Almost every owner of the site sooner or later asks the question “And how would I transfer the site to another engine?”. The question is not idle and in some cases makes sense. But the first thing to think about when they visit such thoughts is are the reasons that prompted the idea of a change in “registration” good. Before deciding on active actions, we recommend that you still assess the need for such a step and the losses that you can suffer when transferring the site to a new CMS.

The main disadvantages of transferring the site to a new platform include:

  • Financial losses, which are often calculated in substantial amounts. Transferring a site to a new engine can cost no less (and sometimes more) than creating a resource from scratch. Often such expenses are completely unjustified, and it is much more profitable to invest the required money in development in other ways;
  • Temporary costs to transfer to another CMS can also greatly cool the owner’s ardor. In the process of data transfer, many important events will have to be done that take days, weeks, and sometimes months, so this path is only patient;
  • Traffic loss, potential and even real users - the inevitable result of errors made when transferring. You can avoid them, but not as simple as it seems. Therefore, we have prepared step-by-step instructions, adhering to which we can avoid serious damage from changing the platform.

Content:

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All pros and cons of the CMS shift

Перенос сайта на новую cms фото

Let's look, what reasons should not be considered a good reason to transfer the site to a new engine. These include:

  • The desire to move from your CMS to a new one, which is praised by friends (advertising, reviews ...) 
    There is the expression “The best is the enemy of the good”, in this case it fits perfectly. Most modern CMSs are advanced engines that meet the requirements of the most legible users. Developers are working hard to improve existing and introduce new functions. If you are already using one of the popular products in the field of control systems, most likely the transfer of the site will be like changing the awl to soap, and the possible pros compared to real costs will be insignificant, whatever friends and “experts” say there.
     
  • Trying to save on the purchase of paid plugins and modules
    A set of built-in modules and free plugins for different CMSs is different. But saving when transferring a site to a new engine is likely to not help save a dime. The fact is that the cost of transferring the resource will in any case be higher than the cost of any paid plugins. And temporary losses and possible risks cannot be recouped at all.
     
  • Confidence that open source CMS is easy to crack
    This is a highly controversial statement that is not confirmed by anything. Bars can crack absolutely any site if they have such a goal. In addition, for more security, it is just better to choose a popular management system, whose specialists work day and night to skillfully repel attacks by intruders.
     
  • Deep knowledge of the work of another CMS
    No matter how superficial your skills in working with the engine on which your site is located are much simpler, faster and cheaper to get acquainted with its features and explore all the possibilities, than transferring a resource to another, the most to eat native CMS.
     
  • The feeling that some nuance is missing
    I don’t know what, but something seems to be wrong - a very dubious reason for moving the site to another CMS. Even if you do not get any particular opportunity or function, before translating the site, evaluate whether you really need this very opportunity or you can do without it. In addition, you can always contact the technical support of your system, suddenly your offer will be so interesting that developers will want to implement it in their product.

 

Transferring a site to another CMS is advisable if:

  • HTML site features are no longer enough to work
    The convenience and reliability of HTML sites cease to be encouraging when the site grows, and more than a dozen pages appear in its clip. In this case, really nothing can be done, you will need to move to a new spacious place of residence.
     
  • The platform does not cope with its task
    We are talking about self-written resources, the plus of which is individual elaboration for a specific project. Choosing such a platform, the owner of the site often deprives himself of many opportunities that he did not know about initially. Often, the refinement of a self-written site is either very expensive or impossible at all. In addition, linking to the creator of such a site can cause many problems. All this does not mean that “self-pissors” do not have the right to life. For large companies wishing to receive something special and not sparing money for it, this option may be ideal.

    If you used the services of such an original master, and then you stopped understanding each other or lost contact with him at all, then moving the site to a new engine is the only possible way.
     
  • The functionality of the site designer does not meet the needs of the project
    Often at the stage of business formation, we do not assume that after a number of years it will grow, and the capabilities of the selected designer will not be enough for the full functioning of the site.

    In addition, the designer does not allow to fully control the process. Usually at the start we are forced to save and choose what is simpler. Such frugality from a reasonable solution can turn into a headache and the need to transfer the resource to a serious CMS.

 

It is worth noting that all these reasons are caused by short-sightedness when choosing an engine for your own site. And, since such a need arose, when changing the platform, it is important to make the right choice, which will allow you to no longer return to this problem and will not make you think about moving again in a couple of years.

