Redirect mapping
Every URL on the old site is inventoried, including the ones nobody remembers. Each is mapped one-to-one to its replacement, or deliberately retired with a reason. Chains and loops are eliminated before launch.
Website migrations
Website migration services that keep the search equity you already have
Platform changes, host moves, and URL restructures handled as one project: redirect mapping, content parity, staging, a written cutover plan, and a rollback path. The goal is a site that gains new capability without losing what already worked.
What a migration involves
Three things have to be right, in this order.
A migration is development, hosting, DNS, redirects, and SEO risk management at the same time. Skipping any one of them is how sites lose visibility after a move.
Content parity
Titles, descriptions, headings, body copy, images, alt text, and structured data are compared page by page. Anything that ranked or converted on the old site is accounted for on the new one, not rebuilt from memory.
Cutover and rollback
DNS changes, SSL, forms, analytics, and Search Console are sequenced so the switch is a planned event with a checklist, and the old site stays intact until the new one is verified.
The approach
Inventory first, launch last.
The sequence matters because every later step depends on the redirect map and parity sheet being complete.
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Inventory the current site
A full crawl plus Search Console and analytics exports establish what exists, what gets traffic, what gets links, and what can be retired.
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Build the redirect map and parity sheet
Old URL to new URL, one line each. Metadata and content are reconciled in the same document so nothing depends on recall at launch.
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Build and verify on staging
The new site is built on a staging environment that search engines cannot index. Redirects, forms, images, and templates are tested there first.
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Plan the cutover
A written sequence covers backups, DNS timing, SSL, cache clearing, form testing, and the exact moment indexing is switched on. Lower DNS time-to-live in advance so the change propagates quickly.
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Launch, then watch
Redirects are re-crawled, the sitemap is submitted, and Search Console coverage and error reports are monitored for the following weeks. The staging backup is kept until the live site is fully validated.
Types of migration
The moves Webbify handles
Each one has a different risk profile, but the method is the same: inventory, map, build on staging, cut over on a checklist, and monitor.
- Squarespace, Wix, or another builder to WordPress
- WordPress to a code-first stack such as Astro or Next.js
- One WordPress host to another, including cPanel-based hosting
- Domain changes and HTTP to HTTPS moves
- URL structure changes during a redesign on the same platform
- Consolidating two sites into one
In practice
A Squarespace refresh that became a WordPress migration.
Lily Lane Aesthetics is the clearest example of why migrations need their own plan.
The engagement started as improvements to an existing Squarespace site. As the practice’s requirements grew, so did the scope: a custom WordPress rebuild with hand-written HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, built on a Webbify staging environment, with the Squarespace content migrated and every retired URL redirected. Deployment planning covered backups, database export, domain and hosting migration, SSL, form testing, cache clearing, and a final indexing check before the staging backup was released.
Honest expectations
What a migration protects, and what it cannot promise
- Some short-term fluctuation in search visibility is normal after a migration while search engines re-crawl and re-evaluate. Careful redirects and parity minimize it; nothing eliminates it.
- A migration preserves what a site already has. It does not by itself improve rankings, traffic, or leads.
- DNS propagation and third-party services such as email, booking, or payment tools can add steps outside Webbify’s control. They are planned for, not promised around.
- If a page on the old site was thin or duplicated, the honest move is often to consolidate it rather than migrate it as-is. That gets discussed, not decided quietly.
Where this fits
Migrations usually sit inside a redesign or a technical SEO project
Questions
What people ask before moving a site.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I move platforms?
Not if the migration is planned. Losses usually come from missing redirects, changed page content, staging sites left indexable, or launching before the new site is verified. All four are avoidable. Some short-term movement is still normal while search engines re-crawl.
Should I move from Squarespace to WordPress?
Only if you have outgrown what Squarespace can do: custom layouts, more control over performance and SEO, deeper integrations, or content structures the builder cannot express. If Squarespace still fits, the better investment is usually improving the site you have.
How long does a migration take?
It depends on page count, how much content is being rebuilt versus moved, and how many third-party services are attached. A small site with a clean redirect map is a different project from a large site with years of URL changes. Scope is set after the inventory, not before.
Do I need to change hosting or DNS providers?
Not always. Some migrations keep the domain and DNS exactly where they are and only change where the site is served from. When a change is needed, it is planned in general terms with you and your registrar, and the old configuration is kept until the new one is verified.
What happens if something goes wrong at launch?
The old site and its backup stay in place until the new one is validated, so rollback means pointing DNS back rather than rebuilding anything. Forms, redirects, and indexing settings are tested on staging first, which removes most of the surprises.
Thinking about changing platforms or hosts?
Tell Webbify what you have and where you want to go. The first step is an inventory of the current site and an honest read on whether a migration is the right move at all.