WordPress VIP Migration Checklist: How to Move an Enterprise Site Safely

Moving a high-traffic site to WordPress VIP brings managed infrastructure, edge caching, strong security and expert support. It also brings strict rules. Code must pass VIP review, the file system is read-only and deployments go through GitHub. This WordPress VIP migration checklist is the process we follow so launches are smooth and search rankings stay intact.

1. Audit your current site

• List every theme, plugin, integration, cron job and custom script.
• Note traffic, content volume, media library size and user accounts.
• Record current SEO data: top pages, redirects, sitemaps and structured data.
• Identify code that writes to the file system, runs slow queries or calls external APIs on page load.

2. Make the code VIP-ready

• Run PHPCS with the WordPress VIP coding standards and fix errors and warnings.
• Replace file system writes with VIP-supported storage and uploads.
• Cache expensive queries and remote requests with the object cache.
• Remove plugins that duplicate VIP platform features or are not compatible.
• Move configuration and secrets into environment-specific settings.

3. Set up repositories and environments

• Structure the GitHub repository the way VIP expects, with themes, plugins and client mu-plugins.
• Use the VIP Local Development Environment so every developer works on the same setup.
• Agree a branch and pull request workflow that fits VIP code review.

4. Migrate content and media

1. Clean the database: remove spam, revisions and unused plugin tables.
2. Export and validate the database, then import it with VIP-CLI.
3. Import the media library and confirm image sizes and file URLs.
4. Search-replace domains and check serialised data.
5. Recreate redirects and confirm every important URL still resolves.

5. Test before launch

• Functional testing of forms, search, logins, checkout and integrations.
• Performance testing on key templates and under realistic traffic.
• Editorial testing so content teams can publish without surprises.
• SEO checks: titles, canonicals, sitemaps, robots rules and structured data.

6. Launch and DNS cutover

Freeze content for a short window, run a final content sync, update DNS and monitor closely. Keep the old environment available for a few days in case you need to compare anything.

7. After launch

• Watch error logs, uptime and Core Web Vitals for the first two weeks.
• Submit sitemaps in Google Search Console and check the Page indexing report.
• Confirm analytics and conversion tracking still record correctly.
• Document the new workflow for developers and editors.

Note: Digital Leap is an independent agency and is not a WordPress VIP partner or affiliated with Automattic. We help teams that use or plan to use WordPress VIP.