Replacing a Canva or existing website while keeping domain and email

You can often replace a website while keeping the same domain name and email provider. The important part is identifying what each existing service does before changing or cancelling anything.

A Canva site or another builder may be the visible website, but the domain registration, DNS and email may live elsewhere. A replacement needs a plan for all of them. No provider can promise that an unplanned change will be disruption-free.

Make a service inventory

Write down the current website address and the providers for:

• Domain registration: who holds the licence, who renews it and which business account controls it.
• DNS: where the records that direct website and email traffic are managed.
• Website hosting: where the current pages are published.
• Business email: where the mailboxes are hosted, including any forwarding addresses.
• Connected tools: booking links, payment services, forms and analytics.

auDA's DNS explanation describes how DNS locates websites and email servers. Its WHOIS guide can help identify a .au registrar and nameservers if you do not know who manages the domain.

Access is a separate question from knowing the provider's name. Recover the required business accounts before setting a launch date. Use provider-supported invitations or delegated access where possible rather than sending passwords in an ordinary message.

Decide what stays in place

Tell the designer whether you want to keep the domain and email unchanged. Moving a website does not inherently require transferring the domain licence or moving mailboxes.

Ask which DNS records need changing and who will make the change. The person responsible should save the existing records and identify the mail records, including MX and relevant TXT records, before editing.

Changing nameservers is broader than changing a website record. If nameservers must move, the new DNS service needs the records for email and other services too. Do not approve a nameserver change as though it affects only the homepage.

Preserve useful pages and links

List the existing pages, downloads and links people still use. Include addresses linked from Google Business Profile, social accounts, printed materials and previous customer emails.

Keep useful page URLs where practical. When a URL must change, agree on its corresponding new page and the appropriate redirect. Sending every old service link to the homepage can leave customers unable to find what they expected.

Google's site migration guidance recommends mapping old URLs to their new destinations and monitoring the move. It also warns that search visibility can fluctuate while Google processes significant changes. Keeping a domain does not guarantee unchanged rankings.

Review the replacement before connecting the domain

Use the preview to check the service information, contact details and customer journey. Try the enquiry form and confirm delivery to the intended inbox. Check bookings, downloads and mobile use.

Make a written launch checklist with the designer: the records to change, who is available, how problems will be detected and what would trigger a return to the previous setup. Agree on a quieter business period if possible.

The old site should remain available until the launch plan says it can be retired. DNS changes can take time to become visible to different users, so a working page on one device is not enough evidence to cancel the old host.

Check website and email after launch

Open the domain and important old links from more than one connection. Send a test email into the business mailbox and reply to it. Submit an agreed test enquiry and confirm that it arrives.

Keep the old service until the responsible person confirms that it no longer provides hosting, DNS, email or another needed function. Check renewal dates rather than letting a cancellation accidentally remove the domain.

business.gov.au's domain guide explains the connection between a domain, website and email address. Keep that service inventory with your business records so a future provider can understand the setup.

If you are planning a Netbound replacement, send the current website address and provider list with your brief. Ask which migration tasks are included in the agreed scope before work starts.