Sitecore to AEM Migration Checklist: Planning, Content and Technical Considerations

A Sitecore to AEM migration can involve content, architecture, integrations, SEO, digital assets, workflows, and technology infrastructure. Moving content from one CMS to another is therefore only one part of the overall project.

Organizations should plan the migration before development begins. A detailed checklist can help teams identify content requirements, technical dependencies, URLs, metadata, assets, redirects, integrations, and testing requirements.

This guide provides a practical Sitecore to AEM migration checklist for enterprise teams.

Why Do Organizations Consider a Sitecore to AEM Migration?

Businesses may consider a Sitecore to AEM migration because of changes in their digital experience strategy, technology architecture, enterprise requirements, or Adobe ecosystem investments.

A migration may also be part of a broader website modernization project.

Before starting, organizations should define the business objectives behind the migration.

Step 1: Define Migration Objectives

Start by documenting what the migration needs to achieve.

Potential objectives include:

• Modernizing the CMS

• Improving content operations

• Connecting with Adobe technologies

• Improving digital asset management

• Supporting new websites

• Simplifying content workflows

• Improving scalability

These objectives should guide technical and content decisions.

Step 2: Audit the Existing Sitecore Environment

A Sitecore to AEM migration should begin with a complete inventory.

Document:

• Websites

• Templates

• Components

• Pages

• Assets

• Forms

• URLs

• Metadata

• Redirects

• Integrations

• Custom functionality

The audit identifies what needs to be migrated, rebuilt, replaced, or retired.

Step 3: Create a Content Inventory

Not every existing page should automatically move to AEM.

Classify content into categories such as:

• Keep

• Update

• Consolidate

• Redirect

• Remove

This can reduce unnecessary content migration.

For each page, record:

• URL

• Page title

• Meta description

• Heading structure

• Content type

• Traffic

• Search visibility

• Internal links

• Business importance

Step 4: Map Sitecore Components to AEM Components

The content architecture may not translate directly.

Sitecore components and templates need to be reviewed and mapped to the new AEM architecture.

For example:

This mapping should be completed before large-scale content migration.

Step 5: Plan Digital Asset Migration

Digital assets can represent a major part of an enterprise migration.

Inventory:

• Images

• Videos

• PDFs

• Documents

• Product assets

• Brand files

Review filenames, metadata, file formats, permissions, and usage.

The organization should decide which assets should be migrated and which can be archived.

Step 6: Plan URL Migration

URL management is one of the most important parts of a Sitecore to AEM migration.

Create a URL mapping spreadsheet showing:

Review:

• URL structure

• Trailing slashes

• Case sensitivity

• Regional URLs

• Language paths

• Removed pages

Step 7: Plan SEO Migration

SEO requirements should be included from the beginning.

Review:

• Page titles

• Meta descriptions

• Canonical tags

• Heading structure

• Internal links

• XML sitemaps

• Robots directives

• Structured data

• Redirects

A CMS migration should preserve valuable search signals wherever possible.

Step 8: Review Integrations

Enterprise websites commonly depend on external systems.

Document integrations with:

• CRM

• Analytics

• Commerce

• Search

• Marketing automation

• Customer data platforms

• Forms

• APIs

• ERP systems

Determine whether each integration will be migrated, rebuilt, replaced, or retired.

Step 9: Plan Content Migration

Content migration can be manual, automated, or hybrid.

The appropriate approach depends on content volume, complexity, structure, and quality.

Automated migration may be useful for structured content, while manual review may be required for complex pages.

Step 10: Test the New AEM Environment

Testing should cover:

• Content

• Components

• Forms

• Navigation

• Search

• Assets

• Integrations

• Performance

• SEO

• Redirects

• Analytics

Testing should be performed before launch.

Sitecore to AEM Migration Checklist

Before launch, verify:

• Migration objectives defined

• Sitecore environment audited

• Content inventory completed

• Components mapped

• Assets reviewed

• URL mapping completed

• Redirects tested

• SEO metadata migrated

• Integrations tested

• Analytics validated

• Forms tested

• Internal links checked

• Sitemap reviewed

• Performance tested

• Stakeholders trained

Step 11: Create a Migration Governance Plan

A large Sitecore to AEM migration usually involves multiple teams, including content, development, SEO, analytics, UX, IT, and business stakeholders.

Define responsibilities for:

• Content approval
• Technical implementation
• SEO validation
• Asset migration
• Integration testing
• Analytics validation
• Redirect management
• User acceptance testing
• Final launch approval

A clear governance structure can help prevent gaps between teams and make it easier to track migration progress.

Step 12: Plan AEM Authoring and Workflow Requirements

Moving to AEM may also require changes to how teams create, review, approve, and publish content.

