Content migration from one website to another can be a daunting prospect. Organisations undertaking digital transformation projects are often spinning multiple plates at once, with business-as-usual content requests coming in alongside the extra project work.
Without proper planning, the process can result in content loss, a poor user experience and potential damage to your brand's reputation. To help you navigate it, here are four essential steps for a smooth and successful content migration.
1. Set your content goals
So many people race into the process headfirst. Teams of editors jump into the audit, and development teams crack on with building the new website. Don't underestimate the importance of clear content goals. This is your North Star: what exactly do you want your content to do for your organisation?
Take the time to shape your content goals by asking:
- What types of content do you have on the website?
- What does your content need to do to help your organisation make money?
- How will you know when your content has succeeded?
A short workshop is a great way to help teams align on content goals. It's also a good opportunity to look at messaging, tone of voice, how content is structured and designed, and the processes around creating it.
2. Start with a content audit
I always say: understand the size of the problem first, so you know what you're up against. You may have 20 pages of high-quality content, or 5,000 pages with some blocks of content you're thinking of bringing over to the new website.
Either way, you can't realistically plan a content migration until you know the scale. That's why the content audit is an essential part of planning and delivery.
A thorough content audit will help you:
- Identify valuable content: find out which content is performing well and should be migrated.
- Find outdated or redundant content: pinpoint content that's out of date, redundant or irrelevant, and decide whether to update, consolidate or delete it.
- Classify content: organise your content by type, topic and target audience, so it's easier to manage during the migration.
Tip: use Sitebulb and Google Analytics to gather as much evidence as you can on user behaviour and SEO performance.
3. Develop a content migration plan
Once you have a clear picture of your content, the next step is a detailed migration plan. It should include:
- Timeline and milestones: clear deadlines for each phase of the migration.
- People: who's responsible for each part of the migration, including IT, content creators and SEO specialists.
- Backup strategy: make sure all content is backed up before the migration begins, so nothing is lost.
Tip: create a content migration checklist so no detail is overlooked.
4. Communicate with stakeholders
Good communication with stakeholders is essential throughout the migration. Keep these in mind:
- Regular updates: share progress regularly so everyone knows where the migration is at.
- Training sessions: train content creators and managers on the new content management system, so they can manage content well after the migration.
- Feedback loops: set up a way to collect and act on feedback from stakeholders during and after the migration.
Tip: schedule lunch and learn sessions fortnightly or monthly, and make sure they're circulated to senior stakeholders so they can drop in and see where the project is at.
So there you have it: four tips to help you plan your next content migration project. If you're planning one, an IA review gives you the audit and a migration plan in five days.
First published on Cultivate Your Content, 19 August 2024.