Website migration: How to update your website without losing everything

Refreshing your website shouldn't feel like walking a tightrope - but without the right planning, even a small site update can trigger a big drop in traffic, rankings, and user trust.

We've seen how website migrations can either set a brand up for long-term success - or send it into digital freefall. The good news? A successful migration is entirely achievable with the right approach, tools, and team.

This guide walks you through what to know, what to avoid, and how we use platforms like Umbraco CMS to make migrations smooth, scalable, and SEO-friendly.

What is a website migration?

Website migration is any major change to your site that affects how it's structured, indexed, or accessed - whether that's a redesign, domain change, new CMS, content overhaul, or all of the above.

It's exciting, but it's also high-risk. One wrong step (like forgetting to redirect your top pages) can mean broken links, lost search rankings, and confused users.

We've seen horror stories where a business changed domains and forgot to redirect - wiping out years of SEO equity overnight. It doesn't have to be that way.

Why businesses migrate their websites

Some of the most common reasons we see for migration include:

• Rebranding or redesigning a dated site
• Switching to a better CMS (hello, Umbraco)
• Consolidating multiple domains
• Improving speed, mobile experience, or site structure
• Expanding into new markets

Whatever the reason, the goal is the same: improve performance, usability, and visibility. But if done without a plan, the results can be the opposite.

Our go-to CMS for migration: Why we use Umbraco

When it comes to migrations, Umbraco CMS is our platform of choice - and for good reason. As an open-source CMS, it gives us (and our clients) total flexibility without locking you into rigid templates or clunky backends.

Here's why Umbraco works so well for migrations:

• Full control over URL structure
  Makes it easy to match or improve your existing page structure, reducing SEO risk.
• Clean code and fast load times
  A performance win for users and search engines.
• Editor-friendly interface
  Your team can manage content post-migration without needing a developer.
• Scalability
  Perfect for businesses looking to grow or expand functionality over time.
• Custom development
  We can build anything you need - and it will integrate smoothly.

If you're moving away from WordPress, Wix, or another platform, Umbraco gives you a cleaner, faster foundation with no bloat and more future-proof flexibility.

The migration checklist (without the chaos)

Here's how we approach every site migration - with strategy, testing, and SEO baked into every step.

Pre-migration

• Audit your current site
  What's working? What are your top-performing pages?
• Benchmark performance
  Traffic, keywords, backlinks, bounce rate.
• Crawl your existing site
  Build a full map of URLs.
• Plan your redirects
  Every old page needs a home.
• Set up a staging environment
  This is where the magic (safely) happens.

Migration launch

• Time it right
  Choose a low-traffic period if possible.
• Go live with redirects in place.
• Check functionality
  Forms, menus, mobile, internal links.
• Submit your new sitemap to Google Search Console.
• Keep a close eye on crawl errors and indexing.

Post-migration

• Monitor traffic and rankings daily for the first few weeks.
• Fix any broken links or indexing issues.
• Re-check mobile usability and page speed.
• Continue improving content and structure based on performance.

Don't just launch and leave - your website needs active support through the post-migration phase to make sure everything settles in smoothly.

How to protect SEO in a website migration

Search engine visibility is often the first thing to suffer if a migration goes wrong - which is why SEO needs to be a central part of the process, not an afterthought.

Here's how we safeguard your SEO:

• 1:1 redirect mapping for all pages
• Preserve existing meta titles, descriptions, and headers where appropriate
• Clean up or consolidate duplicate content
• Use canonical tags properly to avoid dilution
• Ensure Google can crawl and index the new site quickly
• Retain internal link structure
• Update backlinks where possible (especially if changing domain)

At Lemonade, our in-house SEO experts work alongside our developers and designers from day one, so there's no disconnect between the new design and your existing rankings.

Should you DIY or bring in the experts?

If your site is small and simple, a DIY migration might be feasible. But for most businesses, especially those reliant on organic traffic, it pays to get expert support.

Our Perth-based team handles the design, development, SEO, and migration process in-house, using Umbraco CMS to build powerful, search-optimised sites that don't skip a beat during launch.

Final thoughts

Website migration isn't just a technical job - it's a strategic one. With the right planning, tools, and platform, you can relaunch your site with better performance, improved UX, and zero SEO panic.

We've helped dozens of businesses migrate and modernise without losing visibility or momentum - and we can do the same for you.

Whether you're rebranding, upgrading your CMS, or just looking for better performance, Lemonade can help you migrate with confidence.