Yes, you can move your website to another agency. First reclaim access to the domain, hosting and admin panels, take a full backup, prepare a URL map with 301 redirects to avoid losing SEO, and plan the DNS switch through a parallel staging environment with a lowered TTL. Done in the right order, the move causes no downtime.
The decision to switch agencies usually comes from slow support, an outdated stack or needs that have outgrown the current setup. The decision itself is not the hard part; the hard part is moving without breaking the site's Google visibility, email or form flow. This guide splits the process into four stages: access, backups, SEO and a zero-downtime launch.
Is it always possible to move a website to another agency?
Moving a website to another agency is almost always possible as long as the business controls the domain. If the source code and database can be handed over, the site moves as it is; if it was built on a proprietary agency panel or a site builder without export, the content is rebuilt on a new platform.
- —Directly movable: WordPress, open-source CMSs, custom software with delivered code, and static sites.
- —Partly movable: closed site builders; content and images come across, design and structure are rebuilt.
- —Hard to move: sites running on the agency's own licensed panel with no code delivery in the contract.
- —Always movable: the domain, DNS records, email configuration and accounts such as Search Console.
Related services
How do you reclaim access from your previous agency?
The cleanest way to reclaim access from a previous agency is to list every account and request, in a single written message, either an ownership transfer or admin access for each one. Once access is back, change passwords, turn on two-factor authentication, and remove the agency's users only after the migration is finished.
- —Build an inventory: registrar, DNS/Cloudflare, hosting, CMS, email, Search Console, Analytics, Google Business Profile, code repository.
- —Send a written request listing the accounts, the role you want (owner) and a reasonable deadline.
- —Changing registrar is not required; if the domain is registered to you, pointing DNS records at the new hosting is enough.
- —If the registrar is changing too, ask for the transfer (EPP/auth) code and have the domain unlocked.
- —Settle any open invoice first; it is the most common reason access handovers stall.
Which backups should you take before migrating?
Before migrating a website, back up all site files, a database dump, the DNS zone records, mailboxes and a snapshot of current SEO performance. These backups let you roll back if something goes wrong during the move, and they give you a reference point for comparing the new site against the old one.
- —Files: a full archive including theme, plugins, uploaded images and documents.
- —Database: an SQL dump; form entries, members and orders live here.
- —DNS: an export or screenshot of A, CNAME, MX and TXT records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, verification records).
- —Email: backups of all mailboxes if email is moving with the hosting.
- —SEO baseline: the last 12-16 months of Search Console performance data, top-traffic pages and a complete list of every URL on the site.
- —Tracking: a note of which pages carry Analytics and ad conversion tags.
Support in your region
How do you migrate a website without losing SEO?
Migrating a website without losing SEO rests on one rule: every old URL either keeps its address on the new site or points to its closest equivalent with a permanent 301 redirect. Titles, meta descriptions, content and internal links should be preserved, the new sitemap submitted to Search Console, and errors monitored for weeks.
- —URL map: a table with old URL, new URL and status columns; every old address needs a match.
- —301 redirects: don't bulk-redirect all old URLs to the homepage; Google often treats those as soft 404s.
- —Content: don't change the copy, title or H1 of ranking pages during the move without a reason.
- —Technical tags: canonical, hreflang and structured data (JSON-LD) must work correctly on the new site.
- —Sitemap: submit the new sitemap.xml in Search Console and check robots.txt carries no leftover block from staging.
- —Search Console: a domain property verified with a DNS TXT record survives the move; the Change of Address tool is only for when the domain itself changes.
- —Monitoring: track 404 errors, index coverage and the rankings of your key pages in the first weeks.
When URL structure and content are preserved, rankings may fluctuate briefly after a migration, but they usually settle within a few weeks. Almost all lasting losses come from missing redirects, deleted content or a noindex tag accidentally left in place.
How do you switch over without downtime?
A zero-downtime website switch means the new site is built and tested in a parallel staging environment first, DNS TTL values are lowered 24-48 hours ahead, and then DNS is pointed at the new server. Keeping the old hosting live for a few more days means visitors reaching the old address during DNS propagation still see the site.
- —Lower the TTL: 1-2 days before the switch, set the TTL of the relevant A/CNAME records to, for example, 300 seconds.
- —Test on staging: check forms, payments, email notifications, redirects and mobile layout before going live.
- —Go live: point DNS to the new server and make sure the SSL certificate is ready there.
- —Leave email alone: if email isn't moving, keep the MX, SPF and DKIM records exactly as they are.
- —Don't cancel the old hosting right away: keep it for at least 1-2 weeks and check for last-minute database changes such as orders or form entries.
For your project
A step-by-step agency switch checklist
Switching web agencies involves twelve core steps, from collecting access to launching and monitoring the new site. For a simple corporate website these steps can be completed within a few weeks; e-commerce sites need more careful timing because of order and customer data.
- —1. Build the account inventory and confirm ownership.
- —2. Send the previous agency a written access and handover request.
- —3. Back up files, database, DNS and email.
- —4. Record your SEO baseline and the full URL list.
- —5. Agree scope with the new agency: a like-for-like move or a redesign?
- —6. Prepare the URL map and 301 redirect list.
- —7. Build and test the new site on staging.
- —8. Lower the DNS TTL.
- —9. Point DNS at the new server and verify SSL.
- —10. Submit the sitemap and run URL Inspection in Search Console.
- —11. Monitor 404s, forms and conversions for the first two weeks.
- —12. Remove the old agency's users, rotate passwords and close the old hosting.