Website image migration checklist.

1. Confirm access and ownership

• Identify who controls the domain, hosting, CMS and media library.
• Confirm the client owns or can reuse each important image group.
• Ask for original photography, logos and licensed stock files.
• Keep written permission for any recovery work from the public site.

2. Audit the current website

List the page types that use distinct imagery: home, services, case studies, products, team profiles, news and campaign landing pages. Note any sliders, galleries, downloads and social sharing images.

A site-wide scan is useful here because it reveals the scale of the library and highlights how much storage the original files consume. Gather scans up to 250 same-domain pages and reports the estimated output before export.

3. Collect before the old site changes

• Export the CMS media library when access exists.
• Collect original source folders from the client and previous suppliers.
• Use the public site as a recovery source for missing assets.
• Save a copy of the current sitemap and key page URLs.

For a public-site recovery, use a method that can scrape images across the whole website, rather than an extension that only checks the current webpage.

4. Remove duplicates and obsolete files

Group duplicate crops and format variations before importing anything into the new CMS. Separate genuinely reusable assets from old promotions, outdated staff photos and graphics containing obsolete text.

Keep a source archive, but import only approved images into the production library. A smaller, intentional media library is easier to search, govern and optimise.

5. Prepare images for the new design

• Choose a modern delivery format such as WebP.
• Set maximum dimensions that match the new layout.
• Preserve originals separately when future crops may be needed.
• Rename important files clearly and write useful alt text in the CMS.
• Check animated files, transparency and logos before bulk conversion.

6. Verify the migrated site

Compare high-value pages side by side, check mobile crops and confirm that no temporary placeholders remain. Run performance tests on image-heavy templates and look for broken image requests after redirects are applied.

Finally, give the client a controlled source archive and document where it lives. That closes the loop that poor handovers often leave open.