Moving an online store with minimal loss

The site owner can think about moving in several cases:

1. Terms of payment for hosting or service of the online store itself have become unacceptable.

2. The online store fell under the search engine filter

3. You need to change the domain name to a better one

4. You must transfer the resource to another domain zone

5. A valid CMS is not suitable for your online store.

With the right start and work of an SEO specialist, the site begins to spin up in a couple of months. Traffic appears and the site goes to certain positions in search engines, has a link mass and conversion rates. In order not to lose the acquired results, the move must be competent. We’ll tell you how to transfer the site correctly.

Is it possible to transfer the site to another domain

If you want to change only the domain name, but leave the hosting the same, in most cases the hosting provider itself can do the transfer of the site. If you ordered an online store from a web developer, you can contact him. In most cases, all actions are reduced to saving the database on the old domain and quickly transferring it to the new domain, as well as setting up redirection. This is the easiest way to move, which does not require fundamental changes, settings and improvements.

Is it possible to transfer the site to another hosting

Another option is when the online store needs to be transferred to another hosting. In this case, you need to backup the database and take it with you to a new hosting. Next, upload your database and make changes. The next step is to replace the old links with new ones (for this, phpmyadmin runs the code to replace old addresses with new ones). If you are not special in transfer matters, then your new hosting provider may take up this.

How to transfer a site to another CMS        

The most laborious and complex process. First you need to choose an engine that is ideal for your case. In the article “WHICH CMS ARE OPTIMAL FOR ONLINE STORE? WHY?” We talked in detail about the benefits of the osCommerce engine.

Before moving to a new CMS, you must perform the following steps:

• Save a backup copy of the site along with all content

• Save 301 redirects to a table

Important! The backup copy must be checked for operability. To do this, restore the archive on the local server.

The programmer performs the site transfer according to the following checklist:

1. Makes the transfer according to the structure of the old site. At this stage, you need to prepare suggestions for the structure and pages. If you have long wanted to implement something, but this did not work on the old engine, then it's time to make changes on the new one.

2. If you need to expand the functionality - adds modules in accordance with your requirements.

3. Wraps meta tags. If your resource was occupied by an SEO specialist and you are satisfied with the results, then it is better to transfer the already implemented meta tags: Title, Description, Keywords, H1. If you have not been engaged in optimization or it has not yielded results, you can use the services of an SEO specialist and introduce new meta tags on a new engine.

4. Forms a URL structure for all page types

5. Transferring content while maintaining SEO content optimization. At this stage, the owner can decide whether to transfer the old content or order new one if the old content did not give any promotion results.

6. Transferring data to a test site. First, the programmer transfers all the data to the test site. At this stage, design approval is carried out. If the client has any corrections, then it is at this stage that changes are made.

7. If the owner of the site is satisfied, the transfer to the working site is performed.

What you should not forget when moving

Here are a few points to keep in mind when moving your site:

• If you have launched contextual, banner advertising or are being advertised in social networks, then inform your specialists about the move and provide new links to the site.

• Do not forget that on all pages you must replace the old internal links and anchors with new ones

What you need to do after moving

After moving the site you must:

1. Change the settings in the Google and Yandex webmasters, make changes to the Google Tag Manager.

2. Open the site for indexing - configure robots.txt

3. Update Sitemap.xml

4. Update product availability

5. Conduct usability testing of the site: check the functioning and performance of all pages, forms, maps and other elements.

6. Audit the site for critical errors that may have occurred during the transfer.

7. Transfer traffic counters

8. Track moving efficiency

Will there be a loss of traffic and subsidence of positions after the move?

Yes, it is highly likely that the site will lose about 15-20% of traffic after moving and will go down in search engines, but if everything is done correctly, then renewal will occur in a month.

How much does it cost to transfer a site?

The price is formed depending on such indicators:

• CMS on the old site

• Number of pages, products, filters

• Terms of Reference for the programmer

You can order site transfer from our specialists, the cost of work ranges from $ 100-300. Order a modern online store with high download speed, unlimited number of products and a huge number of modules.