6 min read#migration#switching-builders#domain

How to Leave a Website Builder

Step-by-step migration from any website builder. Export, domain control, redirects, testing, and cancellation in order.

Leaving a website builder takes planning, but it is straightforward. The process has a specific order: export first, secure your domain, test the new site, set up redirects, then cancel the old subscription. Skipping steps or changing the order risks losing traffic or access to your content.

Step 1: Export and back up your content

Before making any changes, download everything from your current site. This includes text, images, pages, contact data, and any other content you stored on the builder.

Most builders have an export function. Use it. Some exports are automatic; others require you to contact support. Do not assume the export will work perfectly for your new builder—it may need reformatting. Before deleting anything from your old site, spend time testing the export in your new builder to ensure nothing important was lost.

If the export function does not work or produces unusable files, manually copy your content page by page. It is slow, but it ensures you do not lose anything.

Step 2: Take control of your domain

Your domain should be registered separately from your builder. If your builder registered the domain for you, you need to transfer it to a registrar you control before leaving.

Contact your builder or domain registrar and request a domain transfer. This process involves unlocking the domain, obtaining an authorization code, and using it to transfer the domain to a new registrar. The transfer takes a few days.

Do not proceed to the next steps until you control your domain. If you cannot get domain control, you risk losing your domain when you cancel your builder subscription.

Step 3: Build and test your new site

Point your domain to your new builder and build your site there. Use the content you exported, but do not publish it live yet. Test every link, form, and page. Check how it looks on mobile and desktop. Verify that the most important pages work correctly.

This testing phase takes time, but it catches problems before your visitors see them. If the new site has issues, fix them now while your old site is still live.

Step 4: Set up redirects from old to new

If your old site had pages that search engines know about, old links will break when you migrate. Set up redirects to point old URLs to equivalent pages on your new site.

Some builders provide redirect tools. Others do not. If your builder lacks a redirect tool, ask the new builder whether they can handle redirects from your old site’s URLs. Some builders require a manual redirect configuration.

Without redirects, anyone who clicks an old link gets an error. Visitors lose trust, and search visibility drops. Redirects take time to set up, but they are worth it.

Before/after: Example Consulting

Example Consulting migrated from an old builder to a new one but skipped the redirect step. They tested the new site thoroughly, which was correct. But they did not set up redirects.

After three weeks, they noticed their search traffic had dropped sharply. Visitors who found old links in search results got error pages. The new builder had no record of those old URLs, so there was nothing to redirect.

They contacted support and learned that setting up manual redirects was possible but complex. They had to list every old URL and its new equivalent. It took hours.

Had they set up redirects before cancelling the old subscription, the traffic would have flowed to the new site seamlessly.

Step 5: Verify search and traffic

After your new site has been live for a few days, check search engines to see if they have started indexing your new site. Check your site’s search visibility to see whether the old pages are being replaced by new ones.

This step is less urgent than the others, but it confirms that the migration is working. If search visibility is not improving after a week, investigate whether your redirects are working or whether you need to submit your new site to search engines explicitly.

Step 6: Cancel your old subscription

Only after the new site is live, redirects are working, and you have verified that everything is functioning correctly, cancel your old subscription. Do not cancel early.

Check your cancellation clause first. If you need to provide notice before a deadline, do so in writing and keep a copy. Some builders charge late fees if you miss the cancellation deadline.

Common mistakes

One mistake is cancelling before the new site is live. If the new site breaks, you have no fallback.

Another mistake is forgetting redirects. Old links remain broken, and you lose search traffic.

A third mistake is skipping the export and backup step. If something goes wrong during migration, you need a copy of your original content.

Try this today

  1. Download a complete backup of your current site. Check the export function in your builder’s settings, or manually copy every page’s text and images to a folder on your computer. Verify that everything exported correctly.

  2. If you do not yet own your domain independently, contact your builder or domain registrar today and start the transfer process. Ask how long the transfer takes and whether there are any fees.

  3. Check your cancellation clause. Find the notice deadline. Mark the date on your calendar when the migration should be complete so you can cancel before any automatic renewal.

Field notes

  • Export and backup first, cancel last.
  • Secure your domain before you need it.
  • Test thoroughly while your old site is still live.

Prefer to hand the work off? Describe your business to websiites and review the finished site before choosing a plan. The pricing page lists what each plan includes.