Website migration: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering website migration
You move websites between hosts, platforms and domains, so clients judge you on a smooth switch with no lost pages, forms or email. A careful redirect plan and a tested new site protect their traffic.
What customers ask
- Will I lose my search traffic?
- Will my email still work?
- How long will the site be down?
- Can you test it before the switch?
- What if something breaks?
How to win the job
- On the first call, ask the current host and platform, the new target, the site size and the email setup
- Make a full backup and a crawl of the old site before any change
- Build the redirect map and check each important page
- Test the new site, the forms, the email and the tracking before the switch
- Schedule the switch for a quiet time and tell the client the plan in writing
- Monitor the site after the switch and report any problems
What to put on your profile
- Before and after migration examples with the redirect counts
- The hosts and platforms you move sites between
- Your testing and switch process in plain words
- Your insurance and training details
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Offer a search check a few weeks after the move
- Remind the client to update links in their own profiles and listings
- Send a note on keeping redirects in place for a long period
Licenses and permits
Website migration is usually not licensed. Check state and local rules for business registration and for how client data is handled during the move, and keep your insurance and confidentiality terms current.
Questions
What do I do when the client wants to change the design during the move?
Separate the design change from the move, so the move can be tested. Quote the design work as its own job.
How do I handle a client who says the traffic dropped after the switch?
Check the redirects, the errors and the indexing first, then report the findings and fix any missed pages.
Pro reviewers
Pros who offer website migration remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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