We’re taking hosting into our own hands. Here’s what that means for you

We’re excited to share a change that’ll make your website more secure, faster, and a whole lot easier to manage. Going forward, Barefoot Build will include our managed hosting with all new web builds,  and we’ll ask existing clients to move to our hosting when their maintenance contracts renew.

This isn’t about locking you in or hiding anything. It’s about giving you a better experience: fewer vendors to juggle, faster fixes, reliable backups, and a single place to go when you need help. Below is a clear, friendly explanation of what’s changing, why we’re doing it, and exactly how the migration will work.

Why we’re taking hosting over (TL;DR version)

Over time we’ve learned that the majority of site problems clients call us about are related to hosting. Slow load times, plugin conflicts after an update, expired SSL certificates, or a host that just won’t restore a backup the way we need it. When we don’t control hosting, fixes often mean: “Can you contact your host?” which wastes your time and ours.

So we decided to fix that problem the simplest way possible: we’ll manage hosting for the sites we build. That means:

• One team (us) responsible for site performance, security, backups, and updates

• Faster troubleshooting because we control the hosting environment

• Cleaner onboarding and fewer moving parts for you

In short: we do the technical heavy lifting, you focus on your business.

What this change actually means for new clients

If you sign with Barefoot Build for a new site from this point forward, here’s what to expect:

• We’ll provision your site on Barefoot Build Hosting as part of the build process.

• You won’t need to set up a hosting account, buy a separate plan, or manage server details.

• Daily backups, security monitoring, SSL certificates, and hosting-level updates are included as part of our maintenance plans.

• We’ll handle domain DNS setup and migration if needed, we’ll just need access to your domain registrar during setup.

We’ll always be transparent about what we’re doing behind the scenes, but you don’t have to become a server admin to have a great site.

What this means for existing clients when contracts renew

If you’re already a Barefoot Build client, we’ll reach out before your next contract renewal with a simple migration plan and timeline. You’ll have options:

• Move to Barefoot Build Hosting (recommended): migration is included as part of your maintenance plan and we’ll schedule it at a time that minimizes disruption.

• Stay with your current host (by exception): we can continue to maintain sites on third-party hosts in limited circumstances, but keep in mind that some troubleshooting and fixes may take longer or require extra fees (on their end, not ours!) when the issue is host-related.

Pro tip: migrating to our hosting usually makes ongoing support faster and simpler and it’s why we’re encouraging the move.

The benefits you’ll actually notice

We want this to be practical and useful. Here are the real, day-to-day benefits you and your team will see:

1. Fewer vendors to manage
   One invoice, one support contact, one familiar process. No more “who should I call” moments.

2. Faster support & fewer blind alleys
   When we control hosting, we don’t have to wait on a third party to reproduce or fix the issue. That speeds up resolution time.

3. Backups you can trust
   Daily off-site backups and tested restore processes mean we can quickly roll back if a plugin or update breaks something.

4. Security & peace of mind
   We