If you’re anything like most business owners, you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about your website. However, when the time comes to move your site to a new platform or host, you’ll realize just how important it really is. Web migrations can be tricky and stressful if you haven’t planned out all the details in advance; here are six steps to help make the process smoother.
Step 1. Define and Track Your Metrics
The most important thing you can do is set goals for your website, and then measure them. This will help you track your progress and make sure that what you’re doing is working. If it’s not, you’ll need to change things up. You might want to start by defining conversion goals so that you know what actions will be considered successful by the metrics system. You should also take into account the time period for which these results are measured (e.g., one month) and the number of visitors per month that constitute success (e.g., 100).
Once you’ve done this, it’s time to track your website’s performance against these metrics on an ongoing basis.
Step 2. Choose the Right Technology
Choosing the right web technology is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when migrating your site. There are many different approaches and technologies that can be used, and it’s important to understand the differences between them so you can make an informed decision. • HTML5 – some experts consider this the best solution for long-term website development because browsers will continue to support HTML5 for years to come. Other developers prefer this approach because it’s fast and easy to develop in HTML5 since there are no plugins required (meaning no Flash, Java or Silverlight). You can also take advantage of Web Fonts in HTML5 sites which opens up new creative options. One drawback with using this approach is if the browser doesn’t support the latest version of JavaScript, then some elements on your site may not work properly
• Java – provides a powerful programming environment but requires more development time than HTML5 because more code must be written.
Step 3. Consider Your Users
The next step in your site migration is considering your users. This can be one of the most overlooked aspects in the process, but it is crucial for ensuring that you are providing the best experience possible. The easier and more seamless your site migration is for your audience, the better it will be for your business. The first thing you want to do when considering your users is try and gauge what their current level of technical knowledge is. Do they know how to update their own software? Is this something they would have any interest in doing? What can you do to make this process as simple as possible for them? One way of doing this might be moving away from Flash based content if many of your users don’t have Flash installed on their browser or device.
Step 4. Create an Action Plan
Now that you have the basic outline of your action plan, it’s time to get down and dirty with details. Here are some questions you should be able to answer at this point.
-What will the next steps be? How long do you anticipate each step taking? Will any of these steps be outsourced or will they all be completed by one individual?
-What is the potential cost for each step in your plan? Do you have a budget allocated for this project? If not, how much are you anticipating each step costing so that you can create an accurate budget in Step 5?
Step 5. Test, Then Implement
Step 5- Test, Then Implement: Once you’ve created your backup, you’re ready to test the migration. This is an important step, as testing will allow you to identify any potential issues before they happen and fix them. You’ll want to make sure all of your migrations work and that none of your other files are affected during the process.
Step 6- Roll Out Your Migration (five sentences)
Step 6- Roll out Your Migration: When you’re happy with the testing process, it’s time for the final step! It’s time for your completed migration. This is when all of your hard work pays off, as now it’s time for less technical people in your organization (such as marketing) can take over and begin using the new site with ease.
Step 6. Measure and Learn From Results
Measure and learn from the results. If you have done your job right, then you should be able to see how the changes on your website has impacted your conversion rates. Keep track of these conversion rates over the next few months and gauge whether or not you are seeing improvements in traffic, conversion rates, customer sentiment, etc. If you are seeing improvement and happy with the new design of your site then congratulations! You have successfully migrated your website without any hiccups or problems. However if you see that there are some issues or that things are not going well, then it is time to hit pause on the project and reassess everything before proceeding any further.
Website Migrations