Old website, handled carefully
Update an old website without losing leads or Google rankings
For small businesses in the US and Canada: contractors, clinics, restaurants, law and accounting offices, shops. I look at what is really wrong with your old site, back it up, and then either bring it up to date or move it to a platform you control. Your phone keeps ringing and your contact form keeps working the whole time.
Look
I go through the CMS, PHP version, theme, plugins, forms, speed, search settings, hosting and server errors, and write down what I find.
Back up
Before anything changes I save the files, the database and the key settings, so there is always a way back to today’s version.
Update
Core, plugins, theme, PHP, SSL certificate, site email and server settings, in an order that keeps them compatible with each other.
Move
When patching the old site costs more than rebuilding it, I carry the content, page addresses and search visibility over to a fresh setup.
An outdated site is rarely just a design problem
Say a roofing company in Ohio has a site from 2017. It looks dated, but the owner suspects that is all. Underneath, the plugins are years behind, the host is about to drop the PHP version the theme needs, and the quote form quietly stopped delivering emails last spring. So I start with diagnosis, not with a new color palette.
Abandoned software
An old WordPress install, a theme the author stopped supporting, plugins that have not been updated in years, or an admin panel nobody dares to open.
Phone experience
Tiny text, a menu that will not open, a phone number you cannot tap, a form that spills off the screen. Most “near me” searches happen on a phone, so this one costs real calls.
Forms and email
Messages never arrive, land in spam, or bounce because the domain has no SPF, DKIM or DMARC records. The form says “Thank you” while the lead disappears.
Security
Outdated plugins, user accounts nobody recognizes, odd files in the folders, weak passwords, and no recent backup to fall back on.
Speed and hosting
An overloaded shared plan, no caching, oversized photos, PHP errors and memory limits, or a private server that nobody maintains.
Builder limits
A Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy Website Builder or Weebly site that you have outgrown: you cannot add the feature you need, the monthly bill keeps rising, or you simply do not own what you built.
Moving from Wix, Squarespace or GoDaddy to WordPress
A site-builder website usually cannot be exported as a working copy. Instead I rebuild it carefully on a platform you own: your text, photos, page structure, important URLs, domain, forms and analytics all come across.
- Pages, menus and key sections rebuilt to match how customers already use the site.
- Domain, SSL, business email, contact forms, analytics and redirects set up, followed by a basic search check.
- A platform recommendation based on your business: WordPress for most small companies, something else if a store or booking system calls for it.
Common starting points: Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy Website Builder, Weebly, Webflow, Google Sites, Jimdo, Strikingly, Site123, Carrd, Hostinger Website Builder, IONOS Website Builder and Framer. If yours is not on the list, ask.
Not sure a move is worth it? I wrote down when staying on a builder is the right call in when Wix is a sound choice.
The safe order of work
You do not treat an old site by clicking every “Update” button you see. First I need to know what holds it together, where it can break, and how to undo a change that goes wrong.
Diagnosis
CMS, custom code, PHP, hosting or server, forms, SSL, errors, speed and what Google currently knows about the site.
Backup
Files, database, logins, current settings, and a written way back if something misbehaves.
Plan
What gets updated, what gets rebuilt, what gets dropped, which URLs must stay, and what could go wrong.
Work
Updates or migration, server setup, form and email repair, security cleanup, speed fixes and the phone layout.
Verification
Pages, forms, redirects, titles and descriptions, indexing and error logs checked again after launch and a few days later.
Signs your old website needs attention now
- Your hosting company is retiring your PHP version
- Pages take a long time to appear
- Contact form messages never reach your inbox
- Nobody can tell you when the last backup was made
- The site is awkward to use on a phone
- WordPress, the theme or plugins have not been updated in a long time
- Something looks hacked, or Google shows a warning
- Your site builder will not let the site grow with the business
- The developer who built it is gone, but you still hold the logins
- You need to move to a new host or a private server
Seasonal businesses feel this first. A heating contractor entering fall or an accountant before tax season cannot afford a contact form that is silently broken during the busiest weeks of the year.
Questions from US and Canadian small business owners
Can I update my old website without a full redesign?
Often yes, as long as the technical foundation is still sound. I check WordPress, PHP, the theme, plugins, hosting, forms, mobile layout and security first. Then you will know whether a careful update is enough or whether it is cheaper to move the content onto a fresh setup.
My host says my PHP version is being retired. What now?
Do not just flip the switch in the hosting panel. I take a backup, test whether the theme, plugins and any custom code run on the newer version, and then upgrade step by step. Sites with hand-written code sometimes need small code fixes first.
Can you test the changes on a copy first?
Yes, and for risky updates I recommend it. I work on a copy, check that everything behaves, and only then apply the changes to the live site.
The developer who built my site disappeared. Can you still help?
Usually. I go through the files, database, PHP version, dependencies, forms and admin area, and tell you what can be kept running and what should be moved over gradually. Having the logins is a big head start.
Can you move my site from Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy or Weebly to WordPress?
Yes. Builders rarely allow a one-to-one export, so I rebuild the site on WordPress and keep your text, images, structure, important page addresses, domain, forms and analytics. If you are weighing the decision, start with the website migration and hosting page.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I move?
Not if the move is planned. Rankings usually suffer when addresses, titles or content change without any plan. I keep the important URLs, add redirects where an address has to change, and check the sitemap, robots.txt, titles and indexing afterward. I cannot promise a specific ranking, but I can make sure nothing is lost by accident.
Can I keep my current design?
If the design still represents your business, yes. We keep the look and replace the outdated machinery underneath: phone layout, forms, speed, security and the way you edit content.
Do you handle a private server or VPS too?
Yes. Hosting, VPS, PHP, SSL, email, backups, file permissions, basic security, scheduled tasks and general stability are all part of what I can set up and look after.
I need an English and French site for customers in Canada. Is that possible?
Yes. WordPress handles bilingual sites well. We plan the page structure and language switcher during the move, so you do not have to bolt French on later. Prices are in US dollars.
When is it no longer worth repairing an old site?
When it is badly outdated, poorly indexed, insecure, hard to use on a phone, and every small change takes ages. At that point, moving the content to a new foundation is often cheaper than patching an old system again and again. I will tell you plainly if I think that is the case.
Start with a free audit of your old site
Send me the address. I will tell you what is worth keeping, what needs fixing, and whether an update or a move makes more sense.