A CMS migration checklist for year-end website projects is an ordered task list that moves content, design, and integrations to a new platform without breaking pages or schedules. A CMS, or content management system, is the software that stores pages, images, and user accounts and publishes them as a website. Year-end moves face frozen budgets, staff vacations, and sales deadlines. The checklist below keeps scope tight so the new WordPress, Drupal, or other site can launch before traffic peaks and support thins out.
Official resources:
- Follow Google's site move steps to preserve search rankings — Verify URL mapping, redirect, and monitoring steps for a CMS move that changes URLs.
- Check migrated pages against WCAG 2.2 accessibility criteria — Verify accessibility requirements to retest templates and content after migration.
Table of Contents
- What should you lock down first?
- How do you protect search visibility and tracking?
- How do you rebuild design and functions?
- How do you test and launch on a holiday schedule?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What should you lock down first?
Start with a full inventory of pages, files, users, and connected tools. Export page lists, media libraries, form entries, and customer data from the old system. Mark what to migrate, what to archive, and what to delete. Set a content freeze date and share it with editors, writers, and store managers.
After that date, fix only errors on the old site. Any new pages wait for the new system. Assign one decision maker for design, one for content, and one for launch approval. List outside dependencies such as payment gateways, CRMs, email tools, and ad landing pages.
- Keep: active pages, current products, live forms, paying-member accounts
- Archive: past campaigns, old press releases, expired offers
- Drop: duplicates, test pages, unused files
How do you protect search visibility and tracking?
Map every old URL to its new address before building. Keep slugs the same where possible, and write single redirects from old to new for changed paths. Update menus, internal links, sitemaps, and robots rules to match the new structure. Carry over page titles, descriptions, headings, image text, and canonical tags.
Check that analytics, tag managers, conversion goals, and ad-platform tags fire on the new templates. Test key landing pages used in paid campaigns so budgets still land on working pages. Keep the old sitemap and crawl logs for two to three weeks after launch. Watch for 404 errors, redirect chains, and lost form submissions daily during that window.
How do you rebuild design and functions?
Rebuild the front end from current needs, not from old theme files. Match brand fonts, colors, buttons, and mobile layouts first, then add page patterns such as articles, product pages, and landing pages. Check contrast, tap targets, and form labels on phones and desktops.
Replace plugins, modules, and custom code with supported equivalents. Common gaps include search filters, multilingual fields, access controls, scheduled publishing, redirects, backups, and spam protection. Test forms, logins, checkout steps, file uploads, and email notices with real user roles.
- Confirm editors can create, preview, schedule, and revert pages
- Confirm members, donors, or shoppers keep correct access and history
- Confirm editors know where images, documents, and blocks now live
How do you test and launch on a holiday schedule?
Build on a private staging copy and keep it password-protected. Test content import, redirects, speed, security headers, backups, and restore steps there. Run a load check on homepage, search, cart, and donation flows if year-end traffic spikes matter. Plan launch for a low-traffic morning with full staff available.
Put up a maintenance notice, take a final backup, import last-minute changes, point the domain, then clear caches. Verify homepage, top ten pages, checkout or donation, contact forms, and tracking within the first hour. Leave a rollback plan in writing. Keep a complete backup of files and database from the old site, plus login access to revert domain settings. Assign one owner to approve the rollback decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should we redesign during a year-end migration?
No. Keep layouts and navigation close to current. Save a new design for January when testing time returns.
How long should redirects stay live?
Keep them for at least a full seasonal cycle so bookmarks, email links, and saved campaign URLs keep working.
Who needs access after launch?
Keep a developer, a content lead, and a shop or marketing owner on call for the first week to fix links, permissions, and tracking.
