Move your website to a new platform
Moving your website to a new platform means a full redirect map, carrying over content and SEO details, and switching DNS without breaking email. Here's the safe order.
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16things this change touches
- critical1
- high12
- moderate3
- low0
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical website platform plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Build a full 301 redirect map
Critical · Website & DNS
Visitors and search engines hit 'page not found' errors, and rankings and the value of inbound links can drop for months.
Set up payments, taxes and shipping, and place real test orders
Critical · Banking & payments
Customers can't pay, or are charged the wrong tax or shipping, on launch day.
Point your domain at the new platform
Critical · Website & DNS
Changing the wrong records, or moving DNS hosting without recreating every record, can take the site or your email offline.
Inventory every page and file on the current site
High · Website & DNS
Pages that nobody remembered (old blog posts, landing pages, PDFs) disappear and their links break.
Domain, DNS or email bought through the old platform or host
High · Website & DNS
Cancelling the old platform could take your domain, DNS records or email with it, taking the new site and your mailboxes offline.
Export all pages, posts and media
High · Data & files
Pages, images or posts are lost when the old platform is cancelled.
WordPress: take a full backup, not just the XML export
High · Data & files
Plugin data, form entries, settings or media you assumed were in the export are gone when the old hosting ends.
Plan for Shopify's fixed URL structure
High · Website & DNS
Without redirects, almost every product and page URL from the old store breaks at launch.
Carry over titles, meta descriptions and headings
High · Website & DNS
Pages launch with default titles or missing descriptions, and rankings slip.
Rebuild forms and check where submissions go
High · Website & DNS
Leads go nowhere, or notification emails go to an old address or land in spam.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- Inventory every page and file on the current site
- Domain, DNS or email bought through the old platform or host
- Export all pages, posts and media
- WordPress: take a full backup, not just the XML export
- Export past form submissions
- Build a full 301 redirect map
- Plan for Shopify's fixed URL structure
- Carry over titles, meta descriptions and headings
- Rebuild structured data
- Rebuild forms and check where submissions go
- Reconnect newsletter sign-ups and pop-ups
- Migrate products, variants, images and inventory
After the change
- Bring over customer accounts (passwords won't come across)
- Bring over order history
- Point your domain at the new platform
- Remove 'noindex' and password protection at launch
- Reinstall analytics, ad pixels and conversion tracking
- Check Search Console and submit the new sitemap
- Test every old URL on the live site
- Confirm HTTPS works on every version of the domain
- Submit forms and place a real order on the live site
- Check accessibility and page speed
- Keep the old site and a full backup until the new one is proven
- Cancel the old platform or hosting last
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: Inventory the current site
Every URL, plus where your domain, DNS and email really live.
- Inventory every page and file on the current site (high risk)
- Domain, DNS or email bought through the old platform or host (high risk)
Step 2: Export content and data
A complete copy you control, separate from both platforms.
- Export all pages, posts and media (high risk)
- WordPress: take a full backup, not just the XML export (high risk)
- Export past form submissions (moderate risk)
Step 3: Map redirects and SEO details
Old URLs to new ones, plus titles, descriptions and structured data.
- Build a full 301 redirect map (critical risk)
- Plan for Shopify's fixed URL structure (high risk)
- Carry over titles, meta descriptions and headings (high risk)
- Rebuild structured data (moderate risk)
Step 4: Build and connect the new site
Forms, checkout, integrations and the scripts the old theme carried.
- Rebuild forms and check where submissions go (high risk)
- Reconnect newsletter sign-ups and pop-ups (high risk)
- Migrate products, variants, images and inventory (high risk)
- Set up payments, taxes and shipping, and place real test orders (critical risk)
- and 2 more
Step 5: Review the new site on staging
Check every important page before anything goes live.
- Review the new site on staging, page by page (high risk)
During the change
Step 6: Bring over the latest customer data
Customers, orders and balances, as close to launch as possible.
- Bring over customer accounts (passwords won't come across) (high risk)
- Bring over order history (moderate risk)
Step 7: Launch: switch DNS and go live
Change only the records the site needs, and make it visible to search engines.
- Point your domain at the new platform (critical risk)
- Remove 'noindex' and password protection at launch (high risk)
- Reinstall analytics, ad pixels and conversion tracking (high risk)
Immediately after
Step 8: Update search engines
Search Console and a fresh sitemap.
- Check Search Console and submit the new sitemap (high risk)
Verify
Step 9: Test redirects, HTTPS, forms and checkout
Prove the live site works the way staging did.
- Test every old URL on the live site (high risk)
- Confirm HTTPS works on every version of the domain (high risk)
- Submit forms and place a real order on the live site (high risk)
- Check accessibility and page speed (moderate risk)
Clean up
Step 10: Retire the old platform
Keep it until the new site is proven, then cancel.
- Keep the old site and a full backup until the new one is proven (high risk)
- Cancel the old platform or hosting last (high risk)
Later
Step 11: Watch search traffic and errors
Site moves settle over weeks to months.
- Watch search traffic and crawl errors for a few months (high risk)
Why this change needs a plan
Moving from WordPress to Shopify, Squarespace, Webflow or another platform is a rebuild, not a copy. Page addresses usually change, forms and checkout are rebuilt, and things like analytics tags, site verification codes and customer passwords don't come across on their own.
The biggest long-term risk is search traffic. Without a redirect for every old URL, visitors and search engines hit dead pages and rankings can take months to recover. The biggest launch-day risk is DNS: changing the wrong record can take your site or your email offline.
The safe approach is to inventory the old site, build and test the new one on staging, launch with redirects already in place, and keep the old platform until you've checked everything works.
Why it matters
Your website is often where customers find you, buy from you and contact you. A careless move can cost search rankings, break checkout and lose leads from forms.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest when URLs change on a site that gets search traffic, when you run an online store (especially with subscriptions), when your domain, DNS or email were bought through the old platform, and when you change domain at the same time.
Common mistakes
- Redirecting every old URL to the home page instead of to the closest matching new page.
- Launching with the staging site's 'noindex' or password setting still on.
- Moving DNS hosting or nameservers without recreating email records, which takes email offline.
- Not telling store customers they'll need to set a new password on the new platform.
- Cancelling the old platform before checking whether the domain or email was billed through it.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my Google rankings if I change website platforms?
Rankings can dip for a while, but a complete 301 redirect map, carried-over titles and descriptions, and a new sitemap give you the best chance of keeping them. Google's site move guidance covers this in detail.
Do I need redirects if my domain stays the same?
Yes, if any page addresses change, which they usually do when you change platforms. Each old URL should redirect permanently to its closest new page.
Will customer passwords transfer to the new store?
Generally no. Platforms store passwords in a way that can't be moved, so customers usually need to activate their account or set a new password. Plan an email to let them know.
Will my email stop working when I move my website?
It shouldn't, as long as you only change the DNS records the website needs and leave email (MX) and verification records alone. Take extra care if you're also moving DNS hosting or nameservers.
When can I cancel the old platform?
After DNS has fully moved, redirects and checkout are verified, and you've kept a complete export. Check first whether your domain or email is billed through the old platform.