If you decide to transfer the site to a new cms, we recommend that you take our course "Searchman". Thanks to the course, you can get clear instructions, as well as our specialists will be able to minimize losses during moving. Register by link and start working on your site. And with the SEO-21 promo code, you will receive another additional bonus.

How to transfer a site and not lose ground: risks and opportunities to avoid problems

Как перенести сайт на новую CMS без потерь фото

 

Weighing all the pros and cons, it is important to be sure that moving the site to another CMS will do more than you lose in this process. And, no matter how hard you try, there will be losses in any case. But, if you approach the matter correctly, these losses can be made minimal.

New site structure

On the one hand, site structure change can be just one of the main issues that can be addressed through transfer. You should pre-write the types of pages and clearly structure their placement on the new engine. On the other hand, it is important to maintain what has been successfully implemented earlier.

New URLs

In different engines, the URL formation algorithm is its own. And despite the fact that all CMSs automatically create clear and logical links, nevertheless, when translating the site they will be different. It is advisable to ensure that the new URLs are minimally different from the previous ones. Of course, this should be done only if they were previously adequate.

To avoid unpleasant surprises pre-write URL templates, based on previously used.

In addition, you must carefully check each URL individually. Otherwise, may appear broken links or duplicates, that will affect both the ranking of the site and its assessment by visitors. 

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Redesign of redirects

Any site that has even the longest history usually manages to collect pages that give server code 301. We are talking about redirectes - forwarding to another page. When transferring the site, it is necessary to transfer all the redirectations so that visiting these pages does not lead to errors and the fair share of traffic is not lost.

Preliminarily create a table of all redirect links, that will not create problems when transferring a small site. Difficulties arise when working with resources of tens, or even hundreds of such pages. In this case, we recommend that you resort to the help of several services at once - Google Analytics, Ahrefs, Notepad ++, Netpeak Checker.

Using Google Analytics, we upload to a separate table a list of all URLs that served as the site entrance. Here we are interested in the reporting data of "Organic Search" of the subsection "Channels. It is advisable to obtain data for the longest possible period, at least a year.

The Ahrefs service allows you to obtain data on all pages of the site to which third-party resources are referenced (Link URL column). The sample is also unloaded into the table.

We delete duplicates using the TextFX function of the Notepad ++ service, after which we get a table with unique URLs.

It remains to check server response codes the URL we have collected will be useful for this purpose for the Netpeak Checker service. So we find out which pages have the code 200, that is, available. 

The resulting table will be required not only for verification, but also for setting redirectes from a new place of residence. It will allow you to lose nothing and keep all the traffic intact.

After the site is moved, the same check will allow you to find out if the redirectes are correctly configured: all similar new pages must also give the appropriate server response code..

Design

In order not to lose the position of the site when transferring to another CMS, it is important to take care not only of the “internal kitchen”, but also of the external component, which is primarily evaluated by users. A successful and memorable design is desirable to maintain. An exception is a complete rebranding and a change in design style. But in most cases, such changes are not required.

In order for the appearance to “not go” in a new place, you need to be very careful about the implementation of the transfer of design models (if any). If, when creating the initial version of the site, the design templates or the old CMS were used, it will definitely not work to save the design without any changes. In this case, the help of professional designers will be required. Alternatively, you can try to select more or less appropriate templates offered by the new CMS.

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Content loss

Content is not just texts, pictures and videos. In addition to the semantic load, it contains work on promotion in search engines. Removing content always leads to traffic losses. Therefore, it must either be fully retained or changed to the appropriate SEO movement.

It is very important before moving the site from one engine to another, back up all pages and content of the old resource. Depending on which platform was used initially, this can be done either using the functionality of the old CMS, or using the server control panel, which allows you to archive all the files and databases of the site.

Before starting work on moving the site, you should make sure that the backups are available for work. If the files cannot be used, we recommend sending a request to the hosting provider.

Analytics setup

We have to come to terms with the fact that the settings in Google Analytics and Yandex Metric will have to be re-implemented. We recommend that you prepare in advance for this process, recording the features of the filters you use, event settings and goals. 

The sequence of the process of transferring the site to the new CMS

Having chosen the most suitable control system for our site, as well as preserving and checking the functionality of the backup of the site on the old engine, we proceed to active actions to move.

