Software Development Blog

Choosing Between DIY and Professional Migration

Every ecommerce business considers doing their own platform migration at some point.

The appeal is obvious. You save money. You have complete control. You can do it in your own time.

And for some businesses, DIY migration works fine.

For most, it is a mistake that costs more than hiring someone would have done.

Here is how to work out which camp you are in.

When DIY Makes Sense

DIY migration is realistic if all of these are true:

Your store is simple. Few products. Standard features. No custom development. Basic integrations. If your store is straightforward, migration is straightforward.

You are technical. You understand databases. You can write scripts. You know how to set up redirects. You are comfortable debugging problems.

You have time. A DIY migration takes longer than a professional one because you are learning as you go. If you have months to spare, fine. If you need it done quickly, DIY is too slow.

The risk is acceptable. If something goes wrong and your store is offline for a day, can you cope? If lost sales are a minor inconvenience rather than a disaster, DIY is viable.

You want to learn. Some people enjoy the technical challenge. If you see migration as a learning opportunity, DIY can be rewarding.

If all of those apply, DIY is worth considering.

If any do not, you need professional help.

When DIY is a Mistake

Most ecommerce businesses should not DIY their migration.

You do serious revenue. If your store does £500,000 a year, one day of downtime is expensive. The cost of a professional migration is cheaper than the risk of getting it wrong.

Your store is complex. Custom features. Multiple integrations. Complicated product structures. Large catalogue. B2B functionality. DIY migration is too risky.

You are not technical. If database migration sounds scary, you should not be doing this yourself.

You do not have time. If you are already working long weeks running the business, you do not have time to also migrate platforms.

SEO matters. If organic traffic drives significant revenue, you cannot afford to mess up redirects. Professional migration is essential.

You hate technical work. Some business owners enjoy diving into technical projects. Most find it tedious and stressful. If you are the latter, pay someone.

The Hidden Costs of DIY

DIY looks cheap until you factor in everything.

Your time. Multiply the hours a migration takes by what your time is worth. Professional help often becomes the cheaper option.

Mistakes. Lost SEO. Broken checkout. Data migration errors. Each mistake costs sales. The cost of fixing your mistakes comes out of your pocket.

Opportunity cost. While you are migrating, you are not running your business. What revenue are you missing because you are focused on technical work instead of sales?

Stress. Technical projects are stressful when you are not experienced. That stress affects your decision-making and your business.

Add it all up and DIY is often more expensive than paying a professional.

What You Can DIY

Even if you hire someone, there are parts you can handle yourself:

Content preparation. Clean up product descriptions. Organise categories. Gather images. This is tedious but not technical.

Data cleaning. Remove duplicate products. Fix inconsistent data. Archive old products. This saves migration time and cost.

Testing. Once the professional has built the new platform, you test it. Check products. Test checkout. Verify emails work.

Team training. Learn the new platform yourself, then train your team. The professional can provide initial training, but you handle ongoing support.

This division of labour works well. Professionals handle the technical risk. You handle the time-consuming but non-technical work.

The Hybrid Approach

The best approach for many businesses is hybrid.

Phase 1: Professional discovery. Pay someone to assess your current platform, map the migration, and give you a clear plan.

Phase 2: DIY data preparation. You clean up data, organise content, and prepare everything for migration.

Phase 3: Professional migration. They handle the technical migration, setup, and testing.

Phase 4: DIY refinement. Once live, you handle ongoing improvements, content updates, and optimisation.

This gets you professional help where it matters most while keeping costs down by doing the non-technical work yourself.

Red Flags You Should Not DIY

Stop and hire someone if you encounter any of these:

You do not understand the data structure. If you cannot explain how your current platform stores products, customers, and orders, you cannot migrate it safely.

Custom features confuse you. If you do not know how your checkout works or what your integrations do, you will break things.

SQL queries terrify you. Data migration involves database work. If you do not know SQL, you cannot do this safely.

You have no backup plan. If the migration goes wrong and you do not know how to recover, you need professional help.

Redirects are a mystery. If you do not know what a 301 redirect is or how to implement one, your SEO will collapse.

Testing feels overwhelming. If you do not know what to test or how to test it, you will miss critical problems.

Any of these mean you are out of your depth. Get help.

How to Choose Someone

If you decide to hire, choose carefully.

Look for experience with your specific migration route. Find someone who has done your route before.

Ask about their process. How do they handle data migration, testing, and redirects? A good process indicates they know what they are doing.

Check references. Talk to previous clients. Were they happy? Would they use them again?

Avoid the cheapest quote. The cheapest option is almost always the worst.

Avoid the most expensive quote. Enterprise agencies charge enterprise prices. For most businesses, a mid-tier specialist is better value.

Get a fixed price. Make sure you know what is included and what is not.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Before you commit to DIY or professional help, answer these honestly:

1. Do I have the technical skills to migrate safely?
2. Do I have 100+ hours to spend on this?
3. Can my business cope if the migration goes wrong?
4. Am I comfortable with database work and server configuration?
5. Do I understand SEO well enough to handle redirects properly?
6. Can I test thoroughly enough to catch all the edge cases?
7. Do I enjoy technical projects or will this be miserable?
8. Is the money I would save worth the risk and stress?

If you answered yes to all of these, DIY might work.

If you hesitated on any, hire someone.

What To Do Next

If you are doing it yourself, start with thorough research. Understand exactly what is involved. Plan carefully. Budget twice as much time as you think you need.

If you are hiring someone, start with discovery. Get a proper assessment and quote based on what is actually involved.

Do not make the decision based on cost alone. Factor in risk, time, and stress.

Need help with your migration? Our Platform Migration Service takes the technical risk off your plate while keeping you involved in the important decisions. Book a discovery call and we will show you exactly what is involved.