Migrating your unstructured website content

Content Management Systems (CMS) have evolved dramatically in recent years.

Gone are the days when marketers had to work within rigid, structured forms that limited creativity and responsiveness. In the past, making even minor layout or style changes required engaging a web development agency, kicking off a lengthy and often inefficient cycle. By the time one change was implemented, a new marketing challenge had already emerged.

Today, the introduction of flexible page builders has revolutionised the landscape. Marketing teams now have greater control, enabling them to adopt a "test and learn" approach – an essential strategy for Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO). This shift allows businesses to optimise web content dynamically, aligning with key objectives in real time.

Form-based page builders

This approach separates the editing interface from the published page. While it provides flexibility, users don’t get an immediate preview of their changes in real-time.

• ‍WordPress: Offers numerous page builder plugins, but the default editor still follows this structured form-based approach.

• Drupal: Has a default layout builder which shows the page in edit mode as shown below

Drag-and-drop page builders

These provide a more intuitive, visual editing experience, allowing users to build and modify pages in real time.

• Elementor for WordPress: A popular plugin that enables direct manipulation of page elements.
• Storyblok: A flexible, headless CMS that allows marketers to create visually engaging content.

• Webflow: Takes visual design further by integrating a no-code/low-code approach with robust CMS functionality. Unlike other CMS platforms, Webflow natively blends design, content and animation in a single environment, eliminating the need for extra plugins.

Key advantages of Webflow:

• Real-time editing: Marketers can modify content directly on the live page, streamlining workflow efficiency.
• Component-based design: Reusable symbols and a structured CMS help maintain brand consistency, while offering layout flexibility.
• Mobile responsiveness: Designs automatically adjust for different devices, eliminating the need for additional configuration.

Regardless of the platform, all these systems allow users to preview their work across desktop, mobile and tablet views with a single click. Additionally, the ability to select from a library of pre-built components ensures brand integrity and visual consistency across the site.

Challenges of migrating unstructured content

As businesses transition to newer CMS platforms, a significant challenge arises: how do you migrate a website’s unstructured content when its pages lack a consistent format?

Migrating structured content has always been complex, typically involving exporting data into a tabular format (such as a spreadsheet) before reimporting it into a new system. However, the shift towards flexible page builders complicates this process.

Many modern websites now feature hundreds of custom-built pages, each assembled using unique combinations of modular components.

Key considerations for migration:

To ensure a successful migration, it's essential to account for:

• Meta fields: Preserving critical SEO meta data.
• Tagging and filtering: Ensuring proper categorisation for search and user experience.
• Content relationships: Maintaining links between different content types (e.g., associating events with specific service pages).

While the structured content within components can often be exported and reimported, the way these components are arranged within a given CMS is unique to that system. This means a direct one-to-one migration isn't always possible.

How to simplify the process

Rather than attempting a full-scale, page-for-page migration, a strategic approach is required. Here’s how to streamline the transition:

• Prioritise business-critical pages: Focus migration efforts on high-value content, such as:
  • Home pages
  • Service and product pages (which often require dynamic content variations)
  • Landing pages for marketing campaigns (which frequently change and evolve)
• Segment your content: Structured content types, such as blogs, news articles, events and team profiles (usually on the third-level down in your website structure) – should be migrated in bulk using automated import tools.

• Rebuild key pages: High-visibility, custom-designed pages will likely require manual recreation in the new system. Before migration, ensure all necessary components are built, tested and ready for content population.

Proctors: your content migration experts

At Proctors, we specialise in seamless content migration, including handling complex multi-language sites and diverse content structures. Our expertise ensures that your new website is up and running efficiently, preserving the integrity of your content while optimising for future growth.

For more information about our migration services, get in touch with us today.