How do you switch to a new CMS or platform?

1 Assess your current situation

Before you decide to switch to a new CMS or platform, you need to evaluate your current one. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your existing system? What are the goals and requirements of your content strategy? How much time, money, and resources do you have to invest in the migration? How will the switch affect your audience, stakeholders, and collaborators? By answering these questions, you can identify the gaps and opportunities in your current situation and define the scope and criteria for your new CMS or platform.

2 Choose your new CMS or platform

Once you have a clear vision of what you want and need from your new CMS or platform, you can start exploring your options. There are many factors to consider when choosing a new CMS or platform, such as functionality, flexibility, scalability, security, compatibility, cost, and support. You should also look for reviews, testimonials, and case studies from other users who have made the switch. Depending on your preferences and needs, you can opt for a hosted or self-hosted solution, a proprietary or open-source system, a headless or traditional architecture, or a hybrid or specialized platform.

3 Prepare your content for migration

Before you move your content to your new CMS or platform, you need to prepare it for the transition. This means auditing your existing content, identifying what to keep, update, archive, or delete, and mapping it to your new structure and taxonomy. You should also review and optimize your content for quality, consistency, relevance, and SEO. Depending on the size and complexity of your content, you can use tools and scripts to automate some of the migration tasks, such as exporting, importing, formatting, and redirecting your content. However, you should always check and test your content manually to ensure accuracy and functionality.

4 Train your team and stakeholders

Switching to a new CMS or platform also involves changing the way your team and stakeholders work with your content. You need to ensure that everyone who creates, manages, or consumes your content is familiar and comfortable with the new system. This means providing training and documentation on how to use the new features and functionalities, how to follow the new workflows and processes, and how to troubleshoot any issues or problems. You should also solicit feedback and suggestions from your team and stakeholders to improve your user adoption and satisfaction.

5 Launch and monitor your new CMS or platform

After you have migrated and tested your content, trained your team and stakeholders, and resolved any outstanding issues, you are ready to launch your new CMS or platform. However, your work does not end there. You need to monitor and measure the performance and impact of your new system on your content goals and metrics. You should also keep an eye on your user feedback and analytics to identify any problems, errors, or opportunities for improvement. Switching to a new CMS or platform is an ongoing process that requires constant evaluation and optimization.

6 Enjoy the benefits of your new CMS or platform

Switching to a new CMS or platform can be a challenging and rewarding experience. If you follow the steps and best practices outlined in this article, you can minimize the risks and maximize the benefits of your migration. By choosing and using a new CMS or platform that suits your content needs and goals, you can enhance your content quality, efficiency, and effectiveness, as well as your user experience, engagement, and loyalty.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?