Plan your content migration before the redesign

A redesign often starts with sketches and visual references. Content can feel like something to move later, until the launch approaches and nobody knows which pages are current. A migration plan turns that uncertainty into a set of manageable editorial and technical decisions before the new site is ready to publish.

Build an inventory with owners

List the existing pages, downloads, and important media. Record their URLs, purpose, and the person responsible for reviewing them. Include content linked from campaigns or external systems, not just pages visible in the main navigation. Hidden does not necessarily mean unused.

Choose what to keep, improve, or retire

Ask whether each item is accurate, useful, and distinct. Some pages can move largely unchanged; others need a rewrite or a better home. Record the decision and the reason. Do not delete content solely because it is old if it still answers an important question.

Map content into the new structure

Decide how titles, summaries, images, and links fit the new content model. Check formatting that may have depended on the previous theme. A migration should produce maintainable content in the destination, not just reproduce old markup inside a newer layout.

Give each changed URL a deliberate outcome

Match a moved page to its relevant replacement and review the mapping with the content owner. Avoid redirecting every retired page to the homepage. Test important incoming links, document any intentional removals, and preserve the mapping as part of the launch record.

Rehearse and reconcile

Run a trial migration, count the expected items, and sample the content across types. Check images, internal links, permissions, and unpublished material. Agree how changes made on the old site during the project will be captured, then define a clear content-freeze or final synchronization process.

Make the next step practical

Have a question about your own platform? Talk through a website redesign and tell us what you would like to improve.