Website migration pricing depends on what is actually moving

When someone asks, “What should we expect to pay for a website migration?” the first thing I want them to understand is that not all migrations are the same kind of work. A hosting migration and a platform migration may both be called “website migration,” but the cost structure is completely different.

A hosting migration is usually billed hourly because it is often fast and contained. We are moving the existing site from one server or host to another, checking that files, databases, DNS, SSL, and basic functionality are working, then monitoring for issues. In many cases, this is straightforward, especially if the site is not highly customized.

A platform migration, such as moving from Wix to WordPress, WordPress to Shopify, Magento to WooCommerce, or a custom CMS to another system, is a development project. That means it should be quoted like a website build. If we are copying the current design closely, the client may save on design costs, but they are still paying for development, planning, content handling, QA, SEO preservation, and launch support.

Common types of website migrations and how they affect cost

The price changes based on the technical complexity, the amount of development required, and the risk involved. Smaller changes are usually faster and cheaper. Anything that requires custom development becomes more expensive because developers need to rebuild functionality, templates, integrations, or workflows.

Hosting migration

A hosting migration is usually one of the lower-cost migration types - we usually bill hourly and is typically under $500. This is the kind of migration where plugins and automated tools can be useful, especially for common CMS platforms like WordPress. If the goal is simply to move the same site to a better server, a backup and migration plugin may handle a lot of the data movement.

That said, we still need to check the site carefully after the move. We look at forms, media files, database connections, caching, SSL, DNS propagation, and admin access. The work is usually hourly because the scope is narrow, but if the site has custom server requirements, unusual database setup, or outdated software, the budget can grow.

HTTP to HTTPS migration

An HTTP to HTTPS migration is often smaller than a platform migration, but it still needs attention. The site needs an SSL certificate, internal links should be updated where needed, mixed content issues need to be resolved, and redirects should send HTTP URLs to HTTPS versions.

This is not usually the most expensive migration type (also hourly and under $500), but skipping the details can cause browser warnings, broken assets, tracking issues, and SEO confusion. The work is faster than a rebuild, but it should not be treated as a one-click task without QA.

Domain change migration

A domain change is more SEO-sensitive than many businesses expect. The site may look exactly the same, but search engines see a major identity change. The biggest cost driver here is planning the redirect strategy correctly so every important old URL points to the correct new URL.

If redirects are rushed or missing, rankings can drop because search engines and users hit dead ends. This is one of the areas where online guides tend to oversimplify the work. They mention “set up redirects,” but they do not always explain how much time it takes to map URLs, test redirects, update canonical tags, adjust analytics, and monitor organic traffic after launch.

This is a bit more involved but still billed hourly and can range from $500-1000.

CMS replatforming

CMS replatforming is where costs usually increase quickly. Moving a site from one content management system to another is not just moving pages. The templates, content fields, navigation, media handling, forms, SEO metadata, blog structure, and admin workflows may all need to be rebuilt.

This is where automated migration tools often disappoint. Some plugins are great with data, especially when moving posts, images, or basic records. But no plugin can completely migrate a website to a new platform when the systems work differently. We have seen businesses waste time and money trying to force an automated migration that was never realistic in the first place.

If the new site is meant to visually match the old one, the client may save on design because we are not starting from a blank creative process. But the development work still has to happen. A copied design does not mean copied functionality.

Redesign plus migration

A redesign plus migration is closer to a full website project. The site is being moved, but the structure, visuals, content, and user experience may also change. Costs are higher because the team is not only preserving what already works, they are creating something new.

In this kind of project, the quoted price will account for strategy, design, development, content migration, SEO planning, redirects, QA, stakeholder reviews, and post-launch fixes. If the business wants to use the migration as a chance to clean up content, merge pages, remove outdated sections, or improve conversion paths, that adds value but also adds planning time.

International or site structure migration

International restructuring, such as moving from separate country domains to subfolders or setting up multilingual versions, can become complex quickly. URL structure, hreflang tags, language targeting, redirects, content duplication, and analytics reporting all need to be handled carefully.

This type of migration may not always require heavy visual design, but it does require planning. If the site serves multiple countries or languages, mistakes can affect search visibility in more than one market.

The cost drivers clients often underestimate

The two big cost drivers we see most often are developer time and planning time. A migration can look simple from the outside because the end goal sounds simple: move the site. But the work behind the scenes is where the cost lives.

Developers may need to rebuild templates, recreate custom functionality, connect third-party tools, fix compatibility issues, and troubleshoot bugs that only show up after content is moved. Our planning time also matters because a good migration needs a clear sequence. We need to know what is moving, what is changing, what should be redirected, what needs approval, and what must be tested before launch.

Common underestimated tasks include:

  • URL mapping: matching old URLs to new destinations so traffic and rankings are preserved.
  • Redirect planning: making sure important pages do not return 404 errors after launch.
  • QA testing: checking forms, checkout flows, menus, mobile layouts, search features, and tracking.
  • Analytics setup: confirming GA4, Google Search Console, pixels, events, and conversion tracking still work.
  • SEO preservation: carrying over metadata, headings, canonical tags, structured data, and indexation rules where appropriate.
  • Post-launch monitoring: watching for crawl errors, ranking drops, broken redirects, and unexpected technical issues.

Why trying to save money can get expensive

The most common budget mistake is assuming a plugin or automated migration tool can handle everything. For hosting migrations, plugins can be a good fit. We use them when they make sense, and they can save time when the site is staying on the same platform.

For platform migrations, the story is different. A plugin might move some content, but it cannot fully translate the structure, design system, theme logic, custom fields, ecommerce functionality, SEO setup, and integrations from one platform to another. When businesses try to force that route, they often pay twice: once for the failed shortcut, then again for a professional team to clean it up and finish the work correctly.

The most expensive shortcut is usually skipping redirects. SEO risk is real. If rankings are lost because old URLs were not redirected properly, the cost is not just the migration invoice. It can show up as lost leads, lost sales, and months of recovery work.

Edge cases that can change the migration budget quickly

Some migrations start simple and become much larger once we look under the hood. The biggest cost driver is often custom ecommerce functionality. If an online store has custom product options, complex shipping rules, subscription logic, customer portals, integrations with inventory systems, or unusual checkout behavior, that work needs to be rebuilt or replaced carefully.

Large ecommerce catalogs also require more planning because product URLs, categories, filters, variants, images, and metadata all need to be handled cleanly. A small brochure site and a 5,000-product store are not in the same pricing category.

Other budget-changing factors include multilingual content, custom CMS setups, legacy URLs with no clear structure, high-traffic sites where downtime is costly, and third-party integrations like CRMs, booking systems, payment gateways, ERPs, or marketing automation tools.

What a professional migration quote should include

A good website migration quote should make it easy to compare vendors. At minimum, it should include cost, timeline, phases, and needs. If those details are missing, it is hard to know what is actually included and what might become a surprise fee later.

I like to see the scope broken into clear phases, such as discovery, planning, development, content migration, SEO preparation, QA, launch, and post-launch monitoring. The quote should also state what the client needs to provide, such as hosting access, CMS access, DNS access, plugin licenses, content files, analytics access, and stakeholder approvals.

For a small hosting migration, the scope may be short because the work is mostly technical transfer and testing. For a CMS replatform or redesign plus migration, the scope should read more like a website project because that is what it is. The clearer the quote, the easier it is to understand whether a lower price is truly efficient or just missing important work.