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    First Steps for Successful Website Migration

    Website migration is a broad term that defines the process of implementing significant changes or shifting a site’s location, content structure, CMS platform, or more. There are many reasons for migrating sites, and when done correctly, website migration can even result in higher traffic and rankings.

    The pros of website migration include:

    • Better Security – By migrating from HTTP to HTTPS, Google and your website’s visitors see that the new site can handle sensitive information including personal data and credit cards. Google also gives preference to https websites which can improve your rankings.
    • Rebranding – Web migration enables you to rebrand your site by starting from scratch with a new domain name.
    • Implementing a Different CMS Platform – Web migration can be done to change the content management system (CMS) for better scaling or to take advantage of other noteworthy benefits of rebuilding a base on a different CMS.

    However, website migration is not necessarily without drawbacks which must be considered:

    • Lowered Rankings – If you failed to handle a website migration properly and ended up with a lot of 404 error messages, you may lose visibility among your readers and thereby face a lower ranking in Google.
    • Carried Over Penalties – Google can recognize your new website as part of the old website and carry over penalties such as link spam and suspicious backlinks.

    Migrating to a New Server

    One popular migration involves Magento. Magento 1 users can now move to Magento 2 for improved performance, a friendlier user interface, and a streamlined checkout process. If you have a Joomla website, you can also move it to a new server using a Joomla web hosting service provider in 5 simple steps detailed below.

    1. Set Up the New Server – Begin by downloading the latest version of Joomla. Move the unzipped folder files to the new server and set up the database.
    2. Install Joomla – Choose the language, pre-installation check, license agreement, data configuration, FTP configuration, main configuration, and delete the installation directory.
    3. Dump Original MySQL Joomla Database – Enter phpMyAdmin, view the Joomla database, click the export button, and export the database.
    4. Import Old Database to New Database – Access the new site’s phpMyAdmin, open Joomla database, click SQL, and paste SQL query.
    5. Overwrite Essential Folders – These include administrator, components, images, includes, language, media, modules, plugins, and templates.

    Summing Up Website Migration

    Website migration has many benefits, however, it’s important to first decide whether website migration is necessary. When handled the wrong way, migration can seriously affect your search engine ranking, so it’s wise to come armed with a plan of action to avoid any unnecessary SEO impact.