Facing an upcoming content migration? Mairéad Cahalan, Editor of eumom.ie, talks us through eumom’s recent redesign and content migration, plus shares tips on maintaining SEO traffic post-migration.
In early 2017, we launched a newly designed eumom.ie website. The goal of this new design was to not only look better but to function better too. Our old website had become sluggish, and hard to navigate in comparison to other similar websites. The user experience had become frustrating, with no proper mobile optimisation, slow load times, and an unclear navigation. We needed to up our game.
And in order for this to happen, we made the decision to change platform. We went from a glitchy WordPress site, that could no longer physically hold our vast and growing amount of content, to a shiny new Kentico platform.
Changing the platform on which eumom.ie was built meant one mammoth task was ahead of us: Content Migration.
What is a content migration?
In the context of eumom.ie, a content migration refers to moving web content from one platform to another. Content migration should be one of the final steps in a well-thought-out development plan, that involves user-first thinking. A content migration takes a huge collaborative effort from all areas of business, including content management, IT, design and, of course, whoever is holding the purse strings! A simple way to summarise a content migration is that it’s just like moving house. You’ll need to go through all your things, figure out what you really need to bring, and what can be left behind. And thus, let the content migration begin!
So, how do we get started?
Ahead of the eumom content migration, we had some concerns. We were essentially moving thousands and thousands of content pieces from one platform to another. It would be impossible to bring it all with us in one sitting, so what should come first? And most importantly, how will this affect our SEO traffic, on which we rely heavily?
We spent time researching, talked to experts, consulted with SEO specialists, and together with our Digital Agency, Arekibo, we devised a plan. And a plan that worked! Aside from some minimal fluctuations post-launch, our SEO traffic has remained as healthy as ever! And here’s how you can do it too.
Content Migration Tips:
1. Audit Your SEO Content
What is your audience looking for? And will the content you bring meet their expectations? Find out what your highest-performing SEO content is. This will tell you what your audience needs. These should be top of your list to bring to the new website.
2. Bring High Performers
If you have strong social media or email channels, you may have some content with really high engagement rates, that may not necessarily rank for SEO. So, check your highest-performing content pieces on Google Analytics, and bring those too.
3. Bring Newly-published Content
Depending on the type of website you’re running, you may have lots of brand new content that has not yet hit its full SEO potentially. Bring this with you. You’ve probably spent lots of time and money creating it, so no point leaving it behind, especially as it is fresh and current. In the case of eumom.ie, we brought everything that had been published in the previous 12 months, on top of our best SEO content.
4. Optimise Content For Search
Take your full list of content and ensure that every single page is fully optimised for search. Meta titles, meta descriptions, keywords and interlinking should be your priorities.
5. Set Up Redirects
If, like with eumom.ie, you are going to be leaving some poorly performing or dated content behind, make sure to set up redirects from these content pieces to relevant pages on the new website to avoid 404s and a negative user experience.
Once you have these things sorted, you’re pretty much good to go! A content migration takes time, concentration, strategic thinking, patience, plus lots of coffee and cake! Take the time, get it right, and the results will shine through. Best of luck!
