How to Prepare a Website Content Migration

Content migration is the work of deciding what moves, what changes, and what should be left behind during a website rebuild or platform move. Treating it as copy and paste creates clutter, missing pages, broken links, and search risk.

Inventory the current content

List URLs, titles, descriptions, headings, content owner, status, traffic, conversions, links, images, downloads, forms, redirects, and last review. Include content outside the CMS that the new site still needs.

Make a decision for every item

Choose keep, improve, merge, redirect, archive, or replace. Record the reason and owner. High traffic does not automatically mean the content deserves to move unchanged.

Map the new structure

Assign destination URL, page type, navigation placement, internal links, metadata, schema, images, and conversion path. Preserve useful intent while removing duplication.

The replatforming checklist and launch-day checklist cover technical handoff.

Prepare assets and approvals

Confirm image rights, downloads, alt text, translations, customer quotes, legal notices, pricing, staff details, and service claims. Set a reviewer for each content group.

Test representative migrations

Move a sample, check formatting, links, forms, metadata, images, structured content, mobile behavior, accessibility, and analytics. Fix the process before migrating every page.

Keep a source and change record

Store the old URL, new URL, decision, owner, approval, redirect, and launch status. Monitor important pages after release and recheck content that was intentionally deferred.