Hi all!

I'm wondering if anyone has completely redone their website?
I created my website through Microsoft Office Live. (It was only $14.95 a year), but its very plain Jane and there aren't many options to jaz it up.
I've been looking at WordPress and really like what I see so far.

I guess my question is, is it possible to switch? And any idea how one goes about doing that?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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LaVon S., Owner
Midwest Virtual Assistance

It's always possible to switch to a new platform but it's going to be a question of how quickly you can do it.

Can you post a link to your site, I could have a look?

If it's straight content without too many add-in scripts then it should be fairly easy to switch as you can copy and paste the html code right into the new WordPress install (good choice - by the way!).

I've moved clients sites from one platform to WordPress and I do this:

- Save all pages as .html (if they are in html)
- Save all site images
- Take Screenshots of every page
- Set up site and move all content and images in

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WordPress Website Design Course for Virtual Assistants and Small Businesses

Yes it is possible and many people are doing it. The key to the whole process is your domain name. You can transfer or repoint your domain name to your new hosting company (if you on the name). Planning is key and it may be a good time to reevaluate your content and add or adjust what you feel is missing.

WordPress is a great choice and you will notice that it will have more capabilities for you to add items that you cannot add on a "website design" suite.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

I used to have a Microsoft Live website and I was not able to convert it to WordPress. This was two years ago so I am not sure if anything has changed.

When I decided to host my site on Hostgator (affiliate) using WordPress, I asked my host to transfer my site from Live to self-hosting. This service cost $5 and it only required filling out a form on Hostgator.

Tech support told me it was not possible because Live was Microsoft's proprietary software and could not be transferred. I also Googled wondering if I could convert Live to WP but that was not possible either.

Again, I do not know if anything has changed at Live. I did not pay for Live hosting and only used the free program.

What I ended up doing was creating a WP site on Hostgator and redoing the site. It needed updating anyway.

I would suggest that you use the Live forum to ask questions about transferring the website. I thought the forum was rather robust and easily searchable when I had questions.

If you plan to use a host, such as Hostgator, I would ask them as well whether a Live website can be transferred by them. I find Hostgator support to be very good.

Janine

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Thanks for the information!
Angela, my web address is www.midwestvirtualassistant.net, I'm not joking when i say its plain, but its what i was able to commit to right away. I just wanted to get my web presence started. I also haven't added anything or updated it in awhile. Im starting to feel a little embarrassed by it! Lol.

Jeanine, thanks for the info regarding Windows Live. I would be ok with just starting over, as I'm just not happy with the way my site looks and the limited options I have on there to really personalize it. I guess I'm just worried about switching it and keeping my web address the same. I will have to Google it more, and I will try the.Live forums. Thanks for that suggestion.

Lee,
Redirecting my site would be a good idea. I'll have to look inyo the hosting issue more.

Thanks again for all the feedback! Hopefully I can get it figured out

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LaVon S., Owner
Midwest Virtual Assistance

Just had a look at your website and you could definitely move it to WordPress fairly easily as long as you don't mind a new look for the site.

I think you could just copy/paste the content as plain text and then format it in WordPress. You could also pick a WordPress theme that suits your business and it will give your site a more modern, updated look.

It would take some work, won't just be a matter of flipping a switch, but it would definitely be worth it for the flexibility you get with WordPress and also once you learn WP you can add it as a service for your clients!

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WordPress Website Design Course for Virtual Assistants and Small Businesses

Oh and I wanted to add if there is anyway I can offer more help or suggestions feel free to PM me too, I help people with their WordPress sites for a living.

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WordPress Website Design Course for Virtual Assistants and Small Businesses