A complete, tested URL redirect map
Every existing page mapped and verified against its new equivalent before the domain switch happens.
Service
How website migration for accounting firms actually works
Website migration for accounting firms works by moving a live site from its current host and platform to a new one through a sequenced process, DNS changes, tested redirects, and a verified cutover, that keeps the site online throughout and preserves the search rankings the old site already earned. This is the technical move itself, distinct from deciding to redesign the site, and it can happen with or without a visual redesign attached to it.
- Plans
- $137 a month
- Build fee
- $797, after launch
- Live in
- 7 days
- Revisions
- 5 a month
- Domain and hosting
- Included
Fit
Who a migration fits
A migration fits a firm that needs to leave where it is without losing what it has. The common cases are a platform the firm cannot get changes made on, a developer who has stopped answering, and hosting that has become unreliable. It assumes the firm can obtain registrar or DNS access, because without that nothing can be pointed anywhere, and it assumes the old site is genuinely being retired.
- A firm stuck on a platform where even small changes need someone who is no longer available
- A firm that already ranks for something and cannot afford a rebuild that resets those URLs
- A firm whose hosting has become slow, unreliable or expensive relative to what it delivers
- A firm able to get registrar or DNS access, either directly or through whoever holds it today
- A firm that cannot obtain access to its registrar or DNS, since the domain cannot be moved without it
- A firm that wants the old platform kept running in parallel indefinitely after cutover
- A firm that also needs mailboxes and email hosting moved, which is a separate project from a website migration
01
DNS is the switch, and it gets flipped last
DNS is the mechanism that actually switches which server visitors reach when they type in the firm's domain, and it gets changed last, only after the new site is fully built, reviewed, and confirmed working. Changing DNS too early points the domain at an unfinished site; changing it correctly means the new site sits ready and tested before the domain ever points to it, so visitors experience a single, clean switch rather than a visible gap or a half-finished site going live by accident. DNS changes also take time to spread across the internet, which is part of why the sequencing matters as much as the change itself.
02
Redirects are what protect the rankings
Redirects are what protect the rankings an existing site has already earned, since a search engine and a returning visitor both expect a specific URL to still lead somewhere relevant after a migration. Every meaningful page on the old site gets mapped to its equivalent on the new one before the cutover, and that mapping gets tested, not assumed, because a missed redirect turns a previously ranking page into a dead link, which is the single most damaging and most preventable mistake in a migration. This mapping work is tedious, and skipping it is exactly how firms lose visibility they had already earned.
- Every existing URL mapped to its new equivalent before cutover
- The redirect map tested against the live old site, not assumed correct
- A check for any missed pages after the map is built
- DNS changed only once every redirect is confirmed working
03
What actually causes downtime, and how it is avoided
What actually causes downtime in a poorly run migration is usually sequencing: DNS gets changed before the new site is ready, or the old site gets taken offline before the new one is confirmed live and reachable. Avoiding that means the new site is built and fully tested on a separate address first, the redirect mapping is verified there, and only then does the domain get pointed to it, with the old hosting kept in place briefly as a safety net until the new site is confirmed stable for every visitor.
04
Email and other domain services need their own check
Email and other domain services need their own check during a migration because a firm's email often runs through the same domain's DNS settings that the website migration touches, and a careless DNS change can accidentally break email delivery even while successfully moving the website. Every DNS record tied to the domain, not just the website record, gets reviewed and preserved during the migration, so a firm's email keeps working exactly as it did before, with no separate incident caused by a change made for an unrelated reason. This step gets skipped more often than it should, usually by people focused only on the site.
Deliverables
What you get
A sequenced DNS cutover with no visible gap
DNS changed only after the new site is built, tested, and confirmed ready, avoiding a half-finished site going live.
Email and other domain records preserved
Every DNS record on the domain reviewed, not just the website record, so email delivery is never disrupted.
Existing search rankings protected through the move
Correct, tested redirects mean rankings the old site earned carry forward instead of resetting after the migration.
A clear migration timeline with a safety net
The old hosting stays available briefly after cutover in case anything needs a fast rollback while the new site settles in.
A post-migration verification pass
A check across key pages and redirects after launch to confirm everything resolves correctly for real visitors.
Scope
In scope, and explicitly out
The second list is the one that saves everybody a difficult call in week three.
IN Included in this service
- A full inventory of every live URL on the current site, taken before anything is built
- A redirect map from each old URL to its new equivalent, tested before the domain is switched
- A sequenced DNS cutover where the domain moves only once the new site is built and confirmed
- A review of every DNS record on the domain, not just the website record, so email keeps delivering
- The old hosting left available briefly after cutover so a rollback is possible while the new site settles
- A post migration verification pass across key pages and redirects, checked against real visits
OUT Not included
- Mailbox migration or email hosting changes, since records are preserved but mailboxes are not moved
- Recovery of content from a platform that cannot be accessed, crawled or exported
- Keeping the old platform licensed, paid for or running beyond the short rollback window
- Moving a CRM, a booking system or any third party tool connected to the old site
- Bookkeeping, payroll or tax work, and nothing migrated is accounting, audit or tax advice
Timing
How a migration is sequenced
The order is fixed because DNS is the last thing to move, never the first. Everything is built and verified on a separate address first, and the plan sets when the switch happens: 7 days on Intake, 10 on Reconciliation and 15 on Filed.
- Day 1Registrar and DNS access is confirmed and every live URL on the current site is inventoried.
- Days 2 to 4The new site is built on a separate address while the old one keeps serving visitors untouched.
- Days 4 to 6The redirect map is written and tested URL by URL, and every DNS record on the domain is reviewed.
- Cutover dayDNS is pointed at the new site on day 7, 10 or 15, with the old hosting left up as a safety net.
- Every week after cutoverA verification pass runs first, then the site is maintained like any other, with updates in 2 to 5 working days.
Cost
What moves the price on a migration
A migration carries the same figures as any other project: from $137 a month with a $797 one-time build fee invoiced after launch. The size and condition of the existing site do not add a charge, but they decide which launch window is realistic.
| Factor | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Number of existing URLs | Every live URL needs a tested destination, so a site with years of pages takes far longer to map than a small brochure site. |
| Whether the old site can be exported | A platform that exports cleanly keeps the content pass short, while a locked platform means rebuilding pages by hand from what is visible. |
| How many services run on the domain | Email, a booking tool and a CRM all sitting on the same domain mean more records to review before DNS is touched. |
| Who holds registrar access | Access on day one keeps the cutover inside the shorter window, and chasing a former developer for credentials is the usual delay. |
| Which tier the new site runs on | The AI Engine sits on Reconciliation and up and the Content Engine on Filed, which is what sets the monthly figure after the move. |
What firms report
What firms say about this kind of work
They tracked down every place our outsourced finance support information appeared; there were more than we admitted. Everything now lives in one maintained reference, with the duplicates retired or redirected. It is the least glamorous work they did, and possibly the most valuable.
Viola Claybourne, Onboarding coordinatorSmall business bookkeeping practice, Stamford, Connecticut Got Content audit and update process for outsourced finance support
Years of shared outsourced finance support links were my concern, and they treated it as theirs. The redirect plan was presented for our approval like any other deliverable. Not one 'your link is broken' message arrived after launch.
Shreya Rathore, New client coordinatorE-commerce bookkeeping practice, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Got Page migration and redirect mapping for outsourced finance support
Case studies
The same work, written up by the client
Real engagements, anonymized by business type and region. Each one covers the starting point, what was built and what changed.
Questions about website migration for accounting firms
01Will my accounting firm site go offline during a migration?
It should not. The new site is built and fully tested on a separate address before DNS is ever changed, and the domain only points to the new site once that testing confirms it is ready, so visitors experience one clean switch rather than any visible downtime.
02Can a website migration happen without also changing how the site looks?
Yes. Migration is the technical move, changing hosting, platform, and DNS, and it is a separate decision from a visual redesign. A firm can migrate a site as-is to new hosting, or combine the migration with a redesign, depending on what it needs.
03How does a migration affect my existing search rankings?
It should not hurt them, as long as every existing URL is mapped to its new equivalent and that redirect mapping is tested before the domain switch. Rankings are tied to a page continuing to exist somewhere; the redirect is what carries that value forward.
04Will migrating my website affect my email?
It can, if it is not handled carefully, since email often depends on DNS records on the same domain the migration touches. Every DNS record gets reviewed and preserved during the process specifically to prevent an unrelated email outage caused by the website move.
05How long does a typical website migration take for an accounting firm?
The technical cutover itself is usually brief once the new site is ready, since DNS changes propagate quickly, but the preparation, building and testing the redirect map, takes longer and depends on how many existing pages the current site has.
06What access do you need from us before a migration can start?
Registrar or DNS access, and read access to the current site. That is enough to inventory the URLs, review the DNS records and point the domain when the time comes, and the firm can grant it directly or have whoever holds it today grant it on the firm's behalf.
07What happens to an old page that has no equivalent on the new site?
It gets redirected to the closest relevant page rather than being left to return an error. A retired service page usually points at the nearest current service or at the services index, so a visitor arriving from an old link or an old search result still lands somewhere useful.
08Can a migration be rolled back if something goes wrong?
Yes, within the first stretch after cutover. The old hosting is deliberately left available for a short period so the domain can be pointed back if anything unexpected appears, which is why the old platform is retired after the new site has settled rather than on the same day.
Adjacent
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Filed
See it built for your firm.
A live walk-through of the site you would get, in about 30 minutes. Plans from $137 a month, the $797 build fee invoiced only after launch.