In this article, I'll talk about how designers and teams can properly transfer projects to Webflow. We'll analyze the steps and possibilities, as well as the limitations and restrictions that should be taken into account before the project starts.

We'll also look at the process of creating copies and duplicates of websites, why it's important to do so, and what benefits the designer and team get from it. Let's go!

How to create a duplicate website?

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You may need a duplicate site for many reasons. I will tell you about it later. However, for now, you need to get a step-by-step guide on how to do it technically in Webflow.

Method #1

1. Open your website settings
2. Click the "Duplicate site" icon in the top bar
3. Confirm and click Duplicate project in the modal window

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Method #2

1. Go to your Dashboard / <Dashboard
2. Click on 3 points under the thumbnail of your site
3. Select Duplicate from the dropdown menu
4. Confirm and click Duplicate project in the modal window that opens

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What should you know when creating a duplicate site?

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Your site, styles, pages, media library, and CMS collections will be copied to the new site. You can edit the subdomain and name of the new site after it is created. Any custom code, custom fonts, as well as favicon and webclip will also be copied to the new duplicate site.
All other site configurations and settings, such as information about form notifications, form submissions, site team members, guest editors, billing, and Google Analytics code, will be reset to their default values.
If you want to create a duplicate site that uses a premium template, you will need to purchase this template again.

How to prepare a website for migration?

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You can transfer any website (not hosted or in Made in Webflow) between Workspace accounts from your Dashboard (for example, let's say you own several Workspaces). You can also transfer sites to other users who own Workspace accounts that you are not a member of.

Let's take a closer look at what happens when you transfer a site to Webflow.

What happens when you transfer a website

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When transferring a Webflow site, the entire layout from the Designer is transferred to the new Workspace, including styles, pages, content (including CMS collections), and custom code.

When migrating the original site, the following content and settings are also migrated:

1. Media library <Assets>.
2. Versions <Versions>.
3. Custom fonts <Custom fonts
4. Form submissions
5. Redirects <Redirects
6. Other site settings
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For security and privacy reasons, account and customer configurations are reset to their default values and therefore not transferred with your site. This applies to:

1. Individual domain and hosting subscriptions
2. Site users (those who have access to the project)
3. Guest editors
4. Information contained in the completed forms
5. reCAPTCHA keys (they are reset during migration, but reCAPTCHA remains enabled)
6. Adobe fonts (if they are integrated into your account)
7. Billing and any other account or email-related information

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Where to initiate a website transfer?

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To start the process of transferring a website to another account, do the following:

1. Open your site settings
2. Click on the "Transfer" icon

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How do I transfer a site to another user?

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If you need to transfer a site to someone who is not a member of the Workspace team you belong to, you can choose to transfer the site to a specific user:

1. Initiate transfer
2. Select the "User" option in the transfer modal window
3. Enter the email address of the Webflow user account (make sure it is correct)
4. Click "Transfer site" / <Transfer to email@>.

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IMPORTANT! After confirming the transfer, you will notice that a specific site will be blocked in your Dashboard.

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Meanwhile, the user to whom you are sending your project will receive a notification in their account. Only after the user confirms the request, the site transfer will be completed.

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Within 7 days of receiving the transfer notification, the recipient will have to accept the transfer by selecting Workspace as the final destination. If the recipient does not accept the transfer within 7 days, the site will be unlocked in your Workspace.

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IMPORTANT! If you initiated the transfer by mistake or noticed a bug, you can cancel the transfer and finalize the project. To do this, click on the 3 dots below your website thumbnail and select "Cancel website transfer".

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Migrate a website to a client Workspace

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Let's say you have several separate Webflow accounts (for example, you sign in to your personal and client Webflow accounts with different email addresses), and you belong to different Workspaces in each account. If you want to transfer a site between your Workspaces, first transfer the site to your client account (as a user) using the recipient's email address. Log in to your client account and transfer the site to the appropriate Workspace.

Transferring a website to a client Workspace to which you do not belong

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If you want to transfer a site to a client Workspace that you are not involved in, transfer the site to a client account (user) that is a member of this other Workspace. After confirmation, the client will be able to transfer the site to the required Workspace on their own.

How can I transfer a website with an active hosting plan?

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At the moment, you cannot directly transfer a website with an active hosting plan. To do this, you need to either transfer a duplicate site or switch to the <Starter> plan first.

That is why you should not rush to purchase a tariff plan. First, agree with the customer on the entire process of website development and transfer. Prepare the necessary infrastructure long before you start developing the design. Otherwise, it may happen that during the transfer, the client will be forced to re-purchase a website plan for his project. Agree that this is worth avoiding.

Recommendations for transferring a website with an active hosting plan. Transferring a duplicate site

1. Create a duplicate of the site you want to migrate
2. Transfer the duplicate site to the client account
3. Remove the subscription from the original site
4. Help the customer to add a site plan to the duplicate site, if necessary
5. Help the client, if necessary, connect the domain and publish the site

IMPORTANT! When you duplicate a website, you reset some of the site's configurations and settings to their default values. This means that some settings, such as form submission and previous versions, will not be included with the duplicated and migrated site.

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Recommendations for transferring a website with an active hosting plan. Transferring the original  

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If you want to keep information such as completed forms and previous versions along with the migration, you need to migrate the original site. To keep a copy of your site before migrating the original, you can create a duplicate in your own Workspace. This will give you the opportunity to make changes to the project even after the customer has already got the active site. It is also possible that the client may have problems and need your help. In this case, you will be able to start working immediately, and any changes you make will not affect the active project.

Remember that transferring a site to a user who is not a member of your Workspace is an irreversible process, unless you cancel the transfer before the recipient accepts it or the new owner reassigns the site to you.

So, here is a step-by-step guide to transferring an original website with an active hosting plan:

1. (Recommended, but optional) Create a duplicate of the site you want to transfer and save it in your workspace
2. Remove the subscription from the original site
3. Transfer the original site to the client
4. Help the client to add a site plan to the migrated original site, if necessary
5. Help the client to connect the domain and publish the site, if necessary

Transfer of Ecommerce projects

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You can migrate an online store just like any other website. Here are some important details to keep in mind:

1. The order history is migrated along with the store, including completed, outstanding, refunded, and disputed orders
2. Payment systems (for example, Stripe) remain connected
3. Pricing plans cannot be migrated with the site, so the new store owner will need to add a new pricing plan and re-enable <checkout> to process payments
4. New store owners will be able to fulfill pre-orders, but if they update any payment accounts, they will not be able to refund pre-orders

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Conclusion

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I hope you found this article useful and now you have a better understanding of how to approach project planning before you start development. Understanding the small details and nuances, combined with the right approach, can save your client money. In addition, clear planning and attention to detail will demonstrate your professionalism to the client at the very beginning of the cooperation.

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