Migrating all at once
Re-constructing and checking all boxes before the final release
- Perfect for small, not overly-complex websites
- Complete product release
- Good choice for OK-functioning websites looking to improve
Migrating step-by-step
Releasing each new feature separately.
- Great for bigger projects
- Faster feature release
- Good choice for pages that need to get fixed ASAP
Is a Website Replatform Necessary?
Slow load times can seriously impact your sites or online store’s digital presence. Even hardcore digital marketers and SEO specialists will not be able to do much if your current website performs poorly, and a clunky site will turn away potential clients and affect your revenue. Perhaps it’s time to replatform your website.
If the user experience of your website is sub-par, the top of Google search results will remain out of reach. To get there, you’re going to need proper technical support to back up your content.
The goal of this article is to help you understand the process of migration better so that you can communicate your needs to developers more efficiently. We’re going to go over some symptoms which may indicate whether you need to start the replatforming project of your website.
What is Replatforming
Replatforming is migrating your data to a different CMS. There could be hundreds of reasons to migrate your data to a different platform. However, the most prevailing reasons are:
- Slow website
- Limited scalability
- Bad customer experience
- High maintenance costs
- Limited integration features of your current CMS
- Security issues
- SEO in need of improvement
Replatforming can be a very cost-efficient investment. Kiwi Storage wanted to migrate from their WordPress website due to several limitations, including restricted functionality, reliance on external developers, and security concerns. Their migration allowed for better content management and integration of custom features. Not to mention a superb site performance!
And, as technology keeps moving forward, the businesses that are unaware of the new software solutions are simply falling behind.
Choosing a New CMS for Replatforming
When deciding to replatform, it’s essential to understand the differences between a traditional CMS and a headless CMS.
Headless CMS
A headless CMS, such as Contentful or Sanity, decouples the content management from the presentation layer. The content is stored and managed separately from how it’s displayed, allowing it to be delivered to multiple platforms through APIs.
Many businesses are shifting to headless CMSs for their performance benefits and the ability to create seamless omnichannel experiences. A headless setup can future-proof your website, allowing you to integrate new technologies more easily, but requires technical expertise to set up and maintain.
Migration to a headless CMS is a very common occurrence among businesses.
Lyngen North migrated to a headless CMS from WordPress to improve management and flexibility, addressing WordPress’s limitations in functionality and integrations. They needed a fast, high-performance site for high-resolution visuals without compromising speed. The switch to Sanity enhanced scalability, content control, and SEO optimization.
Lyngen North
Building a Super-Fast Jamstack Website for the Extraordinary Hotel at the Edge of the World
READ CASE STUDY
If you find out more about headless CMS, be sure to read our articles on the advantages of the headless approach and the 5 best headless CMS available on the market.
Traditional CMS
Platforms like WordPress and Drupal are traditional CMSs. They combine both the content management and presentation layers in one system, meaning the backend (where you create content) and the frontend (how the content is displayed) are tightly integrated.
While this approach can be easier to set up and manage, it can limit flexibility, especially when delivering content across multiple platforms like mobile apps, websites, and other channels.
How to Migrate Your Current Platform
There are two most prominent ways of replatforming a website. One is taking the time and migrating the data all at once. The other is migrating the data step by step.
Deciding to Replatform All at Once
Replatforming everything at once works well if you have clear documentation and a well-defined migration plan. Not everyone can afford a brief downtime for testing and deploying the site, but if you can or the old system is becoming too costly or cumbersome to maintain, migrating everything at the same time is a great choice.
Pros:
- All your data is transferred at once
- Unified user experience
- Easier testing and debugging
- Simpler project management
Cons:
- It can be time-consuming
- Your old website with all its issues will have to remain in use until the update
Switch Your Website to a New Platform Step-By-Step
Instead of replatforming and re-constructing everything at once, you can release the new version of your website step-by-step. To do that, your devs are going to be re-writing HTTP and directing traffic through path-based routing.
Step-by-step migration approach is best when your site is large, needs to stay operational at all times, or you have budget constraints. It’s also helpful if your team has limited capacity, as they can work in manageable phases instead of handling everything.
Pros:
- You can deliver parts of the new website quicker
- Add new features step-by-step
- Replace problematic systems and infrastructure sooner
- Deliver new functionalities for a better user experience
Cons:
- Requires complex methods of integrating new modules with the old system while transferring data
Successful Replatforming Can Be Complicated
The best approach to replatforming depends on your specific situation. If you have the time and want to introduce your new platform with a big launch, replatforming everything at once could make sense. But if you’re aiming to improve the customer experience as soon as possible, the incremental step-by-step method might be the better choice.
Keep in mind that whether you choose the step-by-step or the all-at-once method for migration without proper preparation, you’re still going to be running in the dark. It’s important to have the process figured out before you start to avoid additional costs.
If you do not have a clear-cut path to reinventing your website, you should consider hiring professionals to help you. In the long run, you’ll save yourself a lot of nerves and money.
Need professional help with replatforming your website?
Website Replatforming Checklist and Best Practices
Below you’ll find a list of what is needed to carry out the replatforming process smoothly.
Keep the Layout Consistent
First of all, the page content, the header, and the footer all have to be consistent throughout your pages. When replatforming your website, chances are you’re looking to create and launch an entirely new website. More often than not, this means switching to a new content management system and doing so while continuing to work on the old one can confuse you and your users.
To keep both the old and the new sites consistent consider either updating the old version with the new design or copying the design of the old version and applying it to the new one until the project is finished.
Don’t forget details like error pages and favicons. These might seem irrelevant, but they’re necessary to keep your website consistent.
Provide a Single Shared Session for the Entire Site
If you have a marketing background, you already the customer journey should remain as smooth as possible. To achieve this, we must apply a single shared session for the entire platform.
It’s no secret people generally find accepting cookies annoying, so it’s better to avoid forcing them to do this again each time your website switches from the old version to the new one.
More importantly in the case of eCommerce sites, you don’t want your customers to lose their carts when, for example, moving from the cart section to the transaction section. This small issue could end up costing a lot of money and customer loyalty.
Check Third-Party Scripts and Tags
Regardless if you’re using WordPress, Sanity, or any other content management system, you’re no stranger to 3rd party tools integration.
Oftentimes analytics tools for ad tracking and site verification like Google Pixel are installed in both the <head> and <body> parts of your websites.
To keep things consistent, be sure these get either transferred or replaced so your site can keep collecting the necessary data. You don’t want to lose your analytics tools during the replatforming process!
Include the New Site’s Pages in the Sitemap
A sitemap is an .XML file that holds information about different elements like pages, images, videos, and all the other files on your website. It also includes important information about all of the relationships between them.
To ensure the proper functionality of your new site, your developers have to remember to include all the pages from the new site in the sitemap. Create an index file with sitemaps from both the new and the old versions of your website.
Do I Need to Migrate My Website?
The crucial part is to recognize whether your website’s performance issues aren’t slowing your business down or impacting search engine optimization. Then, once you’ve recognized the problem, it may be time to make an educated choice of deciding to go all out and migrate all of the data at once or do so through the step-by-step method. You might want to reach out for professional help in new system integration or even a website audit to optimize the migration process.
While you might be tempted to invest in paid ads and promotions, these will not bring you the benefits you’re looking for if your website is not up to the task. Replatforming and maintenance costs will be nothing compared to what you are bound to lose in the long run if your existing website lacks in performance and doesn’t suit your business needs.
Ready to replatform your website?
