1. Archive everything first
Before touching the builder or the DNS, I downloaded every page, all 24 images, and all 11 activity PDFs. Once the content was safe on disk, the Wix deadline had a lot less leverage.
Website Rescue · Case study
Rusty the Raccoon
A children's book author was paying $400 a year for a site Google thought was called "My Site." Same content, zero platform fee, and a site that loads quickly.
At a glance · before → after
- Platform fee
- $0
- was $400/yr
- Mobile speed
- 76 → 98
- Google score
- Page weight
- 1.7 MB → 193 KB
- mobile home
- Largest paint
- 6.5 s → 1.8 s
- mobile LCP
Before measured 2026-07-17 against the still-live Wix copy at michelletrotta20.wixsite.com/my-site. After measured the same day on rustytheraccoon.com.
Before
After
The problem
Paying rent on a site Google ignored
Michelle Trotta wrote and published Rusty the Raccoon is Scared of the Dark, a picture book for kids who are nervous about the dark. Her site had seven pages: book info, author bio, free activity downloads, resource links, and videos. Nothing fancy. Just what a small publisher needs.
It was on Wix, and the annual bill was $400. The renewal was due August 3, 2026. If she cancelled the plan, the whole site would disappear August 22.
On a phone, the old home page weighed about 1.7 MB and took 6.5 seconds before the main content finished painting. Search had a separate problem. Every page title said "My Site." Not the book name. Not the author. "My Site," on every single page.
Michelle wanted to keep her content: words, downloads, look and feel. She wanted to stop paying platform rent for a site that wasn't worth the bill.
What we did
Rescue the content, then rebuild
2. Rebuild by hand
I rebuilt all seven pages as a lightweight static site with no monthly platform or bloated page builder.
3. Make Google understand the book
Every page got its own title and description. I added a sitemap, plus structured data so search engines know this is a book by a real author with an Amazon link. I registered Google Search Console and submitted the sitemap on launch day.
4. Keep the old links working
Old Wix URLs from bookmarks and search results were redirected. Activity PDFs people had linked to on the old file server still download. Michelle reviewed the preview and signed off before I touched the domain.
Results
The numbers
$400/year → $0 hosting
The Wix site plan was cancelled before the August renewal. Hosting is free. The only recurring cost left is domain registration.
"My Site" → real page titles
The home page now opens with Rusty the Raccoon is Scared of the Dark, the actual book name. Every page has its own title and description. Basic stuff, but the old site never had it.
1.7 MB → 193 KB · 6.5 s → 1.8 s
On a phone, the home page dropped from about 1.7 MB to 193 KB. The main content used to take 6.5 seconds to finish painting; now it takes 1.2 seconds, with a Google speed score of 98, up from 76. Desktop is 100/100, with main content in 0.3 seconds. The server answers in about 30 milliseconds instead of over a second.
Registered with Google
Search Console verified on launch day. Sitemap submitted. The site is ready to be crawled and indexed, which the old Wix site never was.
Michelle reviewed the preview before we flipped the domain. Her verdict: she loves it.
Timeline
The whole project happened in less than a week. Michelle had a preview to approve before anything went live on her domain.
Sound familiar?
Paying monthly for a slow site Google barely knows exists?
Start with a free 15-minute call or a fixed-price Site Checkup. You'll leave knowing what your site needs, whether or not we work together.