Confidential client
Halcyon (pseudonym)
Moving a client's website off SmugMug and its high running costs, and getting the website restored at its own domain.
Read the case study →Service
Website migration and recovery
Move a website off an expensive or limiting platform, or bring a lost website back online, keeping the content, domain and search visibility.
Sound familiar?
The problems this solves
- A hosted website or gallery platform has become expensive for what the business actually uses.
- Content, images and pages feel locked into a platform that is hard to leave.
- The website has gone offline after a billing, account or hosting problem.
- Nobody is sure who controls the domain, the hosting account or the backups.
- A move has been put off for fear of losing search rankings and incoming links.
What I deliver
Typical projects
Examples of the work this service covers. Most projects combine several.
Leaving an expensive hosted platform
Moving a website and its image library from a subscription platform to hosting that costs less and that the business controls.
Restoring a website that went offline
Getting a lost website back at its own domain, recovering content from whatever survives, such as platform exports, backups or archived copies.
Taking back control of the domain
Securing the domain, DNS and accounts in the business's own name, so one lapsed payment or departed supplier cannot take the site down.
Migrating without losing search traffic
Keeping existing URLs where possible and redirecting the rest, so search rankings and links from other sites carry over.
Why businesses get stuck on expensive platforms
Hosted website and gallery platforms make it easy to start. Over the years the subscription grows, the business uses a fraction of the features, and the content (especially large image libraries) feels too big and too risky to move. The longer it stays, the harder leaving looks.
A website can also disappear altogether: a lapsed payment, a closed account, an expired domain or a supplier who is no longer around. Without a clear picture of who controls what, getting it back can feel impossible.
How I approach it
The work starts by establishing what the business actually controls and what can be recovered. Only then is a plan made: where the site will live, what it will cost to run, and how the move protects existing URLs and search visibility. The switch happens once the new site is complete and checked, so visitors see a working site throughout.
How it works
How a migration or recovery runs
- Take stockWhat exists and where: pages, images, the domain, DNS, accounts, backups and any archived copies.
- Secure the essentialsMake sure the business controls the domain and the accounts before anything is changed.
- Recover and exportBring content and images out of the old platform, backups or archives, and check nothing is missing.
- Rebuild on the new homeHosting chosen for cost and control, with existing URLs kept or redirected.
- Switch over and verifyPoint the domain to the new site, then check pages, images, redirects and search visibility.
Proof of work
Related projects
FAQ
Common questions
Will we lose our search rankings if we move?
Not if the move is planned properly. Every existing URL is listed, kept where possible and permanently redirected where it changes, so search engines and visitors follow the content to its new home.
Can you recover a website that is already offline?
Often, yes. How much can be recovered depends on what survives, such as exports from the old platform, backups, the domain records and archived copies. The first step is an assessment of exactly that, before any promise is made.
Will moving reduce our running costs?
It usually can, but it depends on what the site needs. The running costs of the current platform and the proposed setup are compared before anything moves, so the decision is made on real figures.
Who will own the domain and hosting afterwards?
Your business. Accounts are set up in the business's own name, with access handed over, so the website does not depend on any one supplier.
Insights
Further reading
Websites
Moving Your Website Off SmugMug, Squarespace or Wix Without Losing Images or Rankings
A step-by-step plan for moving a website off an expensive hosted platform: securing the domain, exporting images, keeping URLs, redirects and switching over safely.
Websites
How to Recover a Website That Has Gone Offline
Website down after an expired domain, a closed hosting account or a missing supplier? A calm, step-by-step guide to finding out what happened and getting it back.
Related services
Often combined with
Consulting and implementation →Turn a business problem into clear requirements, the right technology choices and a delivered solution, with one person accountable from discovery to launch.Custom software →Build business applications, internal tools and web platforms when off-the-shelf software cannot support the way your business works.Ecommerce integration →Connect your ecommerce website with inventory, ordering, payments and back-office systems, so online sales run through operations without manual handling.
Have an operational problem worth solving?
Tell me what is slowing your team down and which systems you use today. You do not need a technical specification: describing the problem is enough to start.