WordPress Migration Checklist & Tools

Complete checklist and automation scripts for zero-downtime WordPress migrations with full SEO preservation.

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Overview

Migrating a WordPress site without losing traffic, rankings, or functionality requires a systematic approach. This repository provides:

• Step-by-step checklists for pre- and post-migration phases
• PHP automation scripts for URL redirects, database search-replace, and health checks
• Client-ready report templates for professional delivery
• SEO preservation workflows to protect your search rankings

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Repository Structure

wordpress-migration-checklist/
├── checklists/
│   ├── pre-migration.md          # Everything to do BEFORE you migrate
│   └── post-migration.md         # Everything to verify AFTER migration
├── scripts/
│   ├── url-redirect-generator.php   # Generate .htaccess rules from CSV
│   ├── search-replace-db.php        # Safe serialization-aware DB search/replace
│   └── post-migration-health-check.php  # Automated site health verification
├── templates/
│   └── migration-report.md       # Client-facing migration report template
└── README.md

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Quick Start

1. Pre-Migration

Work through checklists/pre-migration.md completely before touching any files or DNS settings. No step is optional.

2. Generate Redirect Rules

php scripts/url-redirect-generator.php --input=redirects.csv --output=.htaccess

CSV format:

old_url,new_url
/old-page/,/new-page/
/category/old/,/new-category/

3. Run Database Search & Replace

# Always dry-run first
php scripts/search-replace-db.php --dry-run --from="http://old-domain.com" --to="https://new-domain.com"

# Then execute for real
php scripts/search-replace-db.php --from="http://old-domain.com" --to="https://new-domain.com"

4. Post-Migration Health Check

php scripts/post-migration-health-check.php --url="https://new-domain.com" --report=health-report.json

5. Post-Migration Verification

Work through checklists/post-migration.md and deliver templates/migration-report.md to your client.

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Sections

Pre-Migration

• Full site backup (files + database)
• Environment documentation
• SEO baseline capture
• Redirect planning
• DNS & SSL preparation
• Staging environment testing

Migration

• File transfer via SFTP/rsync
• Database export, transform, import
• Configuration updates (wp-config.php, .htaccess)
• DNS cutover procedure
• SSL verification

Post-Migration

• Functional testing (pages, forms, payments, email)
• SEO verification (canonicals, sitemap, robots.txt)
• Performance baseline (Core Web Vitals)
• 30-day monitoring plan

SEO Preservation

• 1:1 URL mapping for all changed URLs
• Proper 301 redirect chains (no chains > 1 hop)
• Canonical tag verification
• Sitemap submission to Google Search Console
• Backlink profile preservation

Tools

• url-redirect-generator.php — Batch .htaccess rule generation
• search-replace-db.php — Serialization-safe DB search/replace with logging
• post-migration-health-check.php — Automated broken link and canonical checker

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Requirements

Tool	Version	Purpose
PHP	7.4+	Running the scripts
MySQL/MariaDB	5.7+	Database operations
WP-CLI	2.x	Optional, for advanced operations
Screaming Frog	Any	Pre-migration URL crawl

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SEO Preservation Best Practices

1. Crawl before you migrate. Export all URLs from Screaming Frog before touching anything.
2. Map every URL. Any URL that changes needs a 301 redirect. No exceptions.
3. Avoid redirect chains. A→B→C costs you link equity. Flatten to A→C.
4. Preserve canonical tags. Make sure they point to the new domain, not the old one.
5. Update internal links. Redirects are a fallback, not a substitute for correct URLs.
6. Submit sitemap immediately. Help Google discover the new structure fast.
7. Monitor for 30 days. Check Search Console daily for coverage and crawl errors.

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Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Prevention
Serialized data corruption	Use search-replace-db.php, never raw SQL
Staging URLs left in content	Run health check script after migration
Missing image redirects	Include /wp-content/uploads/ in URL crawl
SSL mixed content	Force HTTPS in wp-config.php + scan with health check
Redirect chains > 1 hop	Health check script detects and reports chains
DNS TTL not lowered	Lower to 300s 48 hours before cutover

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Contributing

Pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

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License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

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Author

Built for professional WordPress migrations. Tested on 50+ production migrations ranging from simple blogs to enterprise WooCommerce stores.