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2 Jul 20266 min readn3ver25

Replace an old site page by page, without closing the shop

A site that still has customers on it does not have to go dark for a month. Move the pages that earn first and let both run side by side.

Diagram of a phased site migration

Clients with an existing site all ask the same thing: how many days will it be down? None, if the order of work is right.

Start with the pages that earn

Analytics will tell you which pages get the traffic and which ones lead to an enquiry. Those move first; the rest follow.

What to have ready

  • Every existing URL, so redirects keep the rankings you already have
  • The content that has to come across: articles, images, product records
  • Who actually holds the domain and hosting accounts

A new site that loses the rankings the old one had is not a finished job.

n3ver25

n3ver25

Full-stack web developer

Freelance web developer, writing both the front end and the back end. Six years of building websites.