Before you start any migration, it’s best to fully understand what you’re migrating. How much content do you have? What type of content is it, and is it properly tagged? Are there any broken links? What features of the existing site do you plan to keep?
When doing any migration, it’s best to clean up the source material before starting. This is especially true with older WordPress sites that have undergone multiple database migrations. Regardless of your current website delivery system, here’s a short-list of things to investigate and address before attempting your migration:
Verify that all of your content is tagged and categorized.
Ensure the author information is consistent across all pages.
Check for content consistency. Look for mixes of UTF-8, Latin, and ASCII characters like curly quotes and straight quotes. Be aware that older posts might not use the correct encoding; if you fix these now, it’ll save you time later.
Clean out any drafts or previous versions that you don’t need.
Fix broken links. Most blog platforms and content management systems have this capability built in or offer a plugin to help.
Take inventory of any server-side scripts your site uses, like widgets, image galleries, and other plugins.
Do a thorough audit of your site. It’s almost like moving to a new house or apartment; pack everything up nicely before you begin the move.
Once you have an idea of what you have, and you know everything is in good shape, you’re ready to start moving your content.