Back up your old website: a checklist before you switch

Last updated: 23 October 2026 · By Maurice, freeehouse team · About 3 minutes to read

Why do I need to back up first?

Because website builder sites usually can't be exported as a whole, and access ends after cancellation. According to IONOS, a data export is no longer possible once the cancellation takes effect. According to its help pages, Squarespace exports only parts, and images not in one go. What you don't save beforehand can be gone for good.

The checklist

Content

• Texts from every page, easiest copied into one document per page
• Images in original size, ideally from your own folders rather than from the website
• PDFs such as menus, price lists, flyers
• Videos or their links

Structure

• a list of all page addresses, for example from the sitemap at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
• the menu, in order

Data

• Form entries and contact enquiries
• Customer data, orders and bookings from shop or booking functions
• Newsletter subscribers, with proof of their consent
• Reviews or guestbook entries, if you are allowed to keep showing them

Technical

• all DNS records of the domain, especially MX, SPF, DKIM and verification records
• a list of all email mailboxes and forwards, which IONOS expressly recommends
• access to Google Search Console, Google Business Profile and analytics

Contracts

• Invoices: IONOS expressly advises downloading them before you cancel
• Contract details with term, notice period and included domains

How do I back up images properly?

Ideally from your original folders. Images you download from the website are often shrunk or cropped. One prospect told us about a move within a website builder where photos got cropped. If you no longer have the originals, download the largest version available.

What about privacy?

Customer data and form entries are personal data. Store them securely, not unprotected on your desktop, and delete what you no longer need. If you take over newsletter subscribers, you need proof of their consent.

How long should I keep the old site?

Until the new site has been fully checked and is online. For every move, we leave the old site completely untouched until the customer has seen every new page and approved it in writing.

At freeehouse we take over the texts, images and addresses of your current site ourselves, so you don't have to deliver anything. It is still worth saving your customer data and invoices with your old provider before you cancel there. How the switch works

What is the fastest way to save texts?

Open each page, select the text, copy it into a document and write the page address above it. That sounds tedious, but with 15 to 30 pages it's done in an hour, and it is the safest method because nothing gets lost. On systems with an export, such as WordPress, you can use the export function as well.

What about Google data?

If you have a Search Console, note down your most important pages and search terms from the last few months. After the move you can compare whether the redirects work and visibility holds. Keep your Search Console access: it is tied to the domain, not to the website builder.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• IONOS Hilfe: Gesamten IONOS Vertrag kündigen, accessed 23 October 2026
• Squarespace Help: Exporting your site, accessed 23 October 2026
• STRATO FAQ: DSGVO-Datenexport, accessed 23 October 2026
• Google Search Central: Sitemap erstellen und einreichen, accessed 23 October 2026

Providers' prices and terms change often. What counts is what's in your customer account and your contract. Not legal advice.

Read more