The path to the new platform consists of the following steps:

  1. Choosing a new platform for the site

No matter how commonplace it may sound, but this is the most important stage when transferring the site. Often they forget about him or do not pay due attention to him. For the right choice, there is little advice from a friend or advertising that promises everything in the world of buns. It is necessary to clearly define:

  • cons of the current platform, which prompted the change of engine;
  • features and features of the new CMS (both built-in and additional plugins, including paid ones);
  • requirements for your own site and the goals that you want to achieve when transferring;
  • necessary functionality, the absence of which will not allow to get the most from your own resource.

Only by comparing and soberly evaluating all these data can we say with confidence that the choice of a new CMS is justified and fully meets your needs and expectations.

 

  1. Assessment of resource efficiency before transferring to a new CMS

We have already said that avoiding losses in the process of transferring the site is very difficult. But first of all, we need to record data that will be control in assessing these very losses. In addition to the possibility of assessment, analysis of control data and comparison with new indicators will help to make timely adjustments and achieve previous results.

When choosing evaluation criteria, rely on the information that interests you primarily in analyzing the effectiveness of the site. For control data, use the reports of Google Analytics and Yandex Metrics for a long period (from year) and recently (month).

You can also use information from analyzers such as Seprstat, Topvisor and others to compare data.

 

  1. Preparation of a technical task for programmers to implement a test version of the site

The main points in the technical task should be:

  • rules for the formation of the structure of the site;
  • URL creation templates;
  • metateche implementation briefing Title, Description, H1;
  • basic characteristics of the parameters:
  • indexing parameters, including closing pages from search bots;
  • detailed list of SEO applications.

 

  1. Checking the test version of the site

Before accepting the work of programmers who have prepared the test version of the site in accordance with the task, you need to analyze the work done and make sure that everything is done exactly as you required. First of all, we check:

  • compliance of the design with the stated requirements, the use of design models or a high-quality selection of replacement templates;
  • verification of exact compliance with all of the above points. In order for the process to go faster, and there were fewer possible errors and misunderstandings, we recommend that you do such a check not according to the readiness of the test version of the site, but during the implementation of each point of TK;
  • site usability audit: if possible, attract helpers from the outside or, acting independently, put yourself in the place of users and try to assess the convenience of the resource from the point of view of the visitor;
  • checking the functionality and performance of the test version of the resource.

 

  1. Creating a technical task for transferring the site to a new CMS

If the test version of the site completely suits you, prepare TK for its transfer and monitor the implementation of each stage. The main focus on:

  • formation server response code 301, in other words, control over redirectes;
  • transfer of verification files: saving the Yandex and Google service panels to avoid data loss;
  • data synchronization on the site: dates, contacts, other information must be true;
  • transfer of content to a new engine with data storage;
  • transfer of information about the transfer of the site and the changes made in connection with this to specialists who are working on optimization and promotion of the resource (targetologists, marketers, etc.);
  • the procedure for approving the test version of the site and data on an authorized person who has the right to confirm the beginning of the process of moving the site to a new platform.

 

  1. Configuring analytics services

As mentioned above, when transferring the site to another engine, all settings in Google Analytics and Yandex Metric will have to be re-completed. At the same stage, you need to configure ecommerce for sites using e-commerce services.

 

  1. Audit of a new site

In addition to the audit of the functioning of forms, buttons and links on the site, you should check:

  • Robots.txt file;
  • redirectes;
  • meta tags of each page;
  • correct vector counters.

Now we update the data in Google Analytics and Yandex Metric and begin to track statistics. At first time, it is recommended to daily check the position of the site and compare statistics with control ones. During the first weeks, there may be some decline (usually within 10-20 %), but after 3 - 5 weeks, if all the site transfer work was done without errors, the resource must win back previous positions.

Conclusions

Now you know how to transfer a site from one CMS to another without significant loss of position. This process is very time-consuming and difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to decide on it only when the benefits of transfer promise significant benefits, which will interrupt all possible risks and costs.

Remember: the correct choice of the platform, a clear understanding and observance of all necessary actions is the basis of success, which will avoid serious problems, and will also relieve the need to return to this issue again in the coming years.

And everything suits you in the current platform on which the site is located?