Before migration, document:

• Content authoring roles
• Approval workflows
• Publishing permissions
• Regional ownership
• Content review processes
• Version management
• Scheduled publishing
• Content governance rules

The goal should be to design the AEM authoring experience around current business requirements rather than simply reproducing the existing Sitecore workflow.

Step 13: Validate Analytics and Tracking

Analytics should be included in the Sitecore to AEM migration plan rather than added after launch.

Review existing:

• Page tracking
• Conversion events
• Form tracking
• Ecommerce tracking
• Campaign parameters
• Analytics integrations
• Tag management
• Custom tracking

Create a validation plan to confirm that important interactions continue to generate the expected data after the migration.

Step 14: Prepare a Pre-Launch and Post-Launch Validation Plan

A migration checklist should continue beyond development.

Before launch, validate:

• Critical URLs
• 301 redirects
• Metadata
• Canonical tags
• Robots directives
• XML sitemap
• Internal links
• Forms
• Analytics
• Search functionality
• Page rendering
• Mobile experience
• Core Web Vitals
• Third-party integrations

After launch, monitor organic traffic, indexing, crawl errors, redirects, conversions, analytics data, and important landing pages.

Common Sitecore to AEM Migration Challenges

A Sitecore to AEM migration can introduce challenges when existing content and technical requirements are not fully documented.

Common areas that require attention include:

Content Structure Differences

Sitecore and AEM may use different approaches to templates, components, content structures, and authoring workflows. Direct one-to-one migration may therefore not always be appropriate.

URL and SEO Changes

Changes to URLs, metadata, redirects, canonical tags, or internal links can affect search visibility. URL mapping should be completed before migration.

Custom Functionality

Custom Sitecore functionality may need to be redesigned or rebuilt for AEM rather than copied directly.

Integration Dependencies

Existing CRM, analytics, commerce, search, API, and marketing integrations may require new implementation or configuration.

Asset Complexity

Large asset libraries can contain duplicate, outdated, or poorly organized files. An asset audit can help determine what should actually move to AEM Assets.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sitecore to AEM Migration

What is a Sitecore to AEM migration?

A Sitecore to AEM migration is the process of moving a website or digital experience environment from Sitecore to Adobe Experience Manager. It can include content, components, assets, URLs, SEO data, integrations, workflows, and custom functionality.

How long does a Sitecore to AEM migration take?

The timeline depends on factors such as the number of websites, content volume, custom components, integrations, languages, digital assets, and migration method. A detailed technical and content audit is normally required before estimating the project timeline.

What should be migrated from Sitecore to AEM?

Depending on the project scope, organizations may migrate pages, structured content, components, digital assets, metadata, URLs, redirects, forms, workflows, and other required functionality. Content should be reviewed before migration rather than automatically moving everything.

How do you migrate Sitecore content to AEM?

The process generally involves auditing the Sitecore environment, defining the AEM content model, mapping templates and components, preparing migration rules, moving content, validating migrated data, and testing the new AEM implementation.

How can SEO be preserved during a Sitecore to AEM migration?

SEO preservation requires careful management of URLs, redirects, metadata, canonical tags, internal links, structured data, XML sitemaps, robots directives, and other search-related elements. Important pages should be monitored before and after launch.

Should all Sitecore pages be migrated to AEM?

Not necessarily. A content audit can identify pages that should be retained, updated, consolidated, redirected, or removed. This can prevent outdated or low-value content from being unnecessarily migrated.

What happens to Sitecore components during migration?

Sitecore components should be mapped against the planned AEM component architecture. Some components may have an equivalent implementation, while others may need to be redesigned, combined, replaced, or retired.

How should digital assets be migrated from Sitecore to AEM?

Start by auditing images, videos, documents, PDFs, and other assets. Review metadata, file formats, permissions, duplicates, and usage before determining which assets should be migrated to AEM Assets.

What should be tested after a Sitecore to AEM migration?

Testing should include content, navigation, components, forms, search, assets, integrations, analytics, redirects, metadata, internal links, performance, mobile rendering, and important user journeys.

Does Sitecore to AEM migration require an SEO audit?

An SEO audit is useful for identifying important URLs, metadata, traffic-driving pages, redirects, indexing requirements, internal links, and technical SEO elements that should be preserved during the migration.

Conclusion

A successful Sitecore to AEM migration requires coordinated planning across content, technology, SEO, integrations, assets, and testing.

Organizations should audit the existing Sitecore environment before deciding what to migrate. Pages, components, assets, URLs, metadata, and integrations should each have a defined migration strategy.

A structured checklist can reduce unexpected issues and create a clearer path toward an AEM implementation that supports the organization's long-term digital experience requirements.