From 87 HTML Pages to 755 Astro Pages in 3 Weeks
Large-scale website migration with 100% content fidelity, ~97% code reduction, and zero downtime. Modern architecture, zero compromises.
Migration Results
The Challenge
Migrating a Complex Website Without Compromises
The existing website consisted of 87 unique static HTML pages with complex schema markup, interactive calculators, and geographic service pages across 62 markets. The goal: modernize to component-based architecture while maintaining 100% content fidelity and SEO integrity.
Complexity Factors
- 87 Unique Pages
Each with custom content, structure, and SEO
- Complex Schema Markup
JSON-LD @graph structures throughout
- Geographic Scalability
Need to generate 668 service-city pages
Non-Negotiable Requirements
- Zero Content Loss
Every word, every meta tag preserved
- SEO Integrity
All structured data and schema preserved
- Type Safety
Build-time validation via Zod schemas
Technical Goals
- Component-Based: Modular, reusable architecture
- Dynamic Generation: Template-based service-city pages
- Type-Safe Content: Content collections with schemas
- Maintainability: Single templates vs 668 individual files
Our 11-Phase Migration Approach
We executed a systematic, phase-based migration with quality gates at each stage. This methodology ensured zero content loss and maintained production stability throughout.
Core Pages Migration
Migrated foundational pages: Home, About, Contact. Established component patterns and verification methodology.
Service Hub Pages
Migrated primary service pages with enhanced components for rich HTML content support.
Phases 3-10: Category Migration
Business outcome pages with metrics and case studies
Industry-specific landing pages and solutions
AI agent showcase pages with features
Client success stories with detailed metrics
Service department pages and structure
Tools, calculators, and resource pages
Team member pages and profiles
Geographic market pages (62 locations)
Cleanup, Optimization & Documentation
- Final comprehensive verification across all 755 pages
- Performance optimization and build time analysis
- Documentation of patterns and reusable components
- Deployment to production with monitoring
Technical Architecture
Type-Safe Content Collections
Implemented Zod schemas for build-time validation and type safety across all content
Services Collection Schema
const servicesCollection = defineCollection({
type: 'content',
schema: z.object({
title: z.string(),
tier1: z.boolean().default(true),
tier2: z.boolean().default(true),
tier3: z.boolean().default(false),
})
});Benefits
- • Build-time type checking catches content errors early
- • Full IDE autocomplete and IntelliSense support
- • Content structure validated automatically
Dynamic Route Generation
Generated 668 service-city pages from templates using getStaticPaths
Dynamic Route Pattern
export async function getStaticPaths() {
const services = await getCollection('services');
const cities = await getCollection('cities');
return services.flatMap(service =>
cities
.filter(city => service.data[city.data.tier])
.map(city => ({
params: { service: service.slug, city: city.id },
props: { service, city }
}))
);
}Scalability Impact
- • Single template maintains 668 pages
- • Add new city = automatic pages for all services
- • Tier-based filtering controls page generation
Component Enhancement Pattern
Flexible components adapt to content needs with dual text/HTML prop support
Enhanced Props Interface
interface Props {
title?: string;
titleHtml?: string; // Rich HTML support
variant?: 'default' | 'gradient' | 'minimal';
}Content-First Philosophy
- • Components enhanced to fit content, not vice versa
- • Backward compatibility maintained throughout
- • Zero content compromises for technical simplicity
Quality Assurance: Three-Pass Verification
Each migrated page underwent three independent verification passes with different focus areas. This methodology caught issues a single-pass review would miss.
Structure Pass
- Layout and hierarchy match
- Component structure correct
- Navigation and links work
- Responsive behavior preserved
Content Pass
- Every word matches original
- Rich formatting preserved
- Links and CTAs intact
- Images and media correct
Technical Pass
- SEO meta tags complete
- Structured data validated
- Schema markup intact
- check Analytics and tracking work
Verification Result
100% of migrated pages passed all three verification passes. Zero regressions, zero content loss, zero SEO impact.
Key Learnings & Reusable Patterns
What Worked Exceptionally Well
- Comprehensive Planning (10-15% upfront)
Detailed migration plan saved 50%+ overall time
- Content-First Philosophy
Enhanced components to fit content, never compromised
- Three-Pass Verification
Caught issues single-pass reviews miss
- Phase Gates
Quality verification before proceeding prevented compounding issues
Opportunities for Improvement
- Token Efficiency (15-20% waste)
Session-based file caching would reduce redundant reads
- Batch Processing
Pattern detection could enable batch migration of similar pages
- Earlier Dynamic Route ID
Full audit before starting would identify collection opportunities sooner
Reusable Documentation Created
This migration produced five reusable pattern documents for future projects
HTML-to-Astro Migration Guide
General procedure for large-scale static site migrations
Content Collections Architecture
Strategy for type-safe content with Zod schemas
Three-Pass Verification
Quality assurance methodology for content fidelity
Component Enhancement Pattern
Flexible component design for rich content support
Phase-Based Execution
Project methodology with quality gates
AI Agent Orchestration
Multi-agent collaboration for complex migrations
Can This Approach Work for Your Website?
This methodology works for any static or content-heavy website ready for modernization
Ideal Candidates
- Static HTML website with 20+ pages needing modernization
- Need to scale content without duplicating code (service-location pages)
- check SEO-critical site where content fidelity is non-negotiable
- Want component-based architecture for easier maintenance
- Value build-time validation and type safety
Important Considerations
- Requires upfront planning investment (10-15% of timeline)
- Need technical capability to work with modern frameworks
- Best suited for content-focused sites (not heavy web apps)
- Benefits increase with scale (more pages = bigger value)
Considering a Website Migration?
We've refined this methodology through real-world execution. Let's discuss whether this approach fits your website modernization needs.
Modern Architecture Without Compromises
87 pages to 755 pages. 100% content fidelity. Type-safe architecture. 3-week execution. This migration proves you don't have to choose between modern technology and content integrity. Ready to modernize your website the right way?