a WordPress website from one hosting provider or agency to another, several key concerns typically arise. We address these concerns with clients regularly to help reassure them that we are well-equipped to handle the transition smoothly. Here are the top five concerns we get asked about:
1. Downtime and availability
One of the primary concerns for clients is the potential for website downtime during the migration. Even a brief period of unavailability can lead to lost sales, reduced user trust, and a negative impact on search engine rankings. Our clients want to know how we plan to minimise or eliminate downtime which we typically do via staged migrations, DNS reconfiguration, and using a temporary domain to test the new hosting environment before making the final switch.
2. Data integrity and loss prevention
The integrity of any website’s data is critical, including its content, images, user data, and other vital components like SEO metadata. There can be concerns around the risk of data loss or corruption during the transfer process. Mitigation happens through comprehensive backups, detailed testing before and after migration, and the use of tools designed to safely migrate WordPress sites to ensure everything transfers correctly.
3. SEO impact
SEO is a critical asset for most websites, and any changes that negatively affect SEO could have significant repercussions. Clients can be concerned about the potential loss of search engine rankings, broken links, or changes in URL structure. Ensuring that 301 redirects, sitemaps, and SEO settings are properly migrated help reassure our clients that their SEO efforts will be maintained and protected throughout the migration process.
4. Performance and speed
Migrating to a new host could potentially affect the performance and speed of the website. There is much variety in the quality of web hosting which is why we recommend green hosting companies that are experienced with managed WordPress hosting. Factors to consider with quality hosting are: server response times, load balancing, caching configurations, and CDN integration. Performance testing before and after a staged migration helps ensure there is no performance degradation.
5. Cost and time investment
We offer a white-glove migration service, and there are financial and time costs associated with the process. We provide clarity on how long the migration will take, any potential disruptions to workflow (such as content freezes), and the overall fixed cost. We are transparent about our process, timelines, and pricing, as well as any post-migration support we offer. This helps set realistic expectations and ensure our clients feel confident in their investment.
Conclusion
Not all migrations go to plan, so having a thorough roll-back plan is important. But when done correctly, migrations happen without users even noticing. Failed migrations can be stressful, but through proper planning and management they can also be minimised.
The Author
Jonny Vaughan
Founder & Technical Director of 10 Degrees. Jonny's day to day focus is on determining the best technical solutions for our clients, driving technical innovation and leading our sustainability agenda.
The 10 Degrees Team