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Website migration

Website migration

Website migration for South African organisations

We move websites to WordPress, between hosts and between domains without losing content, rankings, orders or email. Every migration is planned, tested on staging and switched over at a time that suits your business.

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Currency: South African rand (ZAR)
Payments: Payfast, Ozow, Peach Payments
Data protection: Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA)
Time zone: UTC+2, 1 hour ahead of Lagos

Overview

Website Migration for organisations in South Africa.

Migrations go wrong in predictable ways: URLs change without redirects, product images disappear, customer accounts are left behind, or email stops for a day because nobody checked the DNS. Each of these is avoidable with planning.

We handle three kinds of move: from another CMS or website builder to WordPress, from one host to another, and from one domain to another. Many projects combine more than one. Migrations start from $1,000 per migration and are always scoped in writing.

In detail

Website Migration in South Africa, in detail.

Moving from another platform to WordPress

South African organisations come to WordPress from website builders, hosted store platforms, older custom systems and other CMSs. We export everything the old platform allows: pages, posts, products, categories, images, customers and, where possible, order history. Content is cleaned and mapped into WordPress, and layouts are rebuilt so they behave properly rather than being pasted in. Where an export is limited, we tell you during scoping what will need manual work.

Redirects that protect your rankings

Every platform structures URLs differently, so a move almost always changes addresses. Before launch we crawl the old site, record every URL with traffic or inbound links, and map each one to its new equivalent with a permanent redirect. After the switch we monitor search console for errors and 404s and fix them promptly. This is the step that decides whether your search visibility survives the move.

Changing hosts and moving your .co.za domain

A host move means copying files and the database to the new server, testing on a temporary address, then switching DNS at a quiet hour. If your .co.za domain is also moving to a new registrar, we coordinate the transfer so DNS never goes dark. Email records are copied exactly, because a lost MX record is the most common way a simple move turns into a crisis. The domain stays registered in your name throughout.

Personal information in transit

Customer accounts, order histories and form submissions are personal information under POPIA. We move them over encrypted connections, avoid leaving copies on laptops or shared drives, and delete temporary exports once the move is confirmed. If the new host sits outside South Africa, POPIA section 72 sets conditions for that transfer, so we give your Information Officer the new server location before we start.

Stores, gateways and the switch-over

For WooCommerce or other stores, we freeze changes briefly, move the latest orders and stock, and reconnect your gateway, whether Payfast, Ozow, Peach Payments or Paystack. Gateway notification URLs must point to the new site, otherwise payments succeed but orders stay pending, so we run sandbox transactions before going live. Because Lagos is one hour behind Johannesburg, both teams are online during the switch.

What every migration includes

What every migration includes.

Strategy & Design from $1,500 · Development from $5,000 · Managed Services from $2,000 per year. See pricing

Inventory of content, users, products and orders to move
Full backup of the old site before anything changes
Content mapping and rebuild in WordPress
301 redirect map from every old URL with traffic or links
Host or .co.za domain transfer kept in your name
Exact copy of email DNS records
Gateway reconnection and sandbox payment tests
Post-launch search console and broken link checks

How we approach website migrationThe full detail on our approach, process and what is included.

Our work

Platforms we have built.

Our redesign of WL Construction and corporate rebuilds such as Verbatim involved moving established content and URLs to new WordPress builds without losing what visitors already relied on.

WL ConstructionWebsite redesignRead the case study

VerbatimCorporate redesign for a consulting firmRead the case study

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Will we lose our Google rankings when we migrate?

Not if redirects are planned properly. We map every old URL with traffic or links to its new address and monitor search console after launch. Some short-term movement is normal after any move. Lasting drops usually come from missed redirects or removed content, which our process is designed to catch.

Can you migrate from Wix or Shopify to WordPress?

Yes. Both allow exports of key content, though neither exports everything, so some layouts and settings are rebuilt by hand. For Shopify stores we move products, customers and, where available, orders into WooCommerce, then reconnect a South African gateway. We confirm exactly what can be moved during scoping.

Will our email stop working during the migration?

It should not. We copy every email-related DNS record before changing anything and switch at a quiet time. If email is moving to a new provider as well, we run old and new mailboxes in parallel briefly so messages are not lost.

How long does a migration take?

A host move for a small site can be quick, while a platform change with a large catalogue takes longer because content needs mapping and testing. We set a timeline in the written scope after reviewing your site, including when the brief content freeze will happen.

How much does a website migration cost?

Migrations start from $1,000 per migration. The price depends on the size of the site, the platform you are leaving and whether a store, accounts or a domain move are involved. If the move is combined with a redesign or new features, we scope those together in writing.

Start a project

Tell us what you need WordPress to do.

A new website, a redesign, a client portal, a booking system, or a move from another platform. Tell us what you need and we will tell you how WordPress can carry it.