Every migration begins with an assessment, similar to a concise website check. We take stock of what your website currently contains: pages, content types, forms, interfaces, multilingual features, and any special cases that have been added over the years. This results in a migration plan that answers three questions: What will be migrated as-is, what will be rebuilt, and what will be removed? For each content type, we determine whether it will be migrated automatically or manually. The plan also includes a timeline with all dependencies, from the content freeze to the domain switchover. This way, you’ll know exactly what to expect and what it will cost before you even get started. The plan also serves as the foundation for a reliable quote. Nobody likes surprises during a migration—and neither do we. As a CMS migration agency, we deliberately take our time with this step because it sets the stage for the work that follows.

We migrate content in a structured way, not by copy-and-paste. Where the legacy system allows for export, we write migration scripts that automatically transfer text, images, metadata, and links. This saves time and prevents careless mistakes. For content that cannot be exported cleanly, we transfer it manually and use the opportunity to take stock: outdated material is weeded out, and important content is revised. For large volumes of data, such as product catalogs or job postings, we first test the migration with a partial set of data. Only once the structure and presentation are correct do we run the full transfer. Finally, we systematically reconcile the old and new data. Every page that existed before is either still accessible afterward or has been intentionally removed.

The most common damage caused by a migration is invisible: lost rankings. If URLs change without redirects being set up, the website loses visibility that has been built up over years. That’s why every migration includes a complete redirect mapping: every old URL is assigned a specific destination. Metadata, heading structures, and structured data are transferred, and internal links are updated to the new paths. After the site goes live, we monitor visibility and crawling errors in Search Console and take action before an anomaly turns into a problem. The XML sitemap is also resubmitted on the go-live date. You can find detailed information on how this works on our page about SEO for relaunches and migrations. In short: Rankings move with the site—they don’t disappear.

We never perform a live migration. The new website is built in a staging environment while the old one continues to run as usual. There, we test features, forms, layout, and performance using real content instead of placeholders. Special cases, such as form integrations or redirects, are also tested here under real-world conditions. Your team can use the new environment in advance and provide feedback. Shortly before the go-live, we implement a content freeze: From this point on, content is maintained exclusively in the new system to ensure nothing is lost. We schedule the migration itself for a time when traffic is low. Should anything unexpected happen, we have a rollback plan to revert to the previous state. We rarely need it, but it provides immense peace of mind.

With the go-live, the migration is complete—but the work isn’t over yet. In the first few weeks, we’ll monitor visibility, load times, and error logs, because some issues only become apparent during actual operation. Your team will receive an introduction to the new CMS tailored to your workflows, rather than a standard training course. We’ll answer any questions as they arise. After that, you decide how to proceed: you can manage the website yourself, or we can handle ongoing website maintenance, including updates, backups, and monitoring. Many clients use the months following the migration to implement improvements that weren’t possible in the old system. The new CMS should feel better than the old one from day one.