Considering a platform move with your site redesign? While it could be a great for your business, there may be more to it than meets the eye. Below are some things to consider when ditching your old platform for a new one.
1. What do you like and dislike about your current platform? What features are must-haves, and what features are nice-to-haves?
The best thing a client can do when considering a re-platform is to put together a technical requirements document that outlines all the details of their current platform’s likes, dislikes, features, and functionality that they MUST have from a new platform, as well as those that are more wish-list items. This will help your development partner assess your needs better, and help you properly select a platform that is most appropriate for your business. The less you share, the more your eCommerce Consultant has to assume or suggest on their own.
2. The internet does not just “know” that you moved!
When you leave one house and go to another, you have to set up a forwarding address. Even though you might be the same John Smith, the post office won’t know that you left New York and went to New Jersey unless you tell them, so they’ll know where to send your mail. The same is true for moving platforms.
301 redirects are the forwarding addresses of the internet. Without them, Google will be confused about where your site, your pages, and your ITEMS all went to. This can cause issues with confused customers, lost SEO and more than anything, lost SALES. Be sure to speak with your eCommerce Consultant about the need for 301 redirects, who can do them, and when they need to be done in the platform move.
Equally as important is keeping your SEO intact. Again, the internet will not just “know” that all the great organic traffic and value you’ve built up over on your old site will translate over to the new one. Employing the help of an SEO professional will ensure that much SEO value as possible is carried over in the move. EY has a number of SEO partners for sites of all sizes and needs, inquire with your eCommerce Consultant about who would be best for your business.
3. There is going to be a learning curve for you and your entire team.
Before you commit to a new platform, make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. Do a demo, try out a test-store, get a feel for what your new day-to-day will be like. Sometimes a bigger, better platform also has a bigger, more complicated back end. Be sure that you and your team are comfortable with what you’re getting yourself into, and that you have the resources on hand to properly handle the new platform. This might mean updating security patches, finding your own hosting provider, or any other number of things.
At the end of the day, a platform move may be exactly what your business needs to grow and evolve. The more you can be prepared for a move, the easier it will be on you and your team, and the less of an effect it will have on your overall business.
By Meagan Bryson
Runway Consultant
EYStudios
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