6 Steps to Successfully Migrate Your Websites to a New Platform
The true cost of sticking with a subpar website platform is much greater than the ticket price alone. Lost productivity due to clunky user workflows, difficult site updates, service interruptions, and general frustration all take their toll on your business. Switching to a new website platform may seem overwhelming at first, but the alternative is accepting problems that compound over time and inhibit your growth.
When is it time to switch website providers?
Poor customer support, unreliable service, and sneaky fees are all website provider issues that should be deal breakers. Other common headaches include sites that break or malfunction during traffic spikes or platform updates. Some platforms also have user interfaces (UIs) that require custom coding or third-party plugins to meet your needs, demanding steep learning curves for new users. Whatever the issue, if employees routinely struggle to complete tasks because of the platform you use, it’s time to consider an alternative.
The best website hosting platforms combine sophisticated team collaboration features, robust security protections, and intuitive content management systems (CMSs) that employees without web development skills can master quickly. Most of all, good platforms eliminate the friction and frustration related to building and maintaining your sites, so that you can grow unimpeded.
Choosing a provider like Squarespace Enterprise makes the transfer worth it so that you can host your sites on a new, functional, and supportive platform. Features like role permissions, workflow management, page drafts, and Enterprise templates can all streamline the process.
Now that I’ve selected a new website provider, how do I migrate my websites?
Unfortunately, no CMS on the market offers a fully automatic migration. For that reason, migrating” is not the most accurate description of the task—“re-platforming” is a better term, no matter which solution you choose. With Squarespace Enterprise, features like fully customizable templates and built-in responsive design mean you don’t have to start from scratch.
With any re-platforming project, you’ll need to select a team responsible for the work involved. Depending on the project, those team members may be your in-house employees, or employees of your clients or franchisees. Choose a new host platform that’s fully functional for non-technical users, so it won’t be necessary for these individuals to have coding or development backgrounds.
Your new website won’t be exactly the same as your old one, and that’s a good thing. Re-platforming presents the perfect opportunity for a ground-up website renovation. You’ve likely learned a lot while building websites on your old host platform, and now is the time to apply those lessons.
6 steps to successful website re-platforming
1. Schedule a web design consultation with your account manager to get started
The Squarespace Enterprise plan includes complimentary, concierge-style support through a dedicated Squarespace account manager. Your account manager is a great resource at every phase of your project, but they are especially helpful during the ideation and design phase. Set up a meeting early in the process to share what you do and don’t like about your current websites, and also to discover the full range of possibilities for your new websites.
2. Schedule a personalized product training session
After you’ve settled on some goals for your new sites, have your account manager schedule a custom product training session to get you and your team up to speed with the Enterprise platform.
You can schedule training sessions at your team’s convenience and tailor to their specific needs. That means they’ll leave with an advanced understanding of the areas of website building that matter to you and your business, without wasting valuable time. Consider limiting the initial training session to the core group re-platforming your sites. This can keep the session focused and ensure that all important questions are addressed.
3. Expedite the building process with Squarespace Enterprise templates
As an Enterprise customer, you can choose from dozens of out-of-the-box, design-forward Squarespace templates, but you’re not limited to using only them—you can also create your own from scratch with Squarespace Blueprint. You can convert any page or website you build into an Enterprise template your team can use as an approved design framework. This streamlines the website building workflow and prevents any off-brand formatting that can stall projects. It’s important to note that templates aren’t just about saving time, they’re about formalizing your design language to create cohesive branding and optimal functionality across your websites.
4. Train your whole team on the new website platform
After your core re-platforming team begins working on the initial site transfers, you’ll want to schedule a larger training session for the next wave of contributors in your organization. It’s important that everyone who works on your sites is comfortable with your new solution and feels confident using it. That may be a reason you switched website platforms, after all. If you have particular teams in your organization requiring more specialized, technical training, your account manager can facilitate those sessions as well.
5. Book webinar training for your clients
Your in-house team isn’t the only group that can benefit from expert guidance. For an additional cost, your account manager can set up webinar trainings to teach those outside of your company, like your clients and franchisees, how to leverage your unique Enterprise templates to support your website growth efforts. This fosters greater alignment across partners who play a role in your brand’s digital footprint
6. Keep up the momentum
Your relationship with your account manager doesn’t end after your websites are built. They can continue to support you throughout your Squarespace journey by performing pre-launch site reviews and recommending improvement areas. They can also highlight new growth opportunities, security updates, and new product features. Finally, they help you analyze your data to refine and perfect your sites over time.
Migrating your websites to another provider doesn’t have to be taxing. It’s an ideal opportunity to revamp your websites with new features and your team with new resources while applying all the lessons you learned in building with your former solution. With a more supportive host platform, you’ll have access to better service and cutting-edge features that empower your non-technical employees to produce best-in-class websites.
A good platform is one that also grows with you over time with product updates and developments that keep your sites on the cutting edge. If websites are integral to your business, these compounding benefits might be just what you need to scale.