Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 · Sat 09:00–13:00+27 73 625 5637info@rocketadvertising.co.za🇿🇦 South Africa🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Rocket Advertising

Home › Website Design & Development › Website Migration

Website Migration Without Losing Traffic or Email

Moving host, domain or platform is risky when done casually. We map every URL, set redirects and check search signals before and after.

Website Logo

What Rocket provides

Rocket moves websites safely between hosts, domains and platforms. The central job is making sure that every old address still leads somewhere useful and that email, forms and tracking keep working after the switch.

Migration is mostly careful administration. The tasks are not glamorous but they decide whether your customers experience a smooth move or a broken site.

Who it's for

  • Businesses changing hosting providers
  • Brands moving to a new domain after a rebrand
  • Owners switching from one platform to another, such as Wix or Joomla to WordPress
  • Companies merging several sites into one

It also suits businesses whose host has become unreliable or expensive, or whose old platform no longer receives security updates.

Problems it solves

  • Broken links and 404 errors after relaunch
  • Search traffic dropping because old pages vanished
  • Email stopping when DNS changes
  • Forms, shops or plugins failing on the new server
  • Downtime during the switch

Search engines treat a moved page as a new one unless told otherwise. Without redirects, the history attached to your old addresses can be lost, so mapping every important URL is the single most valuable step in the project.

Other risks are quieter: images that no longer load, forms that point to the old server and tracking codes that were never copied. Each is checked against a written list.

What's included

  • Full backup and inventory of pages, media and settings
  • URL mapping: a spreadsheet pairing each old URL with its new destination
  • 301 redirects implemented and tested
  • Content, plugin and database transfer
  • DNS and email planning with minimal downtime
  • SSL certificate set-up
  • Search Console and analytics re-verification
  • Post-launch crawl for errors

Deliverables you keep: the final URL map, a log of changes made, and a post-launch error report listing anything still being monitored.

Options

  • Host-to-host move with the same site
  • Domain change with site-wide redirects
  • Platform change with content rebuilt
  • Combined with a redesign

Email and DNS are handled alongside hosting and business email.

Where a site has been neglected, we can combine migration with a clean-up that removes unused plugins, outdated files and unneeded pages before the move.

What you'll need to supply

  • Logins for the current host, domain registrar and site
  • A list of email accounts in use
  • Knowledge of any integrations such as payment or CRM links
  • Agreement on a launch window

Please do not cancel any old service until we confirm the migration is complete. Cancelling a domain, host or email account too early is the most common cause of avoidable data loss.

How the process works

  1. Inventory pages, files, email and integrations.
  2. Build the URL map.
  3. Prepare the new environment and copy the site.
  4. Test everything on a temporary link.
  5. Lower DNS TTL, switch and verify email.
  6. Crawl for errors, fix, then monitor.

Whenever possible we schedule the switch for a quiet period, such as an evening or weekend, so that any short interruption affects as few customers as possible.

What affects cost and timing

Complexity depends on site size, number of URLs changing, platform differences, shop and booking data, and email setup. Straight host moves are usually simple; domain and platform moves need more checking. Timing includes a monitoring period after launch.

We cannot guarantee rankings stay identical, but disciplined redirects are the best protection.

Large media libraries, shop order history and membership data all add transfer and checking time. Sites with active orders may need a short content freeze during the final switch.

Next step

Tell us what is moving and why. We will outline the plan and quote it.

Get a quote: Website Migration

Tell us what you need – we respond within one business day.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 301 redirect?

A permanent redirect that sends visitors and search engines from an old address to its new one.

Will my email go down?

We plan DNS changes to keep mail running and test before and after the switch.

Can you migrate from Wix or Squarespace?

Content can usually be rebuilt on WordPress. These platforms do not export every feature, so scope is reviewed first.

How long does it take?

A simple move can be quick; larger sites with shops need more time for testing.

Do I need to keep my old hosting?

Keep it until the migration is complete and checked, then cancel it.

Is your website helping your business grow?

Run a free Website & SEO audit or tell us about your project.