The useful answer
A WordPress migration begins with a feature and content inventory. Public service pages and articles may be straightforward to rebuild; accounts, checkout, bookings and frequently edited workflows need explicit alternatives or retained services.
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Inventory more than the visible pages
Review navigation, content types, forms, redirects, downloads and integrations. Ask which features are actually used and who owns them. An unused plugin is different from a plugin that sends leads into a sales process. Exported text alone does not capture that operational context, so the discovery needs input from the people who handle enquiries and updates.
Rebuild the content with deliberate choices
Classify pages as retain, revise, combine or retire. Preserve meaningful URLs where practical and record destination mappings for changes. Replace obsolete instructions and unsupported claims during the editorial review. Images, document links, captions and permissions need checking alongside the copy. A rebuild is an opportunity to remove clutter without discarding material visitors still need.
Agree how the new site will be operated
Before switching anything, define how future edits will be requested, reviewed and delivered. Decide where transactional features will live and test the visitor journey to them. Prepare a release and recovery plan with access responsibilities. Search traffic cannot be guaranteed, so the handover should include a monitoring plan and a clear owner for post-launch issues.
A practical next step
What to prepare.
- Functional inventory
List the features that would break if the current system disappeared.
- Content and URL map
Record current pages, useful assets and proposed destinations.
- Operating agreement
Choose an update process and define retained external services.
Questions worth asking.
Can every WordPress site become static?
No. Suitability depends on the functionality and update workflow, not simply the number of pages.
Will the old site be removed immediately?
A cutover and recovery procedure should be agreed before any production changes. Assessment alone does not change the old site.
Can rankings be preserved?
We can plan URL continuity and redirects, but search engines control indexing and rankings. No migration can promise an unchanged position.
Sources & further reading.
Primary documentation for the factual background. Our project recommendations depend on your requirements.
Google Search: moving a site with URL changes Guidance on URL mapping, redirects and monitoring a site move. Search visibility can fluctuate during reprocessing.