Moving your tanning salon website starts with understanding what is changing. If the salon’s name is changing too, check the new one first. The website design, hosting, domain registration and business email are separate parts of the setup. Replacing one does not automatically mean replacing the others.
Ask the new and existing providers to agree the handover, testing and switch dates before the old service is cancelled. The aim is to keep customers able to find the salon, contact you and use any existing booking route throughout the move.
List the services and account owners
Create a simple register. Record the provider, who can authorise changes and when the service renews. Do not put passwords in the document.
| Part of the setup | What to establish | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Registrar, account holder and renewal arrangements | The website address needs to remain under the agreed control |
| Website hosting | Current platform and who can publish | The old site needs to stay available during preparation |
| Mailbox provider and relevant account owner | A website move should not accidentally interrupt email | |
| Booking service | Correct branch and public booking link | Customers need the same intended destination |
| Search Console | Verified property access | You need a way to monitor search changes |
| Analytics | Existing measurement and access | Compare useful actions before and after the move |
If an account is controlled by a former supplier or member of staff, resolve the access arrangement before a critical switch date. Clarify contractual or ownership questions with the relevant parties rather than assuming a new builder can override them.
Identify the pages worth preserving
Give the new builder a list of your current page addresses. Highlight pages that receive search traffic or enquiries, and URLs printed on leaflets, linked from business profiles or used in adverts.
Where a page’s purpose remains the same, keeping its address may simplify the move. When an address must change, prepare a map from the old page to its relevant replacement. A service page should not be sent to an unrelated destination simply to make the old address stop returning an error.
Also check files customers use, such as a price-list PDF. If a document is being replaced by a web page, the builder should decide how visitors following the old link will find the current information.
Google’s site-move guidance explains URL mapping, redirects and monitoring. A move can affect rankings while search engines process the changes; no provider can promise that a redesign will preserve every position.
Keep email separate from the design decision
Tell the builder if your business email uses the same domain as your website. Ask who will check that the mail-related configuration is preserved if domain or hosting settings change.
The person making technical changes should record the current setup and have an agreed recovery route. Do not cancel mailboxes because the website is ready, and do not assume that pointing a domain at a new site transfers the email history.
If email also needs to move, give it a separate plan. Test incoming and outgoing messages and confirm how existing messages, contacts and staff devices will be handled before ending the old service.
Review the new website before switching
Use a preview that is kept out of search results while you check the work. Compare the new site against the approved services, prices, hours, equipment and photographs. Test the telephone, directions and booking links.
Arrange a clearly labelled enquiry test with the recipient. Check the notification and the agreed record of the enquiry, rather than relying only on the visitor’s success message. Do not place a real paid booking just to test navigation.
Keep a written list of the results and any unresolved issue. Our launch checklist covers the customer-facing checks; your builder should also verify the hosting, security and technical configuration.
Check the real address after launch
Once the switch is complete, check the public domain rather than continuing to look at the preview. Confirm that the important old links reach the intended pages, that the new pages have their correct canonical addresses and that any staging noindex settings have not been copied to production.
Open the site on a phone, check the customer actions and confirm that the people receiving enquiries know the site is live. Review the sitemap and Search Console reports as search engines recrawl the pages.
Close the handover deliberately
Agree which services can now end and which must remain, including redirects and email. Keep the agreed backup and recovery information, a record of who controls each account and the process for future updates.
A clean handover leaves the owner knowing where the website lives and how to maintain it. To discuss a TSW build, read how it works and prepare a salon website brief before the first conversation.