Website Maintenance Audit & Migration

Developers often build and maintain websites using different methods, so before migrating and taking over maintenance of an existing site, our team needs to thoroughly review the site build to make sure that we understand how the site functions. We also check that all necessary theme and plugin licenses are active and accessible, and that the website meets the requirements of the destination hosting account. Then we migrate the website to the new hosting account, install our curated suite of website maintenance, performance, and security plugins, and add the website to our maintenance and monitoring tools, to make sure that the site is in a good initial state for ongoing maintenance.

• The client must provide all requested login credentials for the current website, before the audit. This includes WordPress admin access, hosting account access, ftp and database credentials, and domain registration account logins.
• Once we have these, the Marketeering Group developers will perform the site audit. We first check the current site size and server environment statistics to look for any potential storage or security issues.
• We also review the themes and plugins that are installed on the website to make sure that there are no security risks and that any relevant tools have an active license for updates. If the website is missing any required licenses, we will inform the client and they will be responsible for purchasing the necessary licenses for ongoing updates.
• We then prepare to move a copy of the website to a development environment on the destination hosting account. At this point, we will schedule a website editing freeze with the client. We typically ask that the client refrain from editing the website for a period of three days while we complete the testing and migration.
• After moving a copy of the website to a development environment on the destination hosting account, we fully test the site functionality to look for any conflicts with the new hosting environment.
• We also run a full update of the tools on the website, to make sure that everything is running well and in a good place to start monthly maintenance.
• The audit includes up to 2 hours for troubleshooting any issues that arise from the site migration and/or update.
• If there is additional work needed to prepare the site for transfer and/or maintenance, we will provide the client with a quote for the additional work needed, and a timeline for completion. We will not proceed with the additional recommended work unless the new quote is approved.
• If the site does not qualify for transfer to our recommended hosting account, we will provide the client with an alternate hosting option.
• Once the audit, update and any needed fixes are complete, we will edit the DNS records to point the live site domain to the copy of the website on the destination hosting account. There will be a period of propagation time between 1-48 hours, until the live domain is fully pointed to the new hosting account.
• After the website is live on the destination hosting account, we also install our curated suite of performance and security plugins and add the website to our maintenance and monitoring tools, to prepare the site for ongoing maintenance
• If, during the audit, we discover that the website does not qualify for transfer to the destination hosting account, we will provide the client with a recommendation for an alternate hosting option. If the client decides to move forward with the recommended provider, the client will be responsible for setting up and paying for the hosting account directly with the hosting provider. We will then complete the transfer of their website into that new hosting account.

• We must be provided with all necessary login credentials for the current website services, in order to perform the transfer. These could include, but are not limited to, WordPress admin access, hosting account access, ftp credentials, and domain registration account logins. We will also need information on any relevant 2FA verification methods and contacts for these accounts.
• This audit product does not guarantee that the website being reviewed will be moved onto the recommended destination hosting account. If the website does not meet the hosting account requirements, we will provide the client with the reason why, as well as a recommendation for alternative hosting.
• If the website needs additional development work, in order to meet the requirements for the destination hosting account, we will provide a separate quote for those costs, and request approval before completing the work.
• A reasonable amount of downtime should be expected during the migration process when switching over to a different web host. Propagation for the DNS of the new web host typically resolves within a few hours.
• Once the Website Hosting Audit & Migration is successfully completed, the website maintenance service will begin and the terms and conditions of that service will apply.
• If additional site complexity is discovered during the audit that will increase the time needed to perform the regular ongoing maintenance service, we will provide the client with an explanation and a quote for the additional monthly maintenance costs. We will not proceed with the maintenance service unless the new quote is approved.