You can move your website without losing your pages, your domain, or your place on Google. The keys are to list every page first, set up redirects for any page whose address changes, and point your domain to the new site only when it is ready.
This post is for small business owners who already have a site and want a new home for it. Maybe your site is old. Maybe it is hard to update. Maybe you just want it to work better on phones. Whatever the reason, the steps are the same.
First step: get a free audit of your current site. It shows what you have before you move anything.
Why people worry about moving a website
Most owners worry about three things:
- Losing pages. A page you forgot about might hold your best text.
- Losing the domain. Your web address is on your cards, your van, and your listings.
- Losing Google. People find you on Google today. You do not want that to stop.
Each worry has a plain fix. Let's go through them.
Step 1: List every page you have
Before you move, know what you own. Write down every page on your site, such as:
- Home
- Services (and each service page)
- About
- Contact
- Prices
- Privacy or other legal pages
A free audit helps here. It looks at your public pages and runs 50+ checks. It needs no credit card and no login to your site.
Have more than 10 pages? The PerfectSites Build plan covers up to 10 pages, and legal pages count. If you have more, we rebuild the 10 most important pages and redirect the rest. That way old links still land somewhere useful.
Step 2: Keep your best words
Your old site may have text that works. Maybe it is a clear list of services, or an answer people ask about all the time. Keep it.
With PerfectSites, the build preview is made from your public pages. So the facts and words you already have become the starting point. You check the preview and fix anything that is wrong.
Step 3: Set up redirects
A redirect is a forwarding note for a web page. If your old page was at /our-services and the new one is at /services, a redirect sends people (and Google) from the old address to the new one.
Without redirects, old links break. Someone clicks a link from a search result and sees an error page. That is how sites lose visitors after a move.
When we move your site, PerfectSites sets up redirects for any page whose address changes. You do not have to do this part yourself.
Step 4: Check the preview
Before anything goes live, you see a preview. Look at it on your phone and your computer. Check:
- Your phone number and the Call now button
- Your hours and address
- Your service list and prices
- Your contact form
When it all looks right, you click Publish.
Step 5: Confirm you own the domain
Before go-live, we confirm that the site is yours. You do this by adding a small code to your domain settings (a DNS TXT record) or a meta tag to your site. This keeps anyone else from moving a site that is not theirs.
Step 6: Point your domain to the new site
Your domain stays yours. It does not move to us. We point it to your new site with your permission. You either give us access or approve the change.
Your email may run through the same domain. Before any change, tell us how your email is set up so we can plan around it. If you are not sure, talk to us first.
Step 7: Watch the first month
After the move, check that calls and form emails still come in. PerfectSites sends form leads to your email right away, and we re-check your site each month.
A quick example
Rita runs a two-person salon. Her site has 14 pages, including old promo pages from past holidays. Her audit shows which pages people still link to. We rebuild her 10 most important pages: home, services, prices, gallery, about, contact, and her legal pages. The old promo pages redirect to her prices page. Her domain points to the new site once she approves it. Her old links still work.
How long does a move take?
Our target is 24 to 48 hours for the build. That is a target, not a guarantee. The site does not go live until you click Publish.
Moving is not your only choice
If you don't have a site worth moving, start fresh instead. Read How to build a new website with AI. Want to see every step side by side? Read How to create a website, step by step. Worried about Google after the move? See Will my website work on phones and get found on Google?
FAQ
Will I lose my Google ranking if I move my website? Moving can cause a dip if old links break. Redirects help a lot, because they send old links to the right new page. No one can promise your exact ranking, but redirects protect what you have.
Do I have to give up my domain? No. Your domain stays yours. We point it to the new site with your permission.
What if my site has 25 pages? We rebuild the 10 most important pages and redirect the rest, so old links still work.
Do you need my password to start? No. The free audit and the build preview use only your public pages. Before go-live, you prove you own the site with a DNS TXT record or a meta tag.
What happens if I cancel later? You can cancel online anytime. Your site stays live to the end of the month you paid for. Then you have 30 days to download a ZIP with your content, images, form leads, and redirect list. Your domain stays yours.
Ready to move?
- Have a website now? Get my free audit. See how it works and the $99/month Build plan.
- Rather start fresh? Build a new website: talk to us.
- Need something bigger or more custom? Talk to us.