Switching website platforms
Decided Squarespace wasn't quite your thing after all?
Or perhaps you've had enough of plugins, or spotted something shiny elsewhere. We've all been there.
The good news is that you don't have to start again with StructuredAF.
Your business details, professional profile, offers and FAQs are all saved in your StructuredAF account. Changing website platforms doesn't delete any of them. You just need to connect StructuredAF to your new website and check whether any of your links or images have changed.
Don't dismantle the old website just yet
It's tempting to start clearing things out as soon as you've decided to move.
But keep your existing website working until the new one is ready. Leave StructuredAF installed on the old site while you build and check the new one. Once your new website is live and everything is working, you can remove the old installation.
Think of it as moving house. You don't hand back the keys before you've checked the new place has electricity.
What's actually changing?
Here's the useful bit. StructuredAF doesn't particularly mind whether your website runs on WordPress, Squarespace, Kajabi or another supported platform. What matters is the information about your business, and where that information points.
Before you move, ask yourself four questions:
Lovely. That makes things easier.
If your business details, links and images are all staying put, you don't need to rewrite anything in StructuredAF.
You'll simply connect your new website using the installation method for its platform.
Update the details that move.
You'll need to update the affected details in StructuredAF.
That might mean links to your services, a new contact page, the images used in your profile or your main website address.
Images are the one to watch.
If your headshot currently lives in your old website's media library, its link may stop working when that website disappears. Make sure your images are available on the new website, then update their addresses in StructuredAF.
Otherwise you can end up with a perfectly good profile pointing to a photograph that's gone off to live on a server you no longer use.
Making the move, step by step
You might not need every step. If your domain and links are staying the same, some of these will take seconds.
Update anything that's changed
Open your StructuredAF dashboard and select the website you're moving. Check your:
- Service, programme and offer links
- Contact page
- Logo and headshot addresses
- Any links in your bio or FAQs
Update anything that will point to the wrong place after your move.
Changing your domain? Leave your main website address as it is for now. You'll change it once the new website is live, in step 4.
Generate, if you've changed anything
If you've updated any details, links or images, open Add to Site and click Generate. StructuredAF will update your AI Profile with your latest information.
If nothing in your profile has changed, you can skip this step. Simply changing website platforms doesn't mean you need to generate the same information again.
Connect StructuredAF to your new website
This is where the instructions depend on where you've landed.
Moving to WordPress?
- Install the StructuredAF plugin.
- Go to Settings, then StructuredAF in WordPress.
- Enter your existing Site ID and save the settings.
- Click Clear Cache.
That's the connection made. The WordPress installation guide has the full instructions.
Moving to Squarespace, Kajabi, Wix, Showit or Systeme.io?
Open Add to Site in your StructuredAF dashboard, copy your StructuredAF code, then follow the installation instructions for your new platform. Platform Compatibility will point you to the right guide.
Changing your domain? Update it once you're live
If your new website has a different address, wait until it's published, then update your main website address in Your Websites in your StructuredAF settings.
Your business details, offers and FAQs all stay in your account, so there's no need to create a new profile.
Then check your Site ID. Make sure the Site ID shown in your dashboard matches the one your new website is using.
- On WordPress, compare it with the Site ID in the StructuredAF plugin settings.
- On other platforms, if anything looks different, copy your StructuredAF code from Add to Site again and replace the version on your website.
Click Generate once more so your AI Profile uses the new address.
Keeping the same domain? You can skip this step entirely.
Check the new website, then retire the old one
Open Scan Site in your StructuredAF dashboard, scan your new published website and review what it detects. Then check that:
- Your important pages open correctly
- Your offers link to the right places
- Your logo and headshot still load
- Any details you've updated appear in the published version
When you're happy everything is working, remove StructuredAF from your old website. On WordPress, deactivate the plugin. On other platforms, remove the StructuredAF code you installed.
If your old website is disappearing completely, there's no need to make a special project out of tidying up a site that's about to vanish anyway.
What if you're running two websites?
Moving a website isn't quite the same as running two separate websites.
If you're replacing your existing website with a new one, you're moving the same business from one platform or domain to another. A short overlap while you make the switch is absolutely fine.
But if you intend to keep two separate websites running, each one needs its own website in your StructuredAF account, with its own Site ID. Each counts towards your plan's website allowance: the One Website plan covers one, and the Three Websites plan covers up to three.
Please don't reuse the same Site ID across two separate, ongoing websites. You could end up publishing the wrong information on one of them.
If you run different parts of your business across more than one domain, have a look at the plans or get in touch and I'll help you work out the right setup.
One thing StructuredAF doesn't move for you
Your website redirects.
If you're changing page addresses, you'll need to make sure visitors can still find the new versions. For example, if your old coaching page was yourbusiness.com/coaching and the new one is yourbusiness.com/work-with-me, you'll usually want the old address to redirect to the new one.
That's part of your website migration rather than something StructuredAF manages. It's worth doing properly, both for people following old links and for search and AI systems trying to find your content.
Your website developer, migration service or new platform's help pages should be able to help.
Ready to settle into your new website?
Whether you've finally found your forever platform or you're already eyeing up the next one, your StructuredAF profile can come with you.
Check your links, update anything that's changed, and connect it to your new website.
Find the guide for your new platform →