Zero-downtime WordPress to managed cutover: the 14-day playbook
How we plan DNS, redirects, and rollback so traffic and rankings never blink.
Migrations fail when teams treat the cutover as an event instead of a rehearsed sequence. The 14-day window gives us room to stage, mirror, and verify without pressuring the launch day.
Days 1–5 are spent on inventory: every URL, every redirect, every form endpoint, every third-party pixel. We freeze content scope on day 6 and run two full dress rehearsals against a hidden staging origin.
DNS is the last domino. We lower TTLs 48 hours ahead, run a final diff of redirects, then flip records during the lowest-traffic window for the audience. A rollback plan is rehearsed, not assumed.
Post-cutover we monitor Core Web Vitals, 404 logs, and rankings hourly for 72 hours. The goal isn't a perfect launch — it's a reversible one.