Website Migrations & Platform Changes

Before we move anything, we talk through what’s worth keeping. Not everything on your current site deserves to come across — outdated pages, redundant content, and old listings can bloat a new site before it even launches. I’ll help you decide if you’re not sure.

We’ll also settle on whether this migration is a straight replication of your current look and feel, or whether it’s time for a fresh design. If you love your existing site, I’ll do my best to faithfully recreate it on the new platform. If you’re ready for something new, we can treat this as a full redesign. I will build your site to work with the platform — not fight against it.

Your page URLs carry SEO value built up over time. I’ll audit your existing URL structure and map out every page that’s moving or being renamed, so nothing slips through the cracks. I’ll also carry across your existing metadata — page titles, descriptions, and alt text — wherever possible.

I’ll set up 301 redirects for any URLs that change during the migration. These redirects will send search engines and visitors from the old address to the new one. This protects your search rankings and ensures no one lands on a dead page.

There’s a window between your old site going down and your new one going live. We’ll plan this carefully to minimise downtime, and I’ll walk you through what to expect so nothing catches you off guard.

If you’d like a backup of your old website before we make the switch, I can arrange that for you — just let me know. Please note that I don’t retain copies of your old site after the project is complete.

For businesses moving from Etsy to WooCommerce, I’ll handle the export and import of your product catalogue via CSV, so your listings, pricing, and product details come across accurately.

That’s exactly why I’m here. You don’t need to understand the technical side of a migration — that’s my job. I’ll handle the setup, the redirects, the data transfers, and all the moving parts behind the scenes. All I need from you is input on the things only you can answer: what you want your site to say, how you want it to look, and how you want to feel when you’re updating it yourself.

The whole point of a good migration is that you come out the other side with a website you actually feel comfortable using — no developer on speed dial required.

I treat migration projects the same way I treat building a new website — there’s real strategy, planning, and care involved, not just copying and pasting content across.

To recreate your existing website with the same or similar layout, you’d typically be looking at a minimum investment of around AUD $2,500. That fee includes a thorough discovery process to understand your business and keep disruptions to a minimum. If you’re after a brand new design, we’d likely start somewhere around $4,000, which accounts for research and design revisions.

A couple of things worth knowing upfront: hosting and domain registration aren’t included in the build fee, and the same goes for copywriting and sourcing media like stock photography. I’m always happy to talk through what’s involved before we get started — no surprises.

Yes. Though I typically treat migrations as a new website project rather than a straight copy-and-paste. If you’re happy with how your current site looks, I’ll do my best to replicate the design in the new platform.

One thing worth knowing upfront: Squarespace is more restrictive with layouts than WordPress. If your existing design can’t be fully recreated within Squarespace’s constraints, I’ll adapt it so everything works within the platform. This means no workarounds, no injected code to maintain down the track.

The trade-off is worth it. A website you can confidently update yourself will always serve you better than one that relies on custom scripts or developer intervention every time something needs to change.

No, you won’t lose Google rankings if the migration is handled properly. The main risks to your rankings are changed URLs without redirects, lost metadata, and downtime. All of these are addressed as part of the migration process — URL sweeps, 301 redirects, and metadata preservation are included as standard.

Not at all. I migrate from and to WordPress and Squarespace for brochure and lead generation websites. For online stores, I work with WooCommerce (WordPress) exclusively, and only for Australian businesses. If you’re on a platform not listed here, get in touch and I’ll let you know honestly whether I can help or point you to someone who can.

We’ll plan the transition window carefully to minimise any downtime. I can arrange a backup of your existing website before it’s decommissioned — just flag it early in the project. I don’t retain copies of old websites after a project is complete.

Either works — that’s your call and we’ll discuss it early in the process.

One thing worth knowing if you’re moving to Squarespace: the platform has its own design constraints, and I’ll always work with them rather than against them. That means I’ll lean on Squarespace’s Fluid Engine to find the best solution for your layout, rather than forcing things to fit with custom code that needs ongoing maintenance.

The clearer you can be upfront about what you want — replication or redesign — the smoother the project will run. My goal is always to get you up and running with something that works nicely, without spending time wrestling with a platform’s limitations.

Not at all — I’m happy to work with clients overseas, provided I have a solid understanding of how your local payments, banking, and customer journey work.

The one exception is physical product businesses. When you’re selling and shipping goods, there are too many moving parts that are specific to your local delivery and fulfilment ecosystem for me to do the job properly from the outside. For those projects, I work exclusively with Australian businesses.

For everything else, location isn’t a barrier — as long as we both understand how your website fits into the bigger picture of your business.

It depends on your business and where you’re at. Read my article, Switching from Etsy to Your Own Website, for a full breakdown of the pros, cons, and what to consider before making the move.