Migrating From WordPress to Webcow: Step-by-Step ChecklistMigrating a website from WordPress to Webcow can feel like moving into a new house: exciting, a bit stressful, and requiring careful packing so nothing gets lost. This step-by-step checklist will guide you through planning, preparation, migration, verification, and post-launch tasks to make the transition smooth and preserve SEO, content integrity, and user experience.
Before you start: planning and requirements
- Inventory your current site
- List all pages, posts, custom post types, and taxonomies.
- Note media files (images, videos), downloadable assets (PDFs, ZIPs), and any dynamic content (forms, e-commerce, user accounts).
- Catalog active plugins and their functionality (SEO, caching, analytics, forms, e-commerce, membership, redirects).
- Identify Webcow equivalents
- Confirm which WordPress features require replacements (for example, forms, SEO tools, e-commerce).
- Check Webcow’s built-in capabilities and available integrations or plugins.
- Make a plan for any custom functionality (custom post types, shortcodes, theme-specific features).
- Backup and staging
- Full backup of your WordPress site (files + database).
- Set up a staging environment for the Webcow site (use a subdomain or local environment).
- Decide on a migration window with minimal traffic impact.
- SEO and analytics planning
- Export current SEO settings (meta titles/descriptions, structured data, canonical tags) and a list of indexed URLs.
- Prepare analytics tracking (Google Analytics/GA4, server logs) and confirm how to deploy in Webcow.
Step 1 — Prepare the Webcow environment
- Create your Webcow project
- Set up the Webcow account and create a new site or project in staging mode.
- Configure hosting and domain
- Point a staging subdomain to Webcow, or prepare local environment.
- Note DNS and domain transfer steps for final launch.
- Theme and design
- Choose a Webcow theme or start a custom template.
- Recreate global elements: header, footer, navigation, site logo, and color scheme.
- Create reusable components (page sections, blocks) to match WordPress templates.
- Plugins and integrations
- Install and configure equivalents for SEO, caching, analytics, and other necessary integrations.
- Set up forms, payment gateways, and any third-party services.
Step 2 — Export content from WordPress
- Standard content export
- Use WordPress Tools → Export to export Posts, Pages, and Media as XML.
- Export custom post types and taxonomies (use plugins like WP All Export if needed).
- Media files
- Download the /wp-content/uploads/ directory via FTP or hosting control panel to preserve original file paths and names.
- Databases and advanced content
- Export your WordPress database (mysqldump or hosting control panel) for reference or if you need raw content.
- Export menus and widget content (some themes/plugins may require manual recreation).
- SEO and redirects
- Export Yoast/All-in-One SEO settings if used (many plugins provide export options).
- Export current redirects (Redirection plugin or server config).
- Generate an up-to-date sitemap.xml and a list of indexed URLs.
Step 3 — Import content into Webcow
- Use Webcow import tools
- If Webcow offers a direct WordPress import, use that to migrate posts/pages and media.
- For custom or complex content, use CSV/JSON imports or Webcow’s API.
- Manual migration for complex content
- Recreate custom post types and fields in Webcow, mapping WordPress fields to Webcow structures.
- Import media into Webcow’s media library, preserving filenames and alt text.
- Recreate menus, widgets, and sidebars using Webcow’s navigation and block system.
- Migrate users (if needed)
- Export users from WordPress (CSV) and import into Webcow or set up single sign-on if supported.
- Reapply SEO metadata
- Ensure meta titles, descriptions, canonical tags, and structured data are set per page/post in Webcow.
- Recreate schema markup where necessary.
Step 4 — Rebuild dynamic features
- Forms and submissions
- Recreate forms in Webcow and connect submission handling (email, CRM, or webhook).
- Test form validations and submission flows.
- E-commerce and payments
- If you run a store, recreate products, categories, variations, and shipping rules in Webcow’s e-commerce module or connected platform.
- Migrate order history and customer data according to privacy and compliance needs.
- Custom code and scripts
- Move custom JavaScript, CSS, and code snippets into Webcow’s asset system.
- Recreate shortcodes and dynamic widgets as Webcow components or scripts.
- Third-party integrations
- Reconnect analytics, tag managers, CRM integrations, and marketing tools.
- Verify API keys and webhooks.
Step 5 — Preserve SEO and URL structure
- Maintain URL paths
- Keep page and post URLs identical when possible. If URLs must change, prepare 301 redirects.
- Create a redirect map: old URL → new URL.
- Redirect implementation
- Implement redirects in Webcow or at the server/DNS level. Test each redirect.
- Retain any hreflang, canonical, and pagination tags.
- Sitemaps and robots
- Generate and submit a new sitemap.xml.
- Update robots.txt if needed.
- Monitor search performance
- Add the Webcow site to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Upload the new sitemap and watch for crawl/indexing issues.
Step 6 — Testing and QA
- Functional testing
- Test all pages, forms, search, filtering, and interactive elements.
- Verify user account flows, signups, logins, and password resets.
- Visual testing
- Check responsive behavior on multiple devices and browsers.
- Verify images, videos, and lazy-loading behavior.
- Performance and security
- Test site speed (core web vitals), enable caching and CDN.
- Ensure HTTPS is configured and valid.
- Run security scans and check permissions.
- Accessibility
- Validate basic accessibility: alt text, heading structure, keyboard navigation, and color contrast.
Step 7 — Launch
- Final pre-launch checklist
- Confirm backups of WordPress and Webcow staging.
- Ensure redirect map is complete and tested.
- Verify analytics tracking and conversion goals.
- DNS switch
- Update DNS to point your domain to Webcow’s servers. Monitor propagation.
- Keep the old WordPress site available (read-only) for a short time as a fallback.
- Post-launch monitoring (first 72 hours)
- Watch server logs, Google Search Console, and analytics for errors, traffic drops, or crawl issues.
- Test key user journeys and forms live.
Step 8 — Post-migration tasks
- Cleanup and optimization
- Remove unused assets and plugins.
- Optimize images and enable caching/CDN.
- Update internal links and canonical tags
- Search the site for any lingering links that point to the old domain or URLs; update them.
- Re-submit sitemaps and monitor indexing
- Re-submit sitemap to search engines and monitor indexing status for a few weeks.
- Review SEO performance
- Compare rankings and organic traffic against pre-migration baselines; address any drops with targeted fixes.
Common pitfalls and troubleshooting
- Missing media or broken images: ensure all media files were transferred and paths updated.
- Broken redirects: test redirect map thoroughly; small typos cause 404 loops.
- Lost SEO metadata: export/import meta fields and validate post-migration.
- Functionality gaps: identify plugin replacements before migration to avoid broken features.
Quick migration checklist (summary)
- Backup WordPress (files + DB)
- Set up Webcow staging site
- Inventory content, plugins, and media
- Export content, media, and SEO data from WordPress
- Import content and recreate templates/components in Webcow
- Rebuild forms, e-commerce, and integrations
- Implement redirects and keep URL structure where possible
- Test thoroughly (functional, visual, performance, accessibility)
- Switch DNS and launch
- Monitor, optimize, and resolve post-launch issues
Migrating from WordPress to Webcow is manageable with careful planning, thorough testing, and attention to SEO and user experience. Follow this checklist to reduce risk and make the transition as seamless as moving into that well-organized new house.
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