What should I verify before launching my migrated VeloCMS blog?

The week before you cut over DNS is the most stressful part of any migration. This checklist exists so nothing slips through the gap. Work through it in order — some items depend on previous ones being complete. By the time you reach 'Cut over DNS', you should have zero open items.

Content verification

• All posts imported: check Admin → Posts count matches your old platform's published post count.
• Sample 10 posts across different dates and categories — verify body formatting, images load, and code blocks (if any) render with syntax highlighting.
• Featured images set on at least the top 20 posts (these appear in OG tags and social share previews — missing featured images show a blank card on social).
• Tags and categories match your old structure.
• Pages (About, Contact, etc.) imported and reviewed.

SEO and redirects

• 301 redirects set up for every old URL that has changed format. Test with: curl -I https://yourname.velocms.org/old-slug
• No 404 errors for your top 50 old URLs: run curl -I on each and confirm it returns a 301 to the new address. The importer creates the redirect rules for you when you commit an import; review them, and add any that are missing, under Admin → Tools → Broken Link Checker → Redirect Rules (Create 301).
• Canonical URLs correct on all posts (VeloCMS generates canonical tags automatically from your connected domain — open a post on the live domain, view the page source, and confirm the canonical link uses https://yourdomain.com).
• robots.txt accessible at yourdomain.com/robots.txt and not blocking Googlebot.
• Sitemap accessible at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml and listing all published posts.
• Meta descriptions set on all posts (or excerpts will auto-fill — verify at least the top 10).
• JSON-LD Article schema rendering correctly (check a post with Chrome DevTools → Application → JSON-LD viewer or schema.org validator).

Custom domain and SSL

• Custom domain added in Admin → Settings → Branding → Custom Domain and showing the status 'Active'.
• SSL certificate provisioned — the padlock shows in browser at https://yourdomain.com.
• www. and bare domain both work (or redirect to each other consistently — don't have both resolve to different content).
• Old platform still live at its original URL for fallback (keep it running for 30 days minimum after cutover).

Member and subscription flow

• Test member sign-in: go to /member/login on your new domain and log in with a test account.
• Test free subscriber signup: visit /member/subscribe as an incognito browser, enter a test email, verify welcome email arrives.
• Test paid subscription flow (if applicable): use a Stripe test card (4242 4242 4242 4242, any future expiry) to complete a test checkout, verify receipt email arrives, verify paywall unlocks.
• If you imported members from CSV, verify a sample of imported members can complete the magic-link sign-in flow.
• Sender check: open Admin → Settings → Email, use Test Send → 'Send test email to me', and verify it arrives with the correct sender name and no formatting issues.

Email deliverability

• Custom sender domain (Business and Agency plans; [email protected] or [email protected]) set up at Admin → Newsletter → Sender Domain.
• SPF record added to DNS exactly as the Sender Domain panel shows it (merged into your existing SPF record if you have one).
• DKIM record added to DNS with the name and value the Sender Domain panel shows.
• DMARC record added to DNS: _dmarc.yourdomain.com TXT v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]
• Send a test email to mail-tester.com and aim for a score of 9/10 or above before sending to your list.

DNS cutover plan

DNS cutover is irreversible in the short term (TTL propagation), so do it during a low-traffic period — typically Tuesday–Thursday at 9–11 AM in your primary audience's timezone. Steps: (1) lower TTL to 300 seconds (5 minutes) 24 hours before cutover — this means DNS changes propagate fast if you need to roll back, (2) update CNAME or A record to VeloCMS at the planned time, (3) wait 10 minutes then verify yourdomain.com resolves to VeloCMS in multiple geographic locations (use dnschecker.org), (4) run through the member and subscription flow on the live domain, (5) submit new sitemap to Google Search Console.

Post-launch monitoring (first 48 hours)

• Check Google Search Console for crawl errors and 404s — new ones surfacing post-cutover indicate missing redirects.
• Monitor Plausible or your analytics tool for traffic. A complete flatline (zero sessions) usually means a DNS issue, not a SEO one.
• Check newsletter delivery in Admin → Newsletter → Analytics (the Per-Campaign Breakdown shows sent and bounce counts); open a campaign to see its Delivery Stats and any delivery issues.
• If you have Stripe BYOK connected, verify payment events are appearing in your Stripe Dashboard.
• Review Admin → Observability for any application errors in the first 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions

• Do I need to complete every item in this checklist? Content, SEO/redirects, and DNS items are mandatory. Member flow and email deliverability are mandatory if you have subscribers or paid members. Skip only items that don't apply to your blog.
• What if something breaks after DNS cutover? VeloCMS support is at [email protected]. For urgent issues, set your DNS CNAME back to your old host (TTL is low, so this propagates in 5 minutes) while you debug.
• How long should I keep my old platform live after migration? At minimum 30 days. The old platform serves as a safety net for any cached links and as a reference for troubleshooting. After 90 days, it's generally safe to decommission.
• Can I test the full site before cutting over DNS? Yes — your VeloCMS blog is fully accessible at yourname.velocms.org before you add a custom domain. Use that URL for all pre-launch testing.
• Is there a migration support plan? No plan includes a separate migration service. The built-in importers and the help-center guides cover the move, and if you get stuck you can email [email protected] with your current platform and import file.