WordPress Website Migration and Modernisation
Move your WordPress site to faster hosting, redesign it or switch platforms without losing rankings, email or content.
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Who this is for
Organisations stuck on slow or expensive hosting, an outdated theme or a site that has become hard to manage. We also move sites between hosts and platforms, including from builders such as Wix and Squarespace.
What is included
- Full backup and a test migration before anything goes live
- 301 redirects for every changed URL to protect rankings
- Page titles, descriptions and structured data carried across
- DNS and email protected throughout the move
- Speed and plugin clean-up after the move
- Search Console checked after launch
WordPress migration: problems we help solve
Your hosting is slow or expensive
Cheap or overloaded hosting leaves pages loading slowly and costs more once renewal prices kick in. We move you to faster, better-value hosting without downtime.
Your site is on a platform you have outgrown
Wix, Squarespace and older builders can limit SEO and growth. We move your content to WordPress, keeping your URLs, text and images.
You fear losing your Google rankings
Rankings are lost through broken links and missing redirects, not through moving itself. We map every old address to its new one before launch.
Your WordPress site is a patchwork of old plugins
Unused plugins, an outdated theme and years of changes slow and weaken a site. We clean up and modernise rather than carry the problems across.
How it works
Audit
We review the site, plugins, content and traffic so we know what is at stake.
Plan
A written migration plan with redirects, timings and rollback steps.
Migrate and test
We build on a staging copy and test before switching.
Go live and monitor
We switch over, then monitor errors and rankings.
Our approach to WordPress migration
Migration is a risk-management job. We audit the site first: pages, plugins, forms, redirects, email and traffic, so we know what must be protected.
We then build and test on a staging copy, agree a cutover time with you and switch DNS carefully so email keeps working. After launch we monitor errors and Search Console to catch anything missed.
Why choose Web Matter for WordPress migration
Migrations are risky when rushed; we document every step.
SEO is built into the plan, not added afterwards.
Fixed-scope proposals suitable for larger organisations.
What affects the price of WordPress migration
- The number of pages and the amount of content
- Whether you are moving between hosts or between platforms
- Custom features, forms and integrations to rebuild
- Whether a redesign or clean-up is included
- Redirect complexity if your URL structure changes
A simple host-to-host move is usually a small fixed fee. Platform moves and redesigns are quoted after a short audit. You get a written plan and fixed price before we start.
Typical WordPress migration scenarios
A small business leaving a website builder
We recreate the pages in WordPress, keep the same addresses where possible, redirect any that change and improve speed along the way.
An organisation with a slow, aged WordPress site
We audit, clean up plugins, update the theme and move to better hosting, with a rollback plan if anything goes wrong.
A change of domain name
We redirect every page to the new domain, update Search Console and monitor rankings through the switch.
Examples of the kind of work we do, not named client projects.
Ready to talk about your WordPress migration project?
Tell us what you need. We reply with questions and a clear next step, not a sales pitch.
Get a free quoteinfo@webmatter.co.ukWebsite migration agency for UK businesses
Web Matter is a UK website migration agency. Alongside WordPress host-to-host moves, we migrate sites between platforms and handle the parts that usually go wrong: redirects, email, DNS and SEO.
Migrations we handle
- WordPress to a new host, including cPanel, VPS and managed WordPress hosting
- Wix or Squarespace to WordPress, with every page, post and image rebuilt and redirected
- WordPress or WooCommerce to Shopify, including products, customers and order history where possible
- Domain changes and rebrands, with full 301 redirect mapping
- HTTP to HTTPS and server upgrades
Our website migration checklist
- Full backup of files and database, plus an export of all DNS records
- Crawl of the old site to list every URL, title and meta description
- Migration to a staging copy on the new host or platform
- Testing forms, checkout, email, speed and mobile layout
- 301 redirect map for any URL that changes
- Go-live with only the DNS records that need to change
- Search Console sitemap resubmission and post-launch monitoring
Moving to Shopify? Read what happened when a Shopify move broke a client's email and CRM, and the DNS checklist we now use to prevent it.
Choosing where to move
For WordPress sites we host on fast UK servers with Zume Hosting, and also look after client sites on SiteGround. For busy WordPress or WooCommerce sites that need more power, Cloudways offers managed cloud hosting. If you are moving an online shop, Shopify includes hosting, payments and its own migration tools. Compare hosts in our SiteGround vs Zume comparison.
Some links in this section are affiliate links: if you sign up, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend platforms we use ourselves.
Website migration FAQs
How much does a website migration cost?
It depends on the size of the site and what is moving. A simple WordPress host-to-host move is usually a small fixed fee; moving platforms (for example Wix or Squarespace to WordPress, or WordPress to Shopify) takes longer because content and URLs have to be rebuilt and redirected. We give a fixed quote after a free audit.
Will I lose my Google rankings when I migrate?
Not if it is done properly. We map every old URL to its new address with 301 redirects, keep page titles and meta descriptions, resubmit your sitemap in Google Search Console and monitor for errors after launch.
Will my email stop working?
It should not. Email depends on DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC) that are separate from your website. We export your DNS before we start and only change the records the new host needs.
How long does a WordPress migration take?
Most host-to-host WordPress migrations are completed within a few days, including testing. The live switch-over itself usually takes minutes, and DNS changes can take a few hours to spread.
Can you migrate from Wix, Squarespace or Shopify?
Yes. We move sites between WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and Shopify, including pages, blog posts, products, images and redirects for your old URLs.