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Editorial Staff
How to download and migrate a weebly site to rad web hosting
Learn how to download and migrate a weebly site to rad web hosting!

This article provides a guide demonstrating how to download and migrate a Weebly site to Rad Web Hosting.

Recently, Weebly announced it was ending support for business in over 60 countries, leaving many users searching for how to proceed.

Migrating a Weebly website to Rad Web Hosting is possible, but there is one important limitation: Weebly does not export every part of every site as a fully portable website. Weebly’s export/archive feature can generate a ZIP file of your site, but blog pages and store pages are not included because they depend on Weebly’s database. Some Weebly-specific features, such as contact forms and slideshows, may also stop working after export and need to be rebuilt on the new hosting account. This is one reason why we recommend against using proprietary website builders like Weebly.

This guide explains how to download your Weebly site, upload it to Rad Web Hosting, test it, and point your domain to the new server.

Table of Contents

Before You Begin

You will need:

  • Access to your Weebly account
  • Shared Hosting from Rad Web Hosting
  • Access to your Rad Web Hosting cPanel account
  • Access to your domain DNS settings
  • Your Rad Web Hosting server IP address
  • Your cPanel username and password
  • A ZIP file tool on your computer
  • Optional: an FTP client such as FileZilla

You should also decide whether you want to:

  1. Host the exported Weebly site as a static HTML website, or
  2. Rebuild the site in WordPress on Rad Web Hosting

For simple brochure-style sites, the static HTML method may work well. For blogs, stores, forms, galleries, or sites you plan to update often, rebuilding in WordPress is usually the better long-term option.

How to Download and Migrate a Weebly Site to Rad Web Hosting

To download and migrate a Weebly site to Rad Web Hosting, follow the steps below:

  1. Download Your Weebly Site

    1. Log in to Weebly

      Go to your Weebly account and open the website you want to migrate.

      Enter the Weebly Site Editor for that site.

    2. Open the Site Settings

      Inside the Weebly editor, look for Settings.

      Then go to the General section.

    3. Find the Archive or Export Option

      Scroll down until you find the site archive/export option.

      Depending on your Weebly/Square dashboard version, this may be labeled something like:

      • Archive
      • Export Site
      • Site Archive
      • Email Archive

      Weebly’s support documentation says the archive is delivered by email as a ZIP file.

    4. Email the Site Archive to Yourself

      Enter your email address and request the archive.

      Weebly should send you an email containing a download link for the ZIP archive.

      Download the ZIP file to your computer.

    5. Extract and Review the ZIP File

      After downloading the ZIP file, extract it on your computer.

      You should see files and folders similar to:

      index.html
about.html
contact.html
files/
uploads/
css/
js/
images/

      The exact file structure may vary.

      Open the index.html file in your browser to preview the exported site.

  2. Understand What May Not Migrate Cleanly

    Before uploading the site to Rad Web Hosting, review the export carefully.

    The following Weebly features may not work after migration:

    • Blog posts
    • Store/product pages
    • Shopping cart functionality
    • Checkout pages
    • Weebly contact forms
    • Newsletter forms
    • Membership/login areas
    • Search features
    • Some slideshows or interactive widgets
    • Apps installed from the Weebly App Center

    Weebly specifically notes that blog and store pages are not included in the archive export, and that some components may not work outside the Weebly editor.

    For these items, you will usually need to rebuild the functionality inside Rad Web Hosting using WordPress, WooCommerce, a form plugin, or custom HTML/PHP.

  3. Prepare Your Rad Web Hosting Account

    1. Log in to Rad Web Hosting cPanel

      Log in to your Rad Web Hosting client area and open your hosting service.

      Then access cPanel.

    2. Locate the Website Document Root

      For your main domain, the website files usually go inside:

      public_html

      For an addon domain or subdomain, the document root may be something like:

      public_html/example.com

      or:

      example.com

      You can confirm this in cPanel under:

      Domains

      or:

      Addon Domains

    3. Back Up Existing Files

      If there is already a website in the destination folder, make a backup before replacing anything.

      In cPanel File Manager:

      1. Open the website’s document root.
      2. Select the existing files.
      3. Compress them into a ZIP file.
      4. Download the backup to your computer.

      This protects the existing website in case you need to roll back.

  4. Upload the Weebly Site to Rad Web Hosting

    There are two common ways to upload the site: cPanel File Manager or FTP.

    The cPanel File Manager method is usually easiest.

    1. Option A: Upload Using cPanel File Manager

      1. Open File Manager

        In cPanel, click:

        File Manager

        Then open:

        public_html

        or the correct document root for your domain.

      2. Upload the Weebly ZIP File

        Click Upload.

        Upload the ZIP file you downloaded from Weebly.

      3. Extract the ZIP File

        After the upload finishes:

        1. Return to File Manager.
        2. Select the ZIP file.
        3. Click Extract.
        4. Extract the contents into the website document root.

        Make sure the site files are directly inside the document root.

        For example, this is correct:

        public_html/index.html
public_html/about.html
public_html/contact.html
public_html/files/

        This is usually incorrect:

        public_html/weebly-export/index.html
public_html/weebly-export/about.html

        If the files were extracted into an extra folder, move the contents of that folder into public_html.

      4. Confirm the Homepage File Exists

        Your homepage should usually be named:

        index.html

        Make sure index.html is located directly inside the document root.

    2. Option B: Upload Using FTP

      You can also upload the extracted Weebly files using FTP.

      Use the FTP credentials from your Rad Web Hosting account or create a new FTP account in cPanel.

      Typical FTP settings:

      Host: yourdomain.com
Username: your cPanel or FTP username
Password: your cPanel or FTP password
Port: 21
Protocol: FTP

      Upload the extracted Weebly files into:

      public_html

      or the appropriate document root.

  5. Test the Site Before Updating DNS

    Before pointing the domain to Rad Web Hosting, test the migrated site.

    1. Option 1: Use a Temporary URL

      Depending on your hosting configuration, you may have a temporary URL available.

      If available, use it to preview the website.

    2. Option 2: Use Your Computer’s Hosts File

      You can preview the site before changing public DNS by editing your local computer’s hosts file.

      Add an entry like this:

      123.123.123.123 yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com

      Replace 123.123.123.123 with your Rad Web Hosting server IP address.

      Then visit:

      https://yourdomain.com

      or:

      http://yourdomain.com

      This lets only your computer see the site on the new server before the rest of the internet does.

  6. Fix Common Issues After Upload

    1. Issue 1: The Site Shows a Directory Listing

      This usually means there is no homepage file in the document root.

      Check that this file exists:

      index.html

      It should be directly inside public_html or the correct domain folder.

    2. Issue 2: The Site Loads Without Images

      This usually means the image paths are broken.

      Check that all folders from the Weebly ZIP file were uploaded, especially folders like:

      files
uploads
images
css
js

      Also make sure filenames and folder names were not changed during upload.

    3. Issue 3: Contact Forms Do Not Work

      Weebly contact forms usually do not work after exporting the site because they depend on Weebly’s platform.

      Recommended solutions:

      • Rebuild the site in WordPress and use a WordPress form plugin
      • Replace the form with a Rad Web Hosting-hosted PHP form
      • Use a third-party embedded form service
      • Replace the form with a mailto link temporarily

      Example temporary contact link:

      <a href="mailto:you@yourdomain.com">Email Us</a>

    4. Issue 4: Blog Posts Are Missing

      Weebly blog content is not included in the standard site archive export.

      Recommended options:

      • Manually copy blog posts into WordPress
      • Rebuild the blog using WordPress
      • Use archived pages or browser-saved copies where available
      • Hire Rad Web Hosting or a developer to assist with manual content migration

    5. Issue 5: Store Pages Are Missing

      Weebly store pages are also not included in the export archive because they depend on Weebly’s database.

      Recommended options:

  7. Point Your Domain to Rad Web Hosting

    Once the site looks correct on Rad Web Hosting, update your domain DNS.

    You have two main options:

    1. Change your domain’s nameservers to Rad Web Hosting nameservers.
    2. Keep DNS where it is and update the A record.

    Square/Weebly notes that if you are moving to another host but keeping DNS managed through Weebly/Square, you can point the domain using A records or CNAME records instead of changing nameservers. They also note that DNS changes can take 24–48 hours to fully propagate.

    1. Option A: Change Nameservers to Rad Web Hosting

      This is usually the cleanest option if you want Rad Web Hosting to manage your DNS.

      At your domain registrar, replace the existing nameservers with the nameservers provided by Rad Web Hosting.

      They may look similar to:

      ns1.serverprovider.net
ns2.serverprovider.net
ns3.serverprovider.net
ns4.serverprovider.net

      Use the exact nameservers provided in your Rad Web Hosting welcome email or client area.

      After changing nameservers, DNS propagation may take several hours and can take up to 24–48 hours.

    2. Option B: Update Only the A Record

      Use this option if you want to keep DNS hosted at Weebly, Square, or another DNS provider.

      Update the domain’s main A record:

      Type: A
Name: @
Value: Your Rad Web Hosting server IP

      Then update the www record.

      Common setup:

      Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: yourdomain.com

      or:

      Type: A
Name: www
Value: Your Rad Web Hosting server IP

      Use the DNS configuration recommended by Rad Web Hosting for your account.

  8. Install SSL on Rad Web Hosting

    After DNS points to Rad Web Hosting, install SSL.

    In cPanel:

    1. Go to SSL/TLS Status.
    2. Select your domain.
    3. Run AutoSSL.

    Once SSL is issued, your site should load securely at:

    https://yourdomain.com

  9. Force HTTPS

    After SSL is active, force HTTPS.

    In cPanel, open:

    Domains

    Then enable:

    Force HTTPS Redirect

    for the domain.

    Alternatively, you can add a redirect to .htaccess:

    RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

  10. Check the Migrated Website

    After DNS and SSL are working, review the full website.

    Check:

    • Homepage
    • Navigation menu
    • Internal links
    • Images
    • Buttons
    • Contact page
    • Forms
    • Mobile layout
    • Footer links
    • Social media links
    • Download links
    • Embedded videos
    • Analytics scripts
    • SEO titles and descriptions
    • 404 errors

    You should also test the site from a phone using mobile data, not just Wi-Fi, to confirm DNS has updated outside your local network.

  11. Optional — Rebuild the Site in WordPress

    For many Weebly migrations, the best final result is to rebuild the site in WordPress on Rad Web Hosting.

    This is especially recommended if your Weebly site has:

    • Blog posts
    • Forms
    • Products
    • Store pages
    • Membership features
    • Frequent content updates
    • SEO needs
    • Landing pages
    • Custom marketing pages

    Basic WordPress Migration Workflow

    1. Install WordPress in cPanel using WordPress Toolkit or Softaculous.
    2. Choose a lightweight theme.
    3. Recreate the main pages.
    4. Copy text and images from the Weebly site.
    5. Rebuild forms with a WordPress form plugin.
    6. Rebuild blog posts manually or with available exports.
    7. Rebuild store products in WooCommerce if needed.
    8. Set up redirects from old URLs to new URLs.
    9. Test the site.
    10. Launch by updating DNS.

  12. Add Redirects for Changed URLs

    If your Weebly URLs are different from your new Rad Web Hosting URLs, create redirects.

    Example .htaccess redirect:

    Redirect 301 /old-page.html https://yourdomain.com/new-page/

    This helps preserve SEO value and prevents visitors from landing on broken pages.

  13. Keep the Old Weebly Site Temporarily

    Do not cancel your Weebly account immediately.

    Keep it active until:

    • The Rad Web Hosting version is fully tested
    • DNS has fully propagated
    • SSL is working
    • Forms have been replaced
    • Blog/store content has been handled
    • Search engines have had time to crawl the new site
    • You are confident nothing important is missing

    A safe overlap period is usually at least a few days, longer for larger or business-critical sites.

Quick Migration Checklist

Use this checklist to track the migration:

[ ] Log in to Weebly
[ ] Export/download site archive ZIP
[ ] Extract ZIP locally
[ ] Review exported files
[ ] Identify missing blog/store/form content
[ ] Log in to Rad Web Hosting cPanel
[ ] Open File Manager
[ ] Go to public_html or correct document root
[ ] Back up existing files
[ ] Upload Weebly ZIP
[ ] Extract ZIP
[ ] Confirm index.html is in the document root
[ ] Test site before DNS change
[ ] Fix missing images or broken links
[ ] Replace Weebly forms
[ ] Rebuild blog/store content if needed
[ ] Update domain DNS
[ ] Run AutoSSL
[ ] Enable Force HTTPS Redirect
[ ] Test desktop and mobile versions
[ ] Add redirects for changed URLs
[ ] Keep Weebly active temporarily
[ ] Cancel Weebly only after confirming migration success

Recommended Migration Path

For a small brochure-style Weebly site, the fastest path is:

Export Weebly ZIP → Upload to Rad Web Hosting → Extract into public_html → Point DNS → Enable SSL

For a business website, blog, or online store, the better long-term path is:

Export Weebly ZIP → Use it as a content reference → Rebuild in WordPress on Rad Web Hosting → Redirect old URLs → Launch

The second option takes more time, but it gives you a cleaner, easier-to-manage website that is no longer dependent on Weebly’s editor or platform limitations.

Conclusion

You now know how to download and migrate a Weebly site to Rad Web Hosting.

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Rad Web Hosting is a leading provider of web hosting, Cloud VPS, and Dedicated Servers in Dallas, TX.
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