You can usually change website providers without changing your business domain or email addresses. A safe move starts before you end the old contract: find out who manages the domain, where email runs, which content and materials you need to save, and which old page addresses need to stay or redirect to new ones.
You do not always need to move all the old website technology. If the new site is being rebuilt, the most important things are to secure your business materials, establish who controls each service and understand the current site structure before anything is shut down.
What should you ask your old supplier for?
This table shows what information you need and why.
| Item | What do you request or confirm? | Why does it matter? |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Registrar, owner and management arrangements | The domain must remain under the business's control |
| DNS | Where the DNS settings are managed | They direct website and email traffic |
| Provider and current setup | You do not want to interrupt working email | |
| Page addresses | A list of the current important URLs | Search visibility and old links can be accounted for |
| Text | The business's own copy and service information | Useful content is worth saving |
| Images and logo | Original files and usage rights | The new site must use materials the business has the right to use |
| Forms | Where messages go and who monitors them | Enquiries must not disappear during the move |
| Search Console | Ownership or access | Google indexing can be monitored after the redesign too |
| Analytics | Any existing measurement setup | Old data should not be lost by accident |
| Contract | Notice period, transfer terms and handover of materials | You know what the current service includes and what it does not |
DNS (Domain Name System) tells the internet which services handle different traffic for your domain. Business owners do not need to change DNS settings themselves, but they should know who manages them.
Do not cancel the old service first
One of the most common mistakes is ending the old service before finding out what will disappear with it.
A safer order is:
- find out who manages the domain and email
- save the necessary text, images and other business materials
- list the current website's important addresses
- build and test the new website
- plan any redirects
- publish the new website
- test the domain, email and contact methods
- end the old service only once the new setup works
If the old service ends first, recovering missing information can become unnecessarily difficult.
Do you need the old website's source code?
Not always.
If the new supplier builds an entirely new website, the old source code may not be useful. The business's own materials, page addresses, domain management and email details are often more important.
If you intend to continue using exactly the same technical implementation, source code, licences and access rights become more important. Check these in the current contract.
Read also who owns a website bought as a service.
Why map the old URLs?
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator), or web page address, might be business.fi/services/.
If Google knows an old address and the new page is published at a different one, the old URL should usually redirect to an appropriate new page. Google's guidance describes permanent server-side redirects, such as 301 and 308, as a common way to signal a permanent page move.
Do not redirect everything to the homepage. The best destination for an old service page is usually a new page covering the same subject.
If page addresses can stay the same during the redesign, the transition is often simpler.
What about email?
Changing website providers does not mean the business has to change email services.
The same domain can continue using Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for email, for example, while the website moves to an entirely new environment.
However, check how email works before making DNS changes. A more detailed checklist is in the guide can email stop working when you change your website.
What should the new supplier establish before launch?
A good move starts by mapping the setup, rather than asking "what is your password?".
The new supplier should at least know:
- whether the existing domain will be used
- whether the existing email will stay
- which old addresses Google already knows
- which business content will be retained
- which forms or other contact methods are needed
- whether the old site has features the new one must include
This makes launching the new website a managed transition, rather than just a change in appearance.
How does GC's website service handle a change of provider?
With GC's website service, the customer's existing domain can be connected to the new website. Business email setup and migration assistance are included, but the email service's own subscription fees are paid separately.
The new 1–5 pages are designed and written using the business and service information supplied by the customer. If the old website has many indexed addresses, extensive functionality or other substantial things to move, the scope of the transition should be assessed before implementation.
If you are still comparing options, read next how to compare website quotes.
Sources: Google Search Central, Site Moves and Migrations and Redirects and Google Search. Current details of GC's service: terms of service and pricing.