Replatforming to Framer: Step-by-Step Playbook

If you are thinking about migrating your SaaS marketing site, documentation portal, or landing pages to Framer, this guide walks you through a repeatable, low-risk process. It’s written for product and engineering leaders and gives concrete steps, roles, timelines, and checklists to ensure your migration preserves SEO, analytics, and uptime.

1) When to consider migrating to Framer

Need faster iteration for marketing and product pages with design-first tools.

• Your team wants pixel-perfect design with minimal differences between design and deployed site.

• Looking for a single hosting + CMS solution with easier workflows for marketers.

• Want quicker launch for landing pages, experiments, and templates.

If most of these apply, migration to Framer makes sense. If your site has complex backend routing, heavy server-side needs, or platform-specific features, check feasibility first.

2) Define goals, success metrics, and constraints

• Business goals: faster landing pages, higher conversions, centralized content.

• Success metrics: page load (LCP, CLS, FID), organic sessions, bounce rate, conversion rate, build/release frequency, uptime.

• Constraints: SEO importance, current integrations (auth, billing), localization, compliance (GDPR, PCI), available resources.

  
  

3) Pre-migration audit (don’t skip this)

• Content inventory: pages, templates, blog posts, docs, assets, languages.

• URL & canonical map: export current URLs and canonical tags.

• Components & patterns: UI library, header/footer, pricing blocks, forms, CTAs.

• Integrations: analytics IDs, tag manager, auth, payment providers, widgets.

• SEO & backlinks: top-performing pages.

• Performance: Lighthouse, Web Vitals, field metrics.

• Tech debt & custom code: list server-side features or scripts needing refactoring.

Deliverable: migration backlog labeled as 1) straightforward, 2) requires work, 3) not feasible in Framer.

4) Architecture & hosting plan on Framer

• Patterns:

  • Marketing+Docs on Framer; product app separately.

  • Full site on Framer Sites with CMS.

  • Hybrid: Framer frontend + headless CMS (Sanity, Contentful) using Framer APIs.

• Hosting: custom domain, SSL, redirects, CDN configuration, serverless/edge planning.

Deliverable: diagram showing Framer site, CMS, auth/payment endpoints, analytics, and CI/CD.

5) Design system & component strategy

• Audit existing components: headers, footers, cards, forms, modals.

• Build Framer component library or port tokens/components. Keep names consistent.

• Versioning & governance: single source of truth repo or Framer library.

• Accessibility: ARIA roles, semantic markup, keyboard navigation, color contrast.

Deliverable: component catalog with priority tags (must-have, post-launch, experimental).

6) Content migration and SEO preservation

Preserve URLs. Use 301 redirects if URLs change.

• Migrate meta tags: titles, descriptions, Open Graph, JSON-LD.

• Update sitemap and submit to search engines.

• Maintain hreflang/localization and internal backlinks.

Deliverable: redirect map, sitemap, SEO QA checklist.

7) Integrations, auth, and payments

• Keep auth on backend or identity provider; Framer frontend calls APIs securely.

• Payments: use hosted pages or secure proxies.

• Analytics & tags: add GA4, server-side tracking, validate events pre- and post-launch.

• Test webhooks and CORS policies.

Deliverable: integration runbook listing endpoints, secrets, test accounts.

8) Development workflow, repos & CI/CD

• Repo strategy: component library + site repo.

• Branching: feature branches for content/components; staging & production branches.

• CI/CD: linting, accessibility checks, visual regression, automatic deploy to Framer staging.

• Tools: GitHub/GitLab, CI runners, Playwright/Cypress, Lighthouse CI, Percy/Chromatic.

  
  

9) QA matrix & testing plan

• Functional tests: forms, sign-ups, redirects, auth, payments.

• Devices & browsers: mobile, tablet, desktop; all major browsers.

• Performance & Web Vitals, accessibility (axe + manual testing), SEO, visual regression.

Deliverable: QA sign-off checklist & issue triage procedure.

10) Launch and rollout strategies

• Big-bang: small marketing sites, full test coverage.

• Phased / blue-green: old + new site, route percentage via feature flags/CDN rules.

• Domain-based split: staging subdomain first, then switch CNAME.

• Canary testing: A/B/C routing or feature flags.

Pre-launch checklist: staging deploy, smoke-test flows, submit sitemap, enable redirects, monitor analytics.

11) Post-launch monitoring, optimization & rollback

• Monitor 72 hours+: traffic, rankings, errors, Web Vitals, conversions.

• Rollback: old hosting ready, DNS/redirection reversal, staged checklist for safety.

  
  

12) Roles, timeline estimates & resourcing

• Roles: PM, Engineering Lead, Design Lead, Content/SEO Lead, QA/Analytics.

• Timelines:

  • Small site: 2–4 weeks

  • Medium: 6–10 weeks

  • Large / Enterprise: 10–20+ weeks

Assumes cross-functional team & prioritized backlog.

13) Migration checklist

• Pre-migration: goals, inventory, URL/export, integrations, baseline SEO.

• Architecture & build: Framer vs hybrid, components, redirects, CI/CD.

• QA & testing: functional, accessibility, visual regression, SEO.

• Launch & post-launch: staging, sitemap, redirects, monitor, optimize.

  

Closing note

Migrating to Framer can speed up page iteration and empower design-led teams, but it carries risks. Preparation is key: audit, preserve SEO, map integrations, and test thoroughly. Start with high-value pages and use phased rollout if SEO or revenue risk is significant.

At Donux, we help B2B SaaS teams migrate to Framer safely and strategically: preserving SEO, protecting revenue, and setting up a scalable design system for fast iteration.

If you’re planning a Framer migration or want to validate your approach before committing, book a discovery call with us and de-risk your replatforming with a clear, proven plan.