Successful WordPress to Laravel Migration for Sun4U: How We Preserved SEO and Improved Rankings

For many business owners in Thailand whether you run a vacation rental business, a real estate, or a hotel website your website is the heart of your digital presence. But when your site grows, or when you need custom booking functionalities, WordPress can sometimes feel limiting.

That was exactly the case with Sun4U, a vacation rental company. Their old WordPress website had served them well, but it was time for a more scalable, custom solution that could handle complex property management, booking features, and a modern dashboard. The challenge? Migrating from WordPress to a Laravel-based custom booking system without losing their hard-earned SEO rankings and Google visibility. This is where Digital Agency Bangkok with over 16 years of experience in web technologies,web app development and seo services  stepped in. Not only did we migrate the website smoothly, but instead of suffering the typical drop in traffic that comes with most migrations, Sun4U actually saw an increase in rankings, clicks, and conversions.

In this case study, we’ll walk you through the exact step-by-step process we used to migrate Sun4U’s website and SEO successfully.

Step 1: Overall Analysis of the Old Website and Planning the New Site

The first step was to thoroughly analyze the old WordPress site. Its structure, content, and design. We mapped out what was working and what needed improvement.

We then designed a clear migration plan for the new Laravel website, ensuring the user experience (UX) would be enhanced while keeping all the valuable content and SEO assets intact.

Step 2: Inspecting SEO Settings and Meta Data

One of the biggest risks of migration is losing SEO equity. To avoid this, we carefully inspected all meta titles, descriptions, canonical tags, and structured data from the old site.

On the new Laravel platform, we re-applied these settings and connected the site to Google Search Console (formerly GWM). The results spoke for themselves traffic and rankings increased post-launch.

Step 3: Exporting WordPress Content as CSV Files

Next, we exported all posts, pages, and property listings from the WordPress backend as CSV files. This gave us clean data to work with and ensured no content was left behind.

Sun4U - Exporting WordPress Content as CSV Files

Step 4: Importing CSV Data into Laravel

To integrate the data into the new Laravel system, we inspected the CSV files and created a custom Laravel command to import rows directly into the new MySQL database.

We carefully mapped out database relationships linking properties, categories, and images to make sure everything fit seamlessly into the new structure.

Sun4U - Importing CSV Data into Laravel

Step 5: Building the Backend with Laravel, Livewire 3, and MySQL

For the backend, we used Laravel, one of the most robust PHP frameworks, along with Livewire 3 for dynamic interfaces and MySQL for reliable database management.

This combination allowed us to build a powerful property management dashboard for Sun4U, enabling them to easily handle bookings, availability, and customer data.

Step 6: Developing the Frontend with Livewire and TailwindCSS 4

On the frontend, we chose Livewire + TailwindCSS 4, which provided a modern, responsive, and fast interface.

This ensured that customers browsing Sun4U’s vacation rentals could enjoy a smooth booking experience across devices.

Step 7: Running Migration Commands and Testing the New Website

Once everything was set up, we ran the migration commands and conducted a full round of quality assurance testing.

We checked every page, property listing, and booking flow to confirm that the new Laravel website functioned flawlessly.

Sun4u New Website

Step 8: Ensuring Identical Links and No Broken URLs

One of the most critical SEO steps was making sure that all old URLs matched the new ones, including image links.

We ran a full scan with Google Webmaster tools to verify that there were no broken links or 404 errors, a common mistake in most migrations.

Step 9: The Results Higher Rankings, Better UX, and More Bookings

The outcome of this migration was clear:

• SEO Rankings Improved – Instead of dropping, Sun4U saw better visibility on Google.
• Traffic Increased – Google Search Console showed more clicks and impressions after the migration.
• User Experience Enhanced – The modern, mobile-friendly interface improved the booking flow.
• Conversions Grew – More website visitors successfully booked rentals through the new platform.

What This Means for Business Owners in Thailand

If you’re a vacation rental business, a hotel owner, or a realtor in Thailand, you may be facing challenges with your current WordPress site. Whether it’s slow performance, limited booking functionality, or SEO issues, moving to a custom Laravel solution could be the upgrade your business needs.

At Digital Agency Bangkok we specialize in professional website migrations that not only protect your SEO but can even improve it just like we did for Sun4U.

Ready to Upgrade Your Website?

If you’re a business owner in Thailand looking for a scalable, SEO-friendly, and conversion-optimized website, we’re here to help.

Contact us today to discuss how we can migrate your WordPress site to a custom Laravel solution without losing SEO rankings.

Call: 098-7655-243 or 098-7655-701

Email: [email protected]