The procedure for migrating several websites
When changing content management systems, it is possible to merge several websites. This operation consists of bringing two or more sites together after the acquisition of several companies. As for the scope of…
When changing content management systems, it is possible to merge several websites. This operation consists of bringing two or more sites together, for example after the acquisition of one or more companies. As for the scope of the website migration or web page migration, it determines the impact of the migration project. Indeed, a website or web page redesign involves many changes that need to be identified in advance. So how do you migrate several websites by merging them correctly? And what procedure should you follow?
How to migrate several websites by merging them correctly? The procedure to follow
A successful migration of several websites depends on following certain well-defined procedures.
The importance of the preparation phase when migrating several websites
Before any migration, it is essential to look closely at the reasons that might lead you to migrate or merge your website. Read our detailed article on the reasons to migrate your website, which can help you make an informed decision.
Migrating and merging several websites requires a preparation phase. After defining the migration scope, the first step is to back up the data before any migration or merging of web pages. This process covers all the files, media, images or texts, as well as the databases of the different sites. You can make a full backup from your host's control panel or with a backup extension of your CMS, and keep a copy on your computer. Also list all the URLs of each site: this list will be used to build the redirect plan.
The data backup can also be stored with the host or on an online storage service (cloud). For WordPress sites, export and import extensions make it possible to bring the content together in a single site, but merging always requires manual work: duplicates, categories, menus and internal links.
Use Swan to prepare the redirects for merging several websites: it crawls each source site, matches their pages with those of the final site and has you validate each redirect.
The actual procedure for merging several websites
Merging several web pages involves several steps. The first is changing the URLs of the sites to make them easier for search engines such as Google to read. Where appropriate, a change of design is also part of a site merger. This operation involves removing duplicate content.
Merging several sites also involves changing the structure to make room for new content. If the merger comes with a change of CMS or host, for example a WordPress migration, it brings new features to the single site. Changing the domain name is also important in a merger: all the sites but one lose theirs, and each of their URLs must be 301-redirected to the equivalent page of the final site.
In addition, for the security of the site after this operation, switching from HTTP to HTTPS is necessary. The aim is to protect the passwords and data exchanged with visitors.
For migrating and merging e-commerce sites, for example from the WooCommerce CMS to Magento, the data backup must go hand in hand with rebuilding the catalogue on the target platform, with its import tools or a migration service. Sorting the backed-up files is also important so as to keep only the essentials, the aim being to avoid slowing down the newly merged sites.
Turn the complexity of merging several sites into a simple, controlled operation with Swan, the tool designed to orchestrate the redirect plan of your migration precisely, so that every web page keeps an equivalent.
The phase of checking the migration and the success of the merger
After the sites have been migrated and merged, it is important to run a number of tests to check that the new site works properly. If the migration is to an existing domain name, you can check the new site before the switchover by adjusting your hosts file. Checking the redirects is also essential after merging several sites. This can be done with a crawler or a redirect checking tool, then in Google Search Console.
As regards the SEO of the merged sites, the check covers the structure of the URLs, the meta descriptions and the meta titles. The configuration of the robots.txt file resulting from the merger must also be tested, and indexing monitored in the “Page indexing” report of Google Search Console. Finally, as regards traffic to the site, Google Analytics 4 is the reference tool to get an idea of how visitors behave.
Website migration: the advantages of merging several websites into one
Merging several websites into one brings many advantages. It makes it possible to combine different technical features, a major asset for e-commerce sites when it comes to managing customers, orders and suppliers.
Merging will also bring the sites together in a single system. This makes the platform cheaper and easier to update. This is very convenient for a company that owns several sites. Indeed, potential customers are used to visiting the main site. But to be competitive, all the sites would have to be ranked. Moreover, each site must have an attractive design. With a single content management system, this will be easier. Having several sites competing for the same searches is therefore counterproductive for organic rankings.
Merging the sites will also allow you to capitalise on a single domain name. It is therefore possible, for two e-commerce shops on Magento for example, to bring all the catalogues together into a single shop. This data merger will thus give a single template for all products.
Finally, having several sites is no guarantee of a high number of visits. Centralising the CMS will therefore save money as well as a significant amount of time.
To conclude, migrating and merging several websites takes some time before the new site is fully operational, in particular for its indexing and ranking on search engines such as Google.
Use Swan to prepare the redirects for merging your websites and secure the transition. Try it now.
