If your blog lives on someone else's platform, you may have thought about moving it. The worry is usually the same: what happens to my posts, my readers and my links?
This guide gives you an order of work. It will not remove all risk, and results depend on your platform and your content. It will help you avoid the common mistakes.
Step 1: Back up before you touch anything
Export your posts, download your images, and export your subscriber list if your platform allows it. Store copies somewhere private that you control. Open the files once to check that they contain what you expect.
Step 2: List what you have
Make a simple list of your posts with their current web addresses, titles and categories. Mark the posts that matter most: the ones readers share, link to or find through search. You will check these first after the move.
Step 3: Choose and register your domain
Pick an address you can keep for years, and register it in your own account at a registrar you choose. Keep the login somewhere safe. In Blogsitefy you link it under Settings, General, Blog Address, then add the DNS record the dashboard shows at your registrar. Wait until DNS and HTTPS are confirmed working; activation time can vary. The domain is the piece you control if you change tools later.
Step 4: Move the posts
Copy each post into the new blog, with its images and formatting. Check headings, links and images on every post, not only the first few. Posts written in Google Docs are easy to bring across, because you can paste the document link and import it.
Step 5: Plan your redirects
If your old posts have web addresses that will change, ask whether your old platform lets you point them to the new ones. Some do and some do not. Where it is possible, redirect your most important posts first. Where it is not, tell readers about the move in a post or email.
Step 6: Tell your readers
Send a short note to your list with the new address. Update the link in your social profiles, bio and email signature.
Step 7: Check after you move
Open your key posts, click the links, and test the subscribe form. Some changes in search results are normal after a move, and how long they take depends on many things. Nobody can promise that rankings or traffic stay the same.
Want someone to do the move for you?
Blogsitefy offers a White-Glove Migration for $249 one-time. We move up to 30 posts, set up your domain and DNS, and add a subscribe form and SEO basics, in 7 days. There is no design work, and no traffic or income promise. It works with any plan, and the plan is bought separately. Full refund if you ask within 30 days of payment and before we start. Once the migration is underway, it is non-refundable.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on how many posts you have and how much checking they need. Write your list first and you will have a realistic idea.
Not automatically. Some readers will arrive through search or redirects, but tell your list and update your profiles so loyal readers do not have to guess where you went.
Keep it until you have checked the new one. Then decide whether to close it, based on your platform's rules.
Plans start at $99/year and include 7 days free and a 30-day plan refund. Migration has separate refund terms.
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