Services
Web and CMS Migration — Moving to a new platform without losing what matters.
Migration is a content strategy project disguised as a technical task.
The problem.
Your current CMS isn't working anymore. Maybe the platform is end-of-life. Maybe your team has outgrown it. Maybe the editorial experience is so painful that content goes stale because nobody wants to log in. Whatever the reason, a migration is coming — and it's one of the most underestimated parts of any web project.
Migration involves content strategy, governance, and change management — all wrapped into what most organizations budget as a line item under "development." The organizations that plan for this complexity have smoother transitions.
The solution.
The organizations that have smooth migrations are the ones that treat migration as a project within the project — with its own planning, its own timeline, and its own team. The content model rarely maps 1:1, legacy content needs triage, and the redirect strategy alone can be a significant effort.
We'd love to talk.
Ready to talk through your project? We're ready to hear from you. Drop us a line.
Get In Touch
The web migration process.
We've been migrating complex websites for over two decades, across dozens of platform combinations. We approach migration as a four-part process.
- Audit and decide what moves. We review your existing content and flag candidates for consolidation, archiving, or removal — then work with your team to make the final calls on what carries forward to the new site.
- Map the content model. The old content structure rarely maps 1:1 to the new one. We design the new content model, then map each content type and field from the old system to the new — identifying where content needs to be restructured, reformatted, or rewritten.
- Plan and execute the migration. For consistently structured content, we automate. For content that needs editorial judgment, we provide governance guidance and support for manual migration. Redirect planning runs in parallel — every URL from the old site needs to resolve to the right place on the new one.
- Support the transition. Migration doesn't end when the content is moved. We help your team get comfortable with the new system, verify that content landed correctly, and address the issues that always surface in the first weeks after a platform change.
What can web migration include?
A managed transition from your current platform to your new one — covering content, structure, redirects, and editorial readiness.
Planning
- Site map and audit recommendations
- Content model mapping
- Redirect strategy and URL mapping
- Migration timeline and phasing plan
Execution
- Automated migration scripting for structured content types
- Manual migration support and editorial guidance for unstructured content
- Data validation and QA
- Integration testing in the new environment
Transition support
- Editorial team training on the new platform
- Post-migration content verification
- Search engine monitoring and redirect validation
- Issue resolution during the transition period
.NET Development
Complex websites need development that accounts for how content actually works — the integrations, the editorial workflows, the edge cases that don't show up until launch. We build on Optimizely, Umbraco, and Contentstack using .NET, with as much attention to the editor experience as the user-facing result.
Web Strategy
Content strategy, information architecture, governance, and CMS planning — the strategic decisions that make complex web projects succeed.
.NET Development
Custom .NET development on Optimizely, Umbraco, and Contentstack — built for complex content and the editorial teams who manage it.
Digital Platform Selection
Choose a CMS based on how your team works — not feature lists. Platform-experienced, vendor-neutral guidance for complex organizations.
Case Studies
A few migration projects we're proud of.
Our thoughts and guidance on web migration.
Before you dive into migration, here's what's worth thinking through.
Prepare for a migration
Moving CMS platforms is like moving homes — preparation is key to making sure the move goes smoothly.
Before you bring in the movers — or, in our case, a development team — it’s important to help ensure your content is unpacked where it belongs and in the expected condition by making sure your team is prepared
Frequently asked questions.
How long does a CMS migration take?
It depends on the size of the site and the complexity of the content model. A mid-size site with relatively clean content might migrate in six to eight weeks. An enterprise site with thousands of pages, complex integrations, and multiple content types can take three to six months. The planning phase — site map, content model mapping, redirect strategy — is where the most critical time is spent.
Can you migrate content automatically?
For structured, consistently formatted content — yes. We build automated migration scripts for content types like provider profiles, event listings, news articles, and similar repeatable formats. Unstructured content (pages with unique layouts, embedded media, or inconsistent formatting) typically requires manual migration with editorial review.
What happens to our search rankings during a migration?
If the redirect strategy is done well, the impact should be minimal and temporary. We build comprehensive redirect maps that account for every URL on the old site, preserve link equity, and signal the change to search engines. We also monitor search performance closely in the weeks following migration and address any issues quickly.
Should we clean up our content before or during migration?
Before, ideally. Migration is the best opportunity to leave outdated, duplicate, or low-performing content behind. We recommend auditing content early in the process and making keep/revise/archive decisions before migration begins — it's much easier to not migrate something than to delete it after the fact.
Can you migrate a site to a platform Blend doesn't build on?
Our migration expertise is strongest on the platforms we build on — Optimizely, Umbraco, and Contentstack. For migrations to other platforms, we can handle the strategic side (site map, content model mapping, redirect planning, governance) and work alongside another development team that handles the technical implementation on the target platform.