CMS migration
A CMS migration moves a website’s content, media, URLs and the editorial practices that produce them from one content management system to another. Transferring the data is only part of it, because templates, permissions, approval workflows and integrations also have to be rebuilt.
Definition and how it works
A CMS migration starts with decisions, not with the copy. The existing content is inventoried, then sorted into what is kept, rewritten or retired. Mapping each old content type to the new ones is decided at the start of the project. Finally, every old URL has to lead somewhere, for example through a permanent redirect (status 301).
The strategies and phases of such a project are covered in our article CMS replatforming project overview.
Related terms: Content lifecycle · Content management system · Content Type · Enterprise CMS
Resources that cover this term
CMS migration vs website redesign: the differences
A redesign changes presentation and journeys. A migration changes the system that stores and delivers content. When the two happen together and traffic drops, it becomes hard to isolate the cause.
| Term | What distinguishes it |
|---|---|
| Website redesign | Changes design and journeys. Can happen without changing CMS. |
| Replatforming | A platform change. It covers the CMS migration and can extend to the tools around it. |
| Content lifecycle | The stages of content from creation to retirement. A migration catches up on retirements that never happened. |
Frequently asked questions
Should every old page be carried over to the new CMS?
Carrying everything over also carries over what is outdated. Look at what is visited, up to date and owned by someone, then decide what is kept, rewritten or retired. A retired page still needs a defined outcome. Its URL should redirect to the closest content or return a status saying it no longer exists.
Does a CMS migration cost search rankings?
It can, especially when URLs change without redirects. Possible causes include missing or chained redirects, lost title tags and broken internal links. A redirect plan tested before go-live and monitoring for several weeks afterwards reduce the risk, though they cannot remove it entirely.