Site migration
Keep Testimonials Through a Website Redesign
On most older sites, testimonials are typed straight into page templates: a quote in the footer here, three on the about page there, a slider plugin nobody configured since launch. A redesign rebuilds those templates, and whatever nobody listed simply does not make the move. Inventory them first.
- Find every quote typed into the old templates
- Decide what survives the move
- Keep them out of the new templates for good
The problem, solved
How testimonials get lost in a rebuild, and how StoryProof keeps them
The quotes are baked into the old theme
They were typed into template files and page builder blocks years ago. When the theme goes, so do they, unless someone copies them out by hand.
With StoryProof: Copy each one into a spreadsheet once and upload it, matching columns to name, text, rating, company, title and date. After that the quotes live in StoryProof, not in any theme.
Nobody owns the testimonials
Design thinks content has them, content thinks the developer migrated them, and the developer only moved the pages on the sitemap.
With StoryProof: One library with tags for source page and product gives the redesign a single list to check off, and a single place to look afterwards.
Stale quotes ride along to the new site
A quote praising a plan you retired, or a person who left the client, gets copied over because nobody had time to read it.
With StoryProof: Uploaded rows wait for approval, so outdated quotes can stay unpublished during the move instead of going live on day one.
The new design will be hard-coded again
Without a change of approach, the next redesign repeats the same loss three years from now.
With StoryProof: The new templates hold a two line embed instead of quotes. Load the script once in the footer and it fills every widget on the page.
Old video embeds point at dead players
A video testimonial embedded through a retired plugin or an old host often breaks silently after launch.
With StoryProof: Upload the original video files you hold directly into StoryProof, then pick which approved videos appear in each new widget.
Flip the switch to see how StoryProof handles each one.
Free checklist
Redesign testimonial inventory
Run it on the old site before anything is switched off. Each group must be done before the next one starts.
Ticks are kept in your browser while the page is open. Nothing is sent.
One row of an inventory
Illustrative sample, not a real customer
Old location: the footer on every service page, plus the about page sidebar.
Quote: two sentences praising onboarding, naming a plan the company stopped selling last year.
Decision: ask again. The customer is still active, so they get a link to give an updated version.
New home: the onboarding section of the redesigned services page, through one widget.
- Tags
- onboarding, services, from-old-footer
- Status during migration
- Unapproved until the updated version arrives
In StoryProof
Carry them over with StoryProof
- 1
Paste the kept quotes into a spreadsheet and upload it
One row per quote. Match the columns on upload; only the name is required.
- 2
Upload the video originals separately
Bring in the files themselves rather than links to old players.
- 3
Tag by product and old location
A tag for where each quote lived helps you check nothing went missing after launch.
- 4
Approve the keepers and build widgets
Approve the rows you marked keep, then choose which ones each widget in the new design shows.
- 5
Give the developer embed slots
Each slot is a div with the widget id. The embed script goes in the footer once and fills every slot on the page.
What happens next: After launch, walk the inventory one more time against the live site. Anything marked keep that you cannot find is a widget that was not placed.
Before you start
Before the old site goes dark
What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.
- 01
Do the inventory while you can still see it
Once the old host is cancelled, quotes that lived only in its database are gone. Copy first, decide later.
- 02
Old permission, new design
A quote agreed for a footer may now sit beside a price or in a headline. If the new placement changes how it reads, ask the customer again.
- 03
Uploads use your monthly allowance
Imported testimonials count toward the same monthly allowance as collected ones. A large archive may need splitting across months.
- 04
Search rankings are a separate job
If the old site had a testimonials page that ranked, keep its URL or redirect it. That is a site migration task, not something a widget handles.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
When in a redesign should we deal with testimonials?
At content inventory, before design starts. Designers who know how many quotes exist, and how long they are, can plan proof sections that fit them.
Should we keep every old testimonial?
Keep the ones that are accurate, attributed and agreed. A redesign is the natural moment to retire the rest without anyone feeling a loss.
Our old testimonials have no surnames. Can we still use them?
Yes, as long as that is how the customer agreed to appear. If you want fuller attribution on the new site, ask them for it as part of the move.
Who should own testimonials after the redesign?
One named person, usually in marketing. They approve new ones, retire old ones and decide which widget shows what.
Can the agency building our site handle this?
They can place the embed code. The decisions about which quotes are still true are yours, because only you know which customers and prices have changed.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Move your testimonials before the old site goes
Upload the keepers, approve them, and give the new templates embed slots instead of copy.
Last updated 2026-11-05.