How to Audit Your WordPress Site Before Migrating to Framer

Migrating your WordPress site to Framer? Start with a thorough audit. Here's a quick guide to ensure a smooth transition while protecting your SEO and content:

• Evaluate WordPress setup: List all plugins, themes, and custom code. Identify features needing adjustments for Framer compatibility.

• Check SEO elements: Review meta titles, descriptions, backlinks, and mobile optimization to maintain search rankings.

• Back up everything: Secure databases, files, and settings to prevent data loss.

• Plan the migration: Map WordPress features to Framer, prioritize content, and test thoroughly post-migration.

Why Framer? It offers faster load times, built-in CDN, interactive design tools, and no-maintenance infrastructure.

1. Check Your WordPress Setup

Review your WordPress configuration to spot potential migration issues and ensure all components are accounted for.

List All Plugins and Themes

Go to your plugins dashboard, select all plugins (CTRL+A), copy the list (CTRL+C), and paste it into the Plugin List Generator.

This process helps you:

• Separate active plugins from inactive ones

• Identify features that will need alternatives in Framer

Also, examine any custom code to determine if adjustments will be necessary during the migration.

Review Custom Code

Take a close look at your custom code to ensure it doesn't rely on browser-specific features that might conflict with Framer's server-side rendering.

JavaScript Dependencies

• Locate code or components that rely on window, document, or navigator APIs.

Performance Adjustments

• Replace window.innerWidth usage with CSS media queries for better compatibility.

• Wrap browser-specific code inside useEffect() hooks to handle rendering properly.

• Plan fallback solutions for components that rely on browser information.

Once you've reviewed plugins, themes, and custom code, shift your attention to your site's performance.

Check Site Speed

Analyze your site's speed to identify areas for improvement.

"GTmetrix tells you how your website performs, why it's slow, and how to optimize it." - GTmetrix

Use these tools to assess your site's performance:

• GTmetrix: Provides detailed speed analysis.

• PageSpeed Insights: Offers mobile and desktop performance metrics.

• Chrome DevTools: Pinpoints bottlenecks with its Performance panel.

For instance, LeadIB.com boosted bookings by 350% after resolving issues found in a quick audit.

Important Metrics to Monitor:

• Page load times

• Server response times

• Resource compression rates

• Mobile responsiveness

• Core Web Vitals scores

Keep these metrics handy as they’ll guide your performance optimizations in Framer. These benchmarks ensure your site delivers an excellent user experience post-migration.

2. Review SEO Elements

When conducting a WordPress audit, refining SEO elements is a key step to ensure a smooth transition to Framer. Make sure to document and optimize these important SEO factors.

Check Page SEO Settings

Evaluate the SEO settings for individual pages to ensure everything transfers effectively to Framer. Key elements to review include:

• Meta titles and descriptions for all pages

• Semantic HTML structure with correct H1 headings

• Alt text for images that is clear and descriptive

• Video thumbnails optimized for search previews

• URL structure and plans for redirects

Meta titles, H1 headings, and semantic tags should accurately reflect your content to maintain search visibility.

Check Site Backlinks

After reviewing page-level SEO, take a close look at your backlinks to protect and enhance your site's authority. Research highlights the importance of high-quality backlinks:

Steps for a Backlink Audit:

1. Export your backlinks using Google Search Console.

2. Assess the quality of links by reviewing referring domain authority.

3. Identify broken or inactive links.

4. Create a plan to replace broken or low-quality links.

"Although it can be an intense process, a thorough backlink audit is an excellent way to improve your SEO and drive more traffic to your site." – TorqueMag.io

Test Mobile Display

Use Lighthouse audits in Chrome DevTools to check how your site performs on mobile devices. Focus on:

• Mobile responsiveness and load times

• Accessibility scores

• SEO compliance

• Proper spacing for interactive elements

• Touch-friendly target sizes

• Viewport settings

• Font readability

Lighthouse provides tailored recommendations based on your site's setup. Pay special attention to Core Web Vitals scores, as they directly influence your search rankings. Record these metrics as part of your migration assessment.

3. Back Up Your Site

Before migrating your WordPress site, it's crucial to secure your data by creating dependable backups. This step ensures you have a fallback option in case something goes wrong during the migration process.

Make a Full Site Backup

Back up both your database and files. It's a good practice to keep at least three backups stored in different locations to safeguard against potential data loss or corruption.

UpdraftPlus is a popular tool for automated backups, with over 3 million active installations and a 4.8/5 rating on WordPress.org. Here's what you should include in your backup:

Save Database and Files

To ensure a complete backup, export both your WordPress database and media files:

• Database Export: Include post content, metadata, user information, plugin settings, and theme customizations.

• File System Backup: Create a compressed archive of your WordPress installation directory. Pay special attention to these folders:

  • wp-content/uploads (media files)

  • wp-content/plugins (installed plugins)

  • wp-content/themes (active and inactive themes)

  • Any custom code files

Record Site Settings

Document your current WordPress setup to make restoring or reconfiguring easier later. Key details to record include:

• Plugin settings and license keys

• Theme customization options

• Widget placements

• Menu structures

• Custom code snippets

• Permalink settings

You can use tools like WinSCP or similar FTP software to sync and store a copy of your site files.

For added convenience, consider automated backup solutions. For instance, UpdraftPlus Premium offers features like scheduled backups and multiple storage options, starting at $85.40/year. This can be especially useful for businesses that need a dependable backup system.

4. Create Migration Plan

Plan your move from WordPress to Framer by organizing features, prioritizing content, and outlining a thorough testing process. Once your backups are secure, focus on identifying feature needs and content priorities to ensure a smooth transition.

Match Features to Framer

Determine how key WordPress features will be recreated in Framer.

Make a Content Transfer List

List all the content you plan to migrate. This includes website pages (with metadata), blog posts (with categories and tags), media files, forms, and any custom post types.

Review Google Analytics data to pinpoint your most valuable content. For example, prioritize pages with strong engagement (average time on page over 3 minutes) or high conversion rates (above 2%).

This step ensures your most critical content is given priority during the migration process.

Set Up a Testing Plan

Once you've outlined your migration components, create a detailed testing plan to confirm everything works as expected. Here's what to test:

• Functionality Testing: Check navigation, form submissions, media playback, and interactive elements to ensure they work seamlessly.

• Data Verification: Compare content accuracy between platforms, confirm metadata is preserved, check image quality, and verify the URL structure remains intact.

• Performance Testing: Monitor key metrics like:

  • Page load times (aim for under 3 seconds)

  • Mobile responsiveness across devices

  • Core Web Vitals compliance

  • Server response times

This structured approach ensures your new site performs well and maintains a high-quality user experience.

Next Steps

After completing your site audit, double-check these key areas before starting the migration process.

Key Areas to Verify

Technical Details

• Ensure your WordPress setup documentation is thorough and up-to-date.

• Confirm you have a secure, easily accessible full site backup.

• Prioritize key pages in your content transfer list.

SEO Considerations

• Maintain your existing URL structure to protect SEO rankings.

• Set up 301 redirects for any URL changes.

• Get your new XML sitemap ready for submission to Google Search Console.

Testing and Performance

• Verify your testing environment is fully functional.

• Review and compare performance benchmarks.

• Double-check that analytics tracking is correctly configured.

Reach Out to Striking Alchemy

Ready to move from WordPress to a Framer platform with zero maintenance? Here's how we can help:

1. Thorough Site Review: We’ll analyze your site’s structure, content, and technical SEO to ensure nothing is overlooked.

2. Tailored Migration Plan: We’ll create a detailed strategy that keeps your SEO intact and aligns WordPress features with Framer tools.

3. Seamless Execution: Our team will handle the migration, ensuring your content, functionality, and SEO transfer without a hitch.

Get in touch for a free website audit and migration consultation. With our expertise in WordPress and Framer, we’ll make sure your transition is smooth, keeping your site’s performance and search rankings intact.