CMS Migration and Website Redesign? Your guess is that these two are completely different things.

CMS Migration usually stands for more in-depth processes. Since, you have to deal with great amounts of data and think about how to move it to a completely new, different ‘nature’ if you want.

Instead, redesign refers more to how can your website look more attractive and breezy, without changing its ‘nature.’

Our guess is that you can combine both to create a mix of power and novelty. How can we do this together? Let’s see.

Analyze content

Don’t do sudden shutdowns of your old website, hoping the new design or platform will save you from sinking in the SEO sea. Determine an ‘infinite’ content. What does ‘infinite’ mean? It’s content which constantly (mean it, CONSTANTLY or almost so) draws new visitors, new shares over social media, new comments, new likes and apart from this, real-life engagements with clients. As it’s seen such a content generates ‘fat’ activity on your website. This is equally important for both, migration and redesign. Research which topics or pages covered the most amount of the audience engagement.

If in short, study the analytics of your pre-migrated-redesigned website first.

Migration? Isn’t it supposed to conclude this piece?

For this part, no. Because if CMS migration is enlisted in your grandeur plans, then you should bear in mind several platforms which are like ‘proper-quality bricks’ for you to build a website-castle’. Here, we are not talking about the instant switch after you’ve read this piece. What is meant here is that you should explore the CMS ‘terra incognita’ to find out which platform will satisfy your needs the best.

Already Have a favorite CMS? Move to a completely different ‘nature.’

How moving to another CMS can make the redesign ‘sing’? Consider that there are dozens of website building platforms, each has its own ‘character’; a set of functions and features the aim of which is to help make your website unique. These ‘functions and features’ include everything you need: design, managing content features, security measures, etc. Whatever CMS you opt for the basis of your website, remember, that the working principle of each is different.

Some of them have SEO-built functions (like WordPress, with its ability to create static URLs, ‘pingback’ the author to whose article you’ve applied link, + here are tons of plugins which make up half or more of your website functionality); abundance of themes with the ability to modify them using CSS, a considerable number of plugins and that’s not the finish line. There are also, not just simple CMSs, but CMS+CMF (like Drupal), meaning that you can build own modules/applications to enhance the website’s ‘engine.’ Others, which equally fit for developers and beginners (like Joomla), make the successful attempts in building and managing multi-functional websites, with a vast info database.

All the further actions up to you.

Determine your needs

Summing up the previous part, it gets lucid and clear that choosing suitable CMS can make up a good companion for you to walk the road of change together. Using the example of 3 leading CMS mentioned above, here we’re going to get into the details why to migrate and why not to the specific platform during the redesign of your website.

Why WordPress?

As it’s known WP global market share is now more than just 25%, with its 17 m websites and ~76 m blogs powered. That’s big and beautiful, right? The core lies in its ability to be effortlessly flexible. When getting acquainted with WordPress, ‘the mastering’ of this platform comes at the ‘beginner’s’ rank, which means that this platform is super-plain if getting into the details here. Plain but multifunctional. Managing the organization of your content, layouts of your theme, adding widgets, plugins, setting SEO options and security, all of this is far more than just enough. The functionality seems limitless here. With the power of +45 k plugins, obstacle-free adding content and updates, responsive themes, WordPress is a choice of many. According to this infographic, WP fits best for business (like Bloomberg Terminal, Mercedes-Benz), technology (like TechCrunch), news and publications (like BBC America and Time Inc) websites. Refer yourself to any of these categories? Think about choosing WordPress.

Why not WordPress?

Sweet words above, aren’t they? Let’s make it less…biased 🙂 In fact, there are reasons not to choose WordPress. Among them are plugins. There are so many of them, so beware the incomplete or of low-quality ones, since if installed, they rapidly worsen your website’s health. Take indeed a great care of security here, like choosing secure hosting, creating data backups, profound logins, passwords, installing security plugins, etc. If it’s going to be about eCommerce, think rather of another CMS. Here are some plugins (like WooCommerce), a large database of products, orders, and deliveries, all of these are rather not included into WP competence.

Why Drupal?

The most attractive thing in Drupal is its CMF part, with the ability to expand the functionality. In fact, Drupal is an eye-candy for the developers, which provides more freedom in website development. Drupal’s functionality may be enhanced with modules, the amount of which is +35 k. This CMS powers nearly 800 k websites and is a wise solution for websites with the large content amount that need to be scaled rapidly. (Clear examples are The White House website and The Economist). Also, the current platform is a choice of education, technology and large corporate business websites. Facing an issue and need a helping hand? Drupal community is more than ready to provide you with all the lacking experience and knowledge.

Why not Drupal?

When it comes to meet Drupal at first, you should be ready that comprehending this platform isn’t an easy task at all. First of all take your time to learn the basics. Maintenance is another rather expensive issue, since managing large websites require large sums, and you should look really thoroughly for the authentic Drupal pro to answer your questions. Updates. When Drupal gets updated, an absence of gravity may emerge, and things can go chaos. The issue is modules, which should be upgraded in accordance to your website, otherwise, well… things can go chaos.

Why Joomla?

Joomla powers 0.7% of all websites globally and makes up a good sandbox for the store, education websites, and the community ones, like social media and forums. Joomla is a heart of Linux, Harvard University, and The Hill websites.This CMS is somewhere in the middle level of difficultness, though both editing and customization of content are plain enough, if get into the core here.

Why not Joomla?

Joomla has limited extensions marketplace (+7k the least amount, compared to WordPress and Drupal), which lowers the chances of making a multi-functional website. There might be modules compatibility issues, so watch out, when picking one. Joomla is rather a mid-sized solution for setting up a website. Thus too basic one with the same basic set of customization is a complete fiasco, and too complex one… is a complete fiasco too, since carrying the terabytes of data makes it far more ‘reactive.’

As it seen each platform suits best for this or that type of activity. Decide and prioritize well.

Once again, this part was provided as an example. We don’t force you to choose any of these СMS platforms since it’s up to you.

Do the design after all the data is transferred

When migrating, it’s important to transfer all the data safely but then create an appropriate look for your website. Make sure that the content needed to move to another platform is analyzed and successfully switched to new CMS. CMS2CMS is here to help you with this task. Automated migration is just what should fit in your plans. The audience doesn’t wait for too long. Make it quick without hours, days or years of manual work. Before trying out CMS2CMS, check on Free Demo migration, and see how and what your ‘furniture’ gets into ‘new house’ with SEO rankings preserved.

Safe and sound data is what you should care about the most. The following step is design , which clearly requires you to be a bit of an analytical artist and know how to engage with the audience using the psychology of color and art at all. Make sure a new cover won’t be scaring or boring, or both of this.