What to check after an import

An import does most of the work, but a person should look at the result before visitors do. Work through this list after you import a whole website. Most items take a minute.

1. Read the report

1. Go to System → Settings → Import a website.
2. Read every line of Last import. Each should say OK.
3. For any Check, Note or Fix, do what the line says. The most common ones are missing files (upload them in Media) and redirects.txt lines that weren't added (see Keep old addresses working).

2. Compare the pages with the original

1. In Next steps, click Open the site.
2. Open every page, on a computer and on your phone. Scroll to the bottom of each one: every section should appear.
3. Open the blog, one blog post, and a category page.

3. Check that you can edit

1. Go to Content → Pages and open the home page with Edit with PageShift.
2. Click a heading once to select it, click again and change a word.
3. Click a picture and replace it.
4. Click Update, check the page, then change it back.

4. Check the design, header, footer and menu

1. Design → Design Settings: the brand color, fonts and logo should match the original.
2. Design → Site Layouts: the imported header, footer and blog layouts are listed.
3. Design → Menus & Footer: the header menu has the right links in the right order.
4. If the blog had a sidebar, check its boxes in Design → Blog Sidebar.

5. Test every form

1. Send a test message with each form, using your own email address.
2. Check that it arrives in Leads & Growth → Leads, and that you get the notification email.
3. Check that the visitor sees the thank-you page.

If the email doesn't come, see Troubleshooting.

6. Prices, people and payments

1. System → Settings → Prices: the prices found are listed. Change one to check it updates (see Change a price everywhere at once).
2. System → Settings → People: check the authors and reviewers, their job titles and profile links.
3. If the report has a Payments line, the old site had payment buttons. Follow what that line says to set up payments in the Store module.

7. Analytics and tracking

1. If the report says Tracking codes found, those codes already work. Don't add them again.
2. If not, add your Google Analytics 4 ID in System → Settings → General, and other codes in Code Snippets. See More General settings and Add tracking codes.

8. Search engines

1. In System → Settings → General, make sure Search Engine Visibility is not ticked.
2. Open each page's SEO settings for your most important pages and check the title and description.
3. Decide in SEO → Category pages whether blog category pages should appear in search engines. For most sites, hide them.
4. When the site is live on its real address, submit sitemap.xml in Google Search Console.

9. Old addresses

1. Try a few old addresses in your browser, for example /contact.php. Each should land on the new page.
2. A few days after going live, open SEO → Redirects → 404 log and add a redirect for any old address that shows up.

10. Before you tell anyone

Open System → Settings → Launch checklist and work through it. Its Placeholder finder lists sample text, numbers and pictures still on your pages. See Settings to check on day one.