Move your old HTML site to a CMS you can edit
The site still works, but nobody can change it. Whether it was hand-coded or built in Dreamweaver, Muse, iWeb or FrontPage, we rebuild it in Astro or Next.js with Sanity or Payload: the content and URLs kept, the pages fit for phones, and an editor your team can use.
Yegparian PLLC (opens in a new tab)Signs your old site needs a new home
Plenty of hand-built sites have run for years without trouble. These are the moments owners tell us it stopped being enough.
Nobody can edit it
Changing a phone number means opening HTML files, or finding the one computer that still has the right software and the FTP password.
The person who built it is gone
The developer, agency or relative who made the site moved on, and the files, logins and hosting details went with them.
It is hard to use on a phone
Fixed-width pages and table layouts make visitors pinch and zoom. Google indexes the mobile version of a site, so this costs you in search too.
The tool behind it is no longer made
Adobe ended Muse support in 2020, and iWeb and FrontPage are long gone. The software that built your site gets no updates.
Security is an unknown
An old contact form script, an expired certificate or an outdated PHP version can sit unnoticed for years until something breaks or gets abused.
What happens to the old parts
Pick what your site has today. Each part is rebuilt into the new site, moved to a service you choose, or turns out not to be needed.
- FTP uploads to change a pageEditing in Sanity or PayloadText, images and pages are edited in the browser with live preview. No files to upload and no software to install.
- Contact form scriptA form built into the siteValidated on the server, filtered for spam and sent to your inbox, CRM or Slack, instead of an old mail script on the host.
- Table layouts and fixed widthsResponsive pagesEvery template is rebuilt to work on phones, tablets and large screens, keeping the content and the feel of the original.
- Dreamweaver templates and includesShared componentsHeaders, footers and repeated blocks become components, so a change in one place updates every page.
- Flash or old plugin embedsVideo and modern embedsAdobe stopped supporting Flash at the end of 2020. Animations and players are rebuilt with video or standard web code.
- Image galleries and slideshowsGalleries managed in the CMSMuse widgets and jQuery plugins become a gallery your team fills by uploading images, with sizes generated automatically.
- Hit counterAnalytics you chooseVisits are measured with Google Analytics or a privacy-friendly alternative, with a consent banner where the law asks for one.
- Password-protected foldersAccess, scoped separatelyMembers areas and private pages run with the auth provider you choose. We scope this per project.
- Shared hosting and cPanelHosting on a global networkThe new site is served from a CDN with HTTPS and automatic deploys. The old hosting can be cancelled after launch.
What changes when you leave a hand-built site
Astro and Next.js decide how pages are built. Sanity and Payload are where your team edits. We recommend a pair after the audit.
| Feature | Astro + Sanity | Next.js + Payload | Old HTML sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editing | |||
| Edit text and images without code | |||
| Live preview while editing | Only in the desktop tool | ||
| Several editors with their own logins | |||
| Phones and security | |||
| Pages that fit any screen | Depends how it was built | ||
| HTTPS and maintained dependencies | Depends on the host | ||
| Forms protected from spam | Depends on the script | ||
| SEO | |||
| Every existing URL kept or redirected | |||
| Sitemap and structured data generated | Written by hand | ||
| Titles and descriptions edited next to content | In the HTML | ||
Sites we've already moved
Different stacks for different jobs: a law firm on Next.js and Payload, a residential launch and our own studio on Astro and Sanity.
Yegparian PLLC
WordPressNext.js + Payload
An Austin trial litigation firm. Practice areas, matters and insights are Payload collections, and every page is pre-rendered and served from the edge.
yegparianpllc.com (opens in a new tab)25 Cuba
WordPressAstro + Sanity
A new residential address in Canary Wharf. Apartments, amenities and galleries are edited in Sanity, and the site ships as static Astro pages.
25cuba.com (opens in a new tab)Celerart
WebflowAstro + Sanity
Our own studio site. Every one of the 164 old URLs was carried over or redirected, and all content is now edited in Sanity.
celerart.com (opens in a new tab)
How we move an old HTML site
Your current site stays live until the new one is ready. The switch is a DNS change, not a weekend of downtime.
Audit
Audit
We crawl every URL, list every page, form, file and embed, and export your rankings. If the source files are lost, the live site is enough.
Content model
Content model
Pages, news, team members and downloads become a clean schema in Sanity or Payload, shaped around how your team will edit.
Content import
Content import
Text, images and documents are taken from the files or a crawl of the live site, cleaned of old markup and checked by hand.
Front end
Front end
We rebuild the design in Astro or Next.js: the same look made to work on phones, or a refresh if one is due.
Redirects and launch
Redirects and launch
Every old URL, including .html and .php addresses, keeps its path or gets a permanent redirect. Metadata and sitemaps are checked before the DNS switch.
Handover
Handover
Your team gets a walkthrough of the new editor and their own logins. Then the old hosting and FTP accounts can be closed.
Questions about moving an old site
Yes. We can work from a crawl of the live site, which gives us every page, image and document that visitors can reach. Source files help, but they are not required.
Not if the move is planned. Every URL keeps its address or gets a permanent one-hop redirect, including old .html and .php pages, and titles and descriptions are carried over. A site that works on phones usually helps rather than hurts.
Yes. We can rebuild the design as it is and make it work on phones, or use the move to refresh it. You see the new templates next to the old pages before anything goes live.
Not much. Whatever made the pages, the result is HTML we can read. We take the content and structure from it, leave the generated code behind and rebuild the pages properly.
Both are valid choices, and the audit will say so if one suits you better. We build with Astro or Next.js and a headless CMS because there are no plugins to patch, pages are fast by default, and the code and content are yours to take anywhere.
No. Editors change text, images and pages in the browser with live preview. Hosting updates and deploys run automatically, and we can support the site after launch if you want.
It depends on the number of pages, forms and documents. After the audit you get a fixed scope and timeline, and the old site stays live until launch day.
