Website Redesign Checklist for Perth Cafés Moving from WordPress [2025 Guide]

If your Perth café is still running on a WordPress website built years ago, you’re not alone. Many hospitality businesses launched on WordPress because it was accessible and affordable. But times have changed, and that ageing WordPress site may now be hurting your business more than helping it.

This guide provides a complete checklist for migrating your café website from WordPress to a modern platform—whether that’s Astro, Next.js, or another high-performance solution. We’ll ensure you preserve SEO rankings, maintain functionality, and create a website that actually converts visitors to guests.

Why Perth Cafés Are Leaving WordPress

WordPress powers about 40% of websites globally, but it’s increasingly becoming a liability for hospitality businesses. Here’s what we see with Perth café WordPress sites:

The hospitality industry demands fast, mobile-first websites. Your menu needs to load instantly. Your booking system can’t glitch. Your photos must display beautifully on every device.

Modern static site generators and headless CMS solutions deliver dramatically better performance without the maintenance headaches.

Phase 1: Pre-Migration Audit (Week 1-2)

Before touching any code, you need a comprehensive audit of your existing WordPress site.

Content Inventory

Create a spreadsheet documenting:

Every page on your site:

• Home page
• Menu page(s)
• About/Story page
• Contact page
• Gallery/Portfolio
• Blog posts
• Location pages
• Special event pages
• Private dining or catering pages
• Any landing pages

For each page, record:

• Current URL
• Page title
• Meta description
• Primary keywords
• Word count
• Images used
• Last updated date

This inventory prevents content from falling through the cracks during migration.

Functionality Audit

List every functional element that must work on the new site:

• Contact form (where do submissions go?)
• Online booking/reservation system (which provider?)
• Online ordering (Square, Gloria Food, direct orders?)
• Newsletter signup (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, etc.)
• Gift card purchases
• Social media feeds/embeds
• Google Maps integration
• Menu PDF downloads
• Image galleries/lightboxes
• Video embeds
• Loyalty program integration
• Third-party review widgets

Technical Audit

Gather baseline metrics for comparison:

Performance:

• Google PageSpeed Insights scores (mobile and desktop)
• Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS)
• Average page load time

SEO:

• Current Google ranking positions for key terms
• Organic traffic levels (last 12 months)
• Backlink profile (Ahrefs, Moz, or Search Console)
• Indexed pages count

Security:

• SSL certificate status
• Security plugin configuration
• Known vulnerabilities

WordPress-Specific Inventory

Document your WordPress setup:

Theme:

• Theme name and version
• Child theme modifications
• Custom CSS additions

Plugins (export full list):

• Essential plugins for functionality
• SEO plugins and their settings
• Caching and performance plugins
• Security plugins
• Backup plugins
• Any premium plugins with licenses

Database:

• Export WordPress database backup
• Document custom post types
• Note any ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) configurations

Phase 2: Platform Selection (Week 2-3)

Choose your new platform based on your café’s specific needs:

Static Site Generators (Recommended for Most Cafés)

Why we recommend Astro for Perth hospitality: It delivers exceptional performance, supports modern content formats, and integrates seamlessly with headless CMS options. Our own site runs on Astro.

Headless CMS Options

For clients who need easy content editing:

E-commerce/Ordering Integration

Phase 3: SEO Preservation Strategy (Critical)

This phase is non-negotiable. Poor SEO migration can destroy years of ranking progress.

URL Mapping

Create a mapping document for every URL:

Old URL                           → New URL                          → Redirect Type
/menu/                            → /menu/                           → None (same)
/our-story/                       → /about/                          → 301
/news/new-summer-menu/            → /blog/new-summer-menu/           → 301
/wp-content/uploads/menu-2024.pdf → /docs/menu-2024.pdf              → 301

Rules for URL decisions:

1. Keep high-performing URLs identical when possible
2. Simplify overly complex WordPress URLs
3. Remove date-based blog URLs if not needed
4. Create 301 redirects for any URL changes
5. Never use 302 (temporary) redirects

Meta Data Migration

Transfer all SEO elements:

• Page titles
• Meta descriptions
• Open Graph data (og:title, og:description, og:image)
• Twitter Card data
• Canonical URLs
• Schema markup (LocalBusiness, Restaurant, Menu)

If using Yoast or Rank Math, export their settings for reference.

Content Quality Check

Migration is an opportunity to improve content:

• Update outdated information
• Improve thin content pages
• Consolidate similar pages
• Add internal links where missing
• Refresh food photography to current standards
• Update staff photos and bios

Sitemap and Robots.txt

• Generate new XML sitemap
• Verify robots.txt allows indexing
• Submit new sitemap to Google Search Console post-launch

Phase 4: Design and Development (Week 3-6)

With planning complete, development begins.

Design Priorities for Perth Cafés

Mobile-first design:

• Menu readable without zooming
• Tap-to-call phone numbers
• Easy booking access
• Quick-loading images

Visual hierarchy:

• Clear call-to-action buttons
• Prominent location and hours
• Featured menu items or specials

Brand consistency:

• Match in-venue aesthetic
• Professional food photography
• Consistent colour palette
• Typography that reflects your brand

Performance Requirements

Set targets before development:

Development Checklist

Structure:

• Responsive layout (mobile, tablet, desktop)
• Semantic HTML5 markup
• Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA)
• Fast navigation (no page reload on internal links)

Features:

• Menu display (filterable if needed)
• Image galleries with lazy loading
• Contact forms with validation
• Booking integration
• Social links
• Google Maps embed
• Newsletter signup

SEO:

• Dynamic meta tags per page
• Auto-generated sitemap
• Breadcrumb navigation
• Schema markup implementation
• Canonical tags
• Open Graph images

Performance:

• Image optimization (WebP format)
• CSS/JS minification
• CDN integration
• Proper caching headers
• Lazy loading for below-fold images

Phase 5: Content Migration (Week 4-6)

Systematically transfer and improve content.

Page Migration Process

For each page:

1. Copy content from WordPress (use your inventory)
2. Clean formatting (remove WordPress cruft)
3. Optimise images (convert to WebP, resize appropriately)
4. Verify internal links point to new URLs
5. Add schema markup where relevant
6. Test on mobile and desktop

Blog Post Migration

For content-heavy sites:

1. Export posts from WordPress (XML export)
2. Convert to MDX or your chosen format
3. Preserve publish dates and author attribution
4. Maintain categories and tags structure
5. Update any WordPress-specific shortcodes
6. Verify code blocks and embeds work

Image Migration

WordPress often creates multiple image sizes. For migration:

1. Identify original high-quality images
2. Re-export from originals if available
3. Convert to WebP for better performance
4. Implement responsive image srcsets
5. Write descriptive alt text for accessibility
6. Optimise file sizes (target under 200KB for most images)

Menu Migration

If using a WordPress menu plugin:

1. Export menu data
2. Verify pricing is current
3. Update dish descriptions
4. Check dietary indicators (V, VG, GF)
5. Ensure menu matches current offerings

Phase 6: Testing (Week 6-7)

Rigorous testing prevents launch day disasters.

Functional Testing

Forms:

• Contact form submissions arrive correctly
• Email notifications work
• Spam protection functional

Booking/Ordering:

• Reservations process correctly
• Order confirmations sent
• Payment processing works
• Integration with POS verified

User interactions:

• All buttons and links work
• Mobile menu navigation
• Gallery and lightboxes function
• Videos play correctly

Cross-Browser Testing

Test on:

• Chrome (desktop and mobile)
• Safari (desktop and iOS)
• Firefox
• Edge
• Samsung Internet (common in Australia)

Performance Testing

• Run PageSpeed Insights on all key pages
• Test on throttled 4G connection
• Verify Core Web Vitals metrics
• Compare against WordPress baseline

SEO Verification

• All 301 redirects work correctly
• No broken links (run a crawler)
• Sitemap generates properly
• Robots.txt correct
• Schema markup validates (Google Rich Results Test)
• Mobile-friendly test passes

Accessibility Testing

• Screen reader navigation works
• Keyboard navigation functional
• Colour contrast sufficient
• Interactive elements have focus states
• Forms properly labeled

Phase 7: Launch (Week 7-8)

With testing complete, you’re ready to launch.

Pre-Launch Checklist

48 hours before:

• Final content review
• Backup WordPress site completely
• Prepare DNS changes
• Notify booking/ordering providers

Day of launch:

• Update DNS records
• Verify SSL certificate active
• Test all critical functionality
• Monitor for errors

Post-Launch Actions

Immediately:

• Test all forms with real submissions
• Verify Google Analytics tracking
• Submit new sitemap to Search Console
• Test a real booking/order

Week 1:

• Monitor 404 errors in Search Console
• Check Core Web Vitals in Search Console
• Review any customer feedback
• Address any issues found

Month 1:

• Compare traffic to pre-migration baseline
• Monitor keyword ranking changes
• Review page performance metrics
• Gather team feedback on CMS

WordPress Decommissioning

Don’t delete your WordPress site immediately:

1. Keep WordPress live on a subdomain for 30 days
2. Maintain backups of database and files
3. Cancel hosting only after confirming migration success
4. Transfer any active plugin licenses if applicable

Common Migration Mistakes to Avoid

Learn from others’ errors:

Mistake 1: Rushing the Timeline

Problem: Launching before proper testing leads to broken features and SEO damage.

Solution: Build in buffer time. A delayed launch is better than a broken one.

Mistake 2: Ignoring 301 Redirects

Problem: Visitors and search engines hit 404 errors, destroying SEO value.

Solution: Map every URL. Test every redirect. Monitor 404s post-launch.

Mistake 3: Forgetting Mobile Testing

Problem: Site looks great on desktop but breaks on mobile—where 70%+ of traffic comes from.

Solution: Design mobile-first. Test on real devices, not just browser emulators.

Mistake 4: Losing Backlinks

Problem: High-value backlinks to your old site now point to 404 pages.

Solution: Identify top backlinks with Ahrefs or Moz. Ensure redirects cover these URLs.

Mistake 5: Downgrading Content Quality

Problem: Migration copy-paste loses formatting, images, and nuance.

Solution: Review every migrated page. This is an opportunity to improve, not just replicate.

Expected Results After Migration

What to expect after a successful WordPress migration:

Timeline for SEO recovery:

• Week 1-2: Rankings may fluctuate (normal)
• Week 3-4: Rankings stabilise
• Month 2-3: Often see improvements due to better performance
• Month 6+: Full benefit of Core Web Vitals improvements

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to upgrade your Perth café’s website from WordPress? Our web design team specialises in WordPress migrations for hospitality businesses. We handle the technical complexity while you focus on running your venue. Get in touch for a migration assessment.