Website Migration

The hard part of a migration is not copying files; it is making the switch without visitors noticing. We install and test the site on the new server, then point the DNS once everything works. Both copies stay up during the switch, so nobody hits a dead page. Afterwards we crawl links and redirects to check that nothing was left behind.

When you need it

When the server slows down, when the hosting company stops answering, when the cost jumps unexpectedly, or when you take over a site from someone else. If you bought the domain from a previous owner, records left behind by the old setup need cleaning up too.

What usually gets missed

Image and file links left hard-coded with the old server's address, scheduled jobs not recreated on the new server, and email records changed along with the site records so post stops arriving. The link and 404 scan after the move exists precisely to catch these.

Effect on search rankings

If the domain does not change and the URL structure is preserved, a migration has no lasting effect on rankings. The risk lies in the site being unreachable for a long stretch during the switch, or in URLs changing quietly. Preventing both is the real work of a migration; where a URL does have to change, the old address is connected to the new one with a 301.

When the old server is switched off

Not before everything has settled on the new one. We give you a checklist for shutting it down, and keeping the backups for a while longer is on that list.