WordPress site takeovers put a reliable team behind a site someone else built.
Is your WordPress developer gone?
Many businesses come to us after the person who built their website moved on: a freelancer who stopped answering, an agency that closed, or an employee who left. The site still runs, but nobody is updating WordPress, the plugins are years out of date, and no one is sure where the hosting, domain and backups are.
We take over WordPress sites like these for businesses and organizations anywhere in the U.S. We find out what the site runs on and who controls each account, back it up, fix what’s urgent and keep it updated from then on, usually without any downtime.
Sites built with page builders, custom themes and older plugins are familiar territory. If something can’t be updated safely, we’ll tell you why and what it would take.
What a takeover includes:
- An inventory of the site’s hosting, domain, DNS, email and admin accounts, so you control every login.
- A full backup before anything changes, and regular backups from then on.
- A technical review of WordPress, the theme, plugins and custom code, with a plain-language report.
- Security fixes and updates in a safe order, tested on a copy of the site first when needed.
- Ongoing care through one of our care plans, with an optional move to our managed WordPress hosting.
How a WordPress takeover works
Every inherited site is different, so we start by looking before we change anything. Most takeovers take one to three weeks, depending on how out of date the site is and how many accounts need to be recovered. You don’t need the previous developer’s help to get started: we work from whatever logins and records you have. After that, your site has one team responsible for keeping it secure, current and working.
Access and review
We collect the logins for hosting, the domain registrar, DNS, WordPress and any paid plugins or themes, and help you recover any that are missing. Then we check the WordPress and PHP versions, the theme, plugins, custom code, security and speed, and list what needs attention first.
Backup, updates and fixes
We back up the files and database, then update WordPress, the theme and plugins in a safe order, replace abandoned plugins, and fix errors and security issues. If the site is on slow or unsupported hosting, we can move it to our managed WordPress hosting.
Ongoing care
From then on, a care plan keeps the site updated, monitored and backed up, with our team available for changes and questions.
Not on WordPress?
We also take over sites built on Shopify, Squarespace, Wix and other platforms. Once you share access to the site, domain and hosting, we help you decide whether to keep it where it is or move it to WordPress. From there, we can look after it with a WordPress care plan or a Shopify care plan.
Working with us from anywhere in the U.S.
Takeovers are done entirely online, so your location doesn’t matter. We’re based in San Francisco and work with clients across the country by video call, email and phone. If your site needs more than updates, we can also help with an accessibility review, search engine optimization or a redesign when you’re ready.