Law Firm Website Question: “Should I Do a Simple Website Transfer or a Website Content Management Rebuild or a Full Redesign?” Answer: It Depends on Your Attorney Website Size and Budget.

Whenever you transfer your website to a new web host, you have three options:

1. Simple Website Transfer – We can simply use a website grabbing program, like SiteSucker – https://ricks-apps.com/osx/sitesucker/index.html  – to grab an entire site in just a few minutes.  If you previously used a content management system (CMS), then the site would be taken completely out of that system.  With a site grabbing program, each page is saved uniquely.  Editing of any future pages, menus, and code has to be done on a per page basis.  We can typically have a new site ready to go in a half-day of work once grabbed.  You still have to update some code, items that might not have been grabbed, and recode any dynamic elements like contact forms.  Finally, if your site is already in a non-proprietary CMS like WordPress, then we can move the CMS along with the website too a new web hosting platform.  Unfortunately, most of our moves involve proprietary CMSs, so we can no longer use their updating tool.
   • Analogy –  Similar to moving a house.  Your same house, just in a new location.  Some minor tweaks may need to be made.
   • Pros – Cheap.  Easy to do.
   • Cons –   You are no longer in a content system (unless we are moving that, too).  You now have to manually update the site via a website editing program.
   • Recommended – If you have a small, 20-page or less, website that you never update, then a simple transfer is probably the route to go.  You can install Unify or some small content editing tool to update any pages.
   • Price – Usually starts at $600 for a transfer.  Varies though by updates.
2. Website Content Management Rebuild – In this scenario, during the transfer you keep the same design, with perhaps some slight improvements, but you rebuild the site completely in a new content platform.  The key here is that our team is completely rebuilding the website, but based on the previous design.  We have to integrate into the new content management system.
   • Analogy – Consider this the same as taking your existing architectural plans for your home and rebuilding it in a new location.
   • Pros –  You keep your same design, thereby lowering costs, and you get a brand new content management system to update your site, again lowering costs.
   • Cons – This is more expensive than a simple transfer.  However, you get the key benefit of a content management system.
   • Recommended – For any site that will be updated monthly and is larger than 20 pages.
   • Price – Usually $3,000 to $6,000, depending on the complexity of the website, size of the website, and content management system we are transferring to.
3. Full Redesign – You can, of course, go the full redesign route.  This is a new design married to a new content management system.  In our case, we use WordPress and Total Control.
   • Analogy – Brand spanking new home with all the latest features.
   • Pros – Brand new website.  ‘Nuff said.
   • Cons – None really, other than price.
   • Recommended – If you are unsatisfied with the performance of your current website.
   • Price – This varies by project, but custom designs start at $10,000.