---
tags:
  - wordpress
  - migration
  - checklist
  - qa
title: Post-Merge Verification Checklist
---

# Post-Merge Verification Checklist

Manual data merging is prone to human error and ID mismatches. Use this checklist to ensure the site is fully functional before going live.

## 1. Visual & Structural Integrity

- [ ] **Menus:** Check Header and Footer menus.
    - *Issue:* Menus often lose their "Theme Location" assignment during import.
    - *Fix:* Go to **Appearance > Menus > Manage Locations** and re-assign them.
- [ ] **Widgets / Block Areas:** Check sidebars and footers.
    - *Issue:* Legacy widgets may not import via XML.
- [ ] **Homepage Layout:** Verify the homepage looks identical to the source.
    - *Issue:* If the homepage was built with a page builder (Elementor/Divi), the "Front Page" setting in **Settings > Reading** might have reset to "Latest Posts".
- [ ] **Images:** Check 5 random pages and 5 random blog posts.
    - *Issue:* Broken images usually mean the path is pointing to the old date structure (e.g., `/2023/`) but files are in `/2024/`.

## 2. Data & Content

- [ ] **Post Counts:** Compare the number of Published Posts, Pages, and Products between the old and new site.
- [ ] **Media Library:** Go to **Media > Library**.
    - *Check:* Do the thumbnails appear? If they are gray/blank, the database entries exist but the physical files are missing or permissions are wrong.
- [ ] **Taxonomies:** Check Categories and Tags.
    - *Issue:* Hierarchy (Parent/Child relationships) sometimes breaks during XML import.

## 3. The "ID Mismatch" Checks

Since post IDs change during a merge, hardcoded references will break.

- [ ] **Shortcodes:** Test all contact forms.
    - *Check:* Does `[contact-form-7 id="123"]` still load a form? If ID 123 is now a blog post, the form will vanish.
- [ ] **Page Builders (Elementor/Beaver):**
    - *Check:* Global Templates (Headers/Footers) often rely on specific post IDs.
- [ ] **ACF Relationship Fields:**
    - *Check:* If you use "Post Object" or "Relationship" fields, check if the selected related posts are still correct.

## 4. Functionality

- [ ] **Permalinks:** Click through to a single blog post.
    - *Issue:* 404 Error.
    - *Fix:* Go to **Settings > Permalinks** and click **Save Changes**.
- [ ] **Search:** Run a search for a known term.
- [ ] **User Accounts:**
    - *Check:* If you merged users, ensure the Administrator still has `administrator` capabilities and hasn't been demoted to `subscriber` due to role mapping errors.

## 5. Technical & Performance

- [ ] **Console Errors:** Open DevTools (F12) -> Console.
    - *Check:* Look for 404s (missing scripts/images) or JavaScript errors related to missing DOM elements.
- [ ] **Robots.txt:** Ensure the site is not set to "Discourage search engines" if it is meant to be live.
    - *Location:* **Settings > Reading**.

## 6. Cleanup

- [ ] **Delete Import Files:** Remove the `.xml`, `.tar.gz`, or `.sql` files you uploaded to the server root.
- [ ] **Disable Migration Plugins:** Deactivate "WordPress Importer", "Better Search Replace", or "Media Sync".

## Related Guides
*   [[wordpress-data-merging|WordPress Data Merging: Manual Reconstruction & ID Management]]
*   [[../linux/Ubuntu-WordPress-Migration-Troubleshooting|Troubleshooting WordPress Migrations]]