Website migration and takeover
Website Migration and Takeover
Moving host, or left with a website your old developer no longer looks after? We take over sites we did not build and move them, with their email and domain, to hosting you can rely on.
The short answer
Yes, we take over websites we did not build. We look first, then quote per site based on our hourly rate, the size of the site and how many mailboxes need to move. Domain transfers cost the same as a registration: R200 for a .co.za and R350 for a .com, and the domain stays in your name.
Is this you?
Your developer has gone quiet
They stopped replying, closed shop, or simply moved on, and you are left with a website nobody looks after.
You want to change host
Your hosting is slow, expensive or unreliable, and you want your site and email somewhere better without starting again.
You inherited a website
A new owner, a new manager, a partner who left: the site works, but nobody knows the logins or how it was built.
You want out of a rental plan
You pay monthly for a site you do not own and want one that is yours. Some platforms cannot be moved as is, and we will tell you honestly if yours needs a rebuild.
How a move works
We look first
Tell us your web address and what you have access to. We look at how the site is built, where it is hosted, where your email lives and who holds the domain, then tell you what is realistic.
You get a quote
The quote is per site, worked out from our hourly rate, the size of the site and how many mailboxes need to move. Nothing starts until you approve it.
We copy, then check
Your site and mailboxes are copied across and checked on the new hosting before anything is switched, so the old site keeps working while we work.
We switch you over
Once everything checks out, we point your domain at the new hosting and check the site and email again after the switch.
What it costs
Migration or takeover
Quoted per site, from our hourly rate, the size of the website and the number of mailboxes to move. You approve the quote before we start.
R450/hour, quoted per site
Domain transfer
The same as a registration. The domain stays registered in your name, so you always control it.
.co.za R200, .com R350
Hosting afterwards
Fast local hosting with email, paid monthly or yearly. See Fast Local Hosting Basic or the .co.za annual package.
From R99/month
A move we have made: Looters
Looters, a Cape Town and Durban clearance grocery retailer, came to us with a website running on an international cloud platform. The first job was a straight transfer: we moved the existing site to local South African hosting to bring its running costs down. Only later did we rebuild it, which the Looters case study covers.
What we will not promise
No one can honestly promise what Google will do with your rankings after a move, so we do not. What we do is move your site carefully, check it after the switch, and keep you in control: your domain stays in your name, and once the work is paid for, the website and the content created for you are yours, as our terms set out.
Already moved, and just need someone to look after the site? Our website maintenance covers sites we did not build, billed by the hour with no retainer. Want hosting that is managed for you? See managed hosting.
Website migration FAQ
Can you take over a website you did not build? +
How much does a website migration cost? +
How much does it cost to transfer my domain to you? +
Will my email keep working during the move? +
Will I lose my Google rankings? +
What if I do not have the logins? +
Ready to move, or need someone to take over?
Send us your web address and what you have access to, and we will tell you honestly what is involved.