Website migration: move your site somewhere you own.
A website move takes your site from a host, builder or agency account you don't control to a home in your name. We plan it page by page, test a full copy before anything switches, keep your email working, and redirect every old address, so you keep what you've built wherever that can be avoided.
In one sentence: we move your website to hosting registered to your business, keeping every page, every working address, your email and your forms, and we watch it closely afterwards so anything that slipped is caught early.
When do I need a "website move"?
For most small, simple sites, moving to hosting in your name is part of month 1 on every plan, at no extra cost. This add-on is for moves that need more planning. For example:
- Your site is stuck in someone else's account. An agency or old developer built it on their own system, and you can't simply take a copy. If their hosting has already lapsed, start with what to do when your hosting has expired.
- You're leaving a website builder. Some builders don't let you export your site, or only export part of it, such as blog posts. Moving means rebuilding the pages faithfully on a new home.
- You're changing your web address. A new business name or a better domain. Every old address needs to point to its new one.
- You're merging two sites into one, for example after buying another practice or bringing two brands together.
- The site is big or busy, with many pages, years of blog posts, online booking or several forms that all need to keep working.
If you're not sure which yours is, that's what the first fix is for. We'll tell you whether your move is part of month 1 or needs a quote.
What can go wrong when a website moves?
A rushed move often looks fine on the day and causes trouble weeks later. We plan around these:
- Lost pages. A service page, a price list or a PDF that existed on the old site and simply never got copied.
- Broken old links. Google, other websites and your customers' bookmarks still point to the old addresses. Without redirects, they land on an error page.
- Email that stops. Your website and email often share the same domain settings. Change the wrong one and enquiries and replies quietly stop arriving.
- Forms sending nowhere. The new copy looks perfect, but its contact form still sends to an old address, or not at all.
- A dip in Google visibility. Google says to expect some ranking ups and downs while it re-reads a moved site, and that for a medium-sized site it can take a few weeks or more before the new addresses fully replace the old ones (Google Search Central, 2026). Careful redirects help keep that dip small and short, though some movement is normal.
Map it. Copy and test it. Switch and watch.
Your old site keeps running the whole time. Customers shouldn't notice a thing, apart from a site that works better afterwards.
We map everything first
Every page, address, form, image, PDF and booking link. Where your domain is registered, who handles your email, what your forms send to, and which old addresses Google still knows about. Nothing moves until we know what's connected to what.
Before anything changesWe copy or rebuild, then test
We set up the new home in your name and copy the site across, or rebuild it faithfully if the old platform won't let go. Then we test the copy on a private address: every page, a real test enquiry through every form, and every booking button on a phone.
You check it tooWe switch, then watch closely
At a quiet time we point your domain to the new home, keeping your email settings exactly as they were. Then we check from the outside, watch for broken addresses, and keep the old site available until traffic to it has stopped.
Watched in the weeks afterEight things that must survive the move.
Each has its own check on our moving list. You get the list, ticked, after the switch.
Every page
Services, prices, team, policies, old blog posts. Counted before and after, so a missing page is easy to spot.
Old addresses
Each old address sends visitors and Google to the right new page with a permanent redirect.
Your email
Mailboxes stay where they are. The settings that route your email are copied exactly and tested both ways.
Forms and bookings
Real test enquiries through every form, timed to your inbox, and booking buttons tried on phones.
Security certificate
The padlock is in place before the switch, so nobody sees a "not secure" warning.
Visitor stats
Your visitor counting and Google tools carried over, so your history isn't broken in two.
Images and files
Photos, menus, price lists and forms people download, all moved and linked correctly.
Ownership
The new hosting, domain and logins in your name, written into your keys register.
What happens on a move, in order?
Here's the full list we follow. You don't need to do any of it, but it helps to know what's happening and why.
- Take stock. We list every page, image, file, form and redirect on the old site, plus anything added by other tools, like a booking widget or chat button.
- Find every key. Domain company, domain settings, email provider, old hosting or builder account. We check when the domain renews and whether it's locked against moving.
- Back up everything. A full copy of the old site, and a written record of every domain setting, before we touch anything.
- Set up the new home in your name. Hosting registered to your business, with your email as owner and our own helper login.
- Copy or rebuild the site. On a private test address that customers and Google can't see.
- Map old addresses to new ones. If any addresses change, each old one gets a permanent redirect to its closest new page, never just to the home page.
- Test, then ask you to test. Pages, forms, bookings, phone layout and speed. You click around and tell us anything that looks wrong.
- Prepare the switch. About a week ahead, we shorten how long the internet remembers your old settings, as Google suggests, so the change spreads quickly (Google Search Central, 2026).
- Switch at a quiet time. We point your domain at the new home, leaving your email settings untouched, and check the site from outside.
- Watch and tidy up. We look for broken addresses, re-test forms, tell Google about the new site map, and keep the old site available until its traffic has stopped. Redirects stay in place for at least a year, as Google recommends.
Who it suits best.
Sometimes the right answer is "don't move it". We'll tell you if that's yours.
A good fit if...
- Your site lives in an agency's or ex-developer's account, and you want it in yours.
- You're leaving a 12-month marketing contract and the website came with it.
- Your hosting is slow, unreliable or expensive, and the site has grown over the years.
- You're changing your business name or web address and don't want to start from zero on Google.
Something simpler may do if...
- Your site is small and simple. Moving it is already part of month 1.
- You're happy on a hosted builder that's already in your name. We can look after it where it is.
- You want a full redesign at the same time. That's a separate project, quoted separately.
Monday, 8:00
Hi Jo, week one in the new home. All good.
- All 46 pages live, online all week
- Booking and contact forms tested again after the move. Both arrived
- Email in and out tested after the switch. No change
- 2 old links from a local directory were missed. Redirected on Wednesday
- Keep the old hosting one more week, then help you cancel it
Price on request, quoted after your first fix. Works with any plan.
The price depends on how many pages you have, where the site is now, whether it can be copied or must be rebuilt, and whether your web address is changing. You get a clear quote listing exactly what moves. Nothing starts until you say yes.
It works best with a plan, because the weeks after a move are when small slips show up: a missed link, a form that sends twice, an old address that still gets visits. On a plan we're already watching, and each one goes in your Monday note.
- Regular automatic checks from day one
- Forms tested regularly, not just on moving day
- Broken addresses found and redirected
- Regular backups on the new home, and we check the copies work
Names and numbers changed for illustration.
How is it set up, and what do you need from me?
Your part is mostly finding logins and saying yes at the right moments. We confirm the timing in your quote, because it depends on how quickly old providers respond and whether your domain is free to move.
What we need from you
- Whatever logins you have, even old ones, plus old invoices from your web person: domain company, hosting, website builder, email. If you don't know, we help you find out.
- Who handles your email, for example Google, Microsoft or your hosting company, and an OK to check its settings.
- A quiet time for the switch, such as early on a Sunday, or after your last booking of the day.
- Twenty minutes to check the test copy before it goes live. You know your site best.
If an old provider is slow to hand things over, we write to them for you and keep you posted.
How does this compare with doing it yourself?
Many hosting companies offer free migration tools or a one-off move, and for a simple site they can work. The difference is in the mapping before, the email settings during, and the watching after.
| What matters | Host's migration tool, on your own | Penguina, on a plan |
|---|---|---|
| Copies the files | Usually if both sides are supported | Yes or rebuilt if the platform won't export |
| Every page counted before and after | Rarely | Yes |
| Old addresses redirected | Your job | Mapped one by one |
| Email settings protected | Your job easy to get wrong | Copied and tested both ways |
| Forms tested with real enquiries | If you remember | Before and after, then regularly |
| Watching in the weeks after | No | Yes regular automatic checks |
| Cost | Often free or a small one-off fee, plus your time | Price on request, plus your plan from $100 a month |
What should I know before moving my website?
Read the details
- Don't cancel the old hosting yet. Google advises keeping the old setup running until traffic to it has dropped to zero (Google Search Central, 2026). We tell you when it's safe, and help you cancel.
- Domains can be locked for 60 days. Under ICANN rules, a domain company may refuse to move a domain to another company within 60 days of it being registered or last moved, and must refuse within 60 days of a change of owner, unless your domain company offered you a way to opt out (ICANN, 2026). We check this early, so it doesn't hold up your plans.
- Your website and your email are separate. Moving the website shouldn't move your mailboxes. What connects them are your domain settings, and that's where most email trouble starts. We copy them exactly.
- Changing your web address is a bigger job. Google offers a "change of address" step for moving to a new domain. It helps, but only alongside proper redirects, and it takes longer to settle than a move that keeps the same address.
- Check your contract. If an agency built your site, your agreement may say who owns the design, the content or the domain. This page is general information, not legal advice. If ownership is disputed, talk to a lawyer before anything moves.
Never pay a stranger to "release" your site
If someone you can't verify demands money to hand over your domain or website, stop. Your domain company can verify you as the owner through its own process. We can help you contact them.
Questions about moving your website.
Something else? Ask in the chat, email hello@penguina.website or WhatsApp us.
Will my website go offline during the move?
It shouldn't. The old site keeps running while we build and test the new one. At the switch, for a short while some visitors reach the old site and some the new one, and both work. That's why we keep the old one available until it's no longer needed.
Will I lose my Google rankings?
Google itself says to expect some ups and downs while it re-reads a moved site. Keeping the same addresses where possible, redirecting every old one, and fixing slips quickly is how we keep that dip small and short.
Will my email stop working?
Not if the move is done carefully. We record your email settings before we start, copy them exactly, and send test emails in both directions right after the switch. Your mailboxes themselves stay with your email provider.
My old web person won't reply. Can you still move it?
Usually, yes. The domain is the key, and domain companies have their own ways to confirm the real owner. If the website files are out of reach, we can rebuild your pages from what's publicly visible. It takes longer, and we'll quote for it.
Can I keep my site on Wix or Squarespace instead?
Yes. If the account is in your name and the site works for you, there may be no reason to move. We can watch it, test your forms and look after everything around it where it is. We'll tell you which makes more sense in your first fix.
Can you redesign the site while you move it?
We keep the two apart on purpose. Moving and redesigning at the same time makes it hard to tell what caused a problem. We move first, check everything is stable, and then improve pages one at a time on your plan, or quote a redesign separately.
Who owns the site after the move?
You do. The hosting, the domain and every login are in your business's name, written into your keys register.
Sources for the figures on this page
Lost touch with your web developer? Here is what to do if your developer disappeared.
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