Migration guide
Sitecore to Adobe Experience Manager
Replatform from Sitecore to AEM with content model redesign, component mapping and phased site cutover.
Overview
What this migration really involves
A Sitecore to AEM migration is two projects wearing one name: standing up AEM correctly, and winding down Sitecore without losing the history, integrations and team confidence built on it. Projects that treat it as a single lift-and-shift discover the second project mid-flight — usually at cutover, which is the most expensive possible moment.
Replatform from Sitecore to AEM with content model redesign, component mapping and phased site cutover. The phased approach below keeps both platforms running in parallel while numbers are reconciled, so cutover is a decision you take on evidence rather than a deadline you brace for. Every phase has an explicit rollback path until decommissioning is signed off.
Just as important is what should not migrate. Legacy platforms accumulate years of unused reports, stale segments and integrations nobody can explain. The assessment phase separates what earns its place in AEM from what should be archived — routinely shrinking the migration by a third before it starts.
Process
The migration, phase by phase
- 1
Content inventory, audit and rationalisation
- 2
Content model and component mapping to AEM core components
- 3
Template and component development with authoring guardrails
- 4
Automated content migration with manual review of priority pages
- 5
SEO-safe URL mapping and redirect strategy
- 6
Phased cutover by site or locale with rollback capability
Risks
What actually goes wrong
Every migration guide that omits these is selling, not advising.
- Personalization rules rarely map one-to-one and need redesign
- Redirect gaps cause ranking loss — validate before cutover
- Author retraining is frequently underestimated
Sitecore to AEM — frequently asked questions
How long does a Sitecore to AEM migration take?
Most land in three to six months including the parallel-run window. The drivers are data volume, customization depth on the legacy side and how much historical continuity you need — the assessment phase gives you a committed timeline within two weeks.
Will we lose historical data?
Redirect gaps cause ranking loss — validate before cutover We plan this explicitly: what migrates, what gets archived in an accessible form, and what the reporting continuity strategy is during the transition — agreed before cutover, not discovered after.
Can we run both platforms in parallel during the migration?
Yes — a parallel-run window is a standard phase, not an option. Both platforms operate simultaneously while numbers are reconciled and variance is understood, and cutover only happens once you've accepted the comparison. A rollback plan exists until decommissioning.
What does the migration cost?
Scope depends on data volume, integration count and customization depth, so we don't publish a number that would be wrong for most readers. The assessment produces a fixed-price proposal — and often finds scope that shouldn't migrate at all, which is the cheapest work there is.
What goes wrong most often in this migration?
Personalization rules rarely map one-to-one and need redesign It's the first thing our assessment checks, and the phased approach on this page exists specifically to surface it while it's still cheap to fix.
Scope your Sitecore migration
A short assessment gives you the real timeline, cost range and risk register for your specific setup — before you commit to anything.
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