WordPress migration without SEO loss: management and execution

A poorly managed WordPress migration results in a drop in SEO traffic of 30 to 70 %, which recovers over a period of 6 to 12 months. Evolurise manages the migration from start to finish: preliminary audit, line-by-line 301 URL mapping, staging environment acceptance testing, DNS switchover, and 14 days of monitoring. No loss of search engine rankings, with downtime of less than 30 minutes.

Standard scope

• Pre-migration audit : Core Web Vitals, URL structure, schema, sitemap, Google indexing, quality of inbound backlinks
• Line-by-line URL mapping : old-to-new mapping table, 301 redirects tested prior to the switchover
• Full backup : database + files + configurations, time-stamped snapshots stored off-site
• Recipe in staging : automated functional and SEO testing suite, user validation in an isolated environment
• DNS switch : scheduled maintenance window outside peak traffic times, DNS TTL reduced in advance to allow for a switchover within a few minutes
• Monitoring 14 days after the switchover : Google indexing, Core Web Vitals, 404 errors, conversions

Method

1. Phase 1: audit and inventory (5 days). We map out the existing site in detail: pages, URLs, redirects already in place, critical plugins and third-party integrations.
2. Phase 2: Preparation (10 to 20 days). Setting up the target environment, server configuration, content import, URL mapping.
3. Phase 3: Acceptance testing (5 days). Line-by-line functional testing, SEO validation (canonicals, hreflang, schema), review with your team.
4. Phase 4: switchover (D-Day). Planned short outage, DNS switchover, immediate post-migration checks.
5. Phase 5: monitoring (14 days). Daily reporting on indexing, performance and errors. Immediate corrections in the event of any deviations.

Typical cases

WordPress redesign with a new URL structure. Migration of a Wix, Webflow or Shopify site to WordPress. Switching hosting providers (OVH to Coolify, WP Engine to Cloudways, etc.). Merging two WordPress sites. Multilingual migration (switching from a single-language site to WPML or TranslatePress).

Contractual guarantees

Contractually agreed downtime of less than 30 minutes (scheduled window). Organic traffic to be maintained at a minimum of 95 % over the 90 days following the switchover, as measured in Search Console. Full recovery within 4 hours in the event of a critical issue, with restoration from backup. AXA Pro multimedia & cyber insurance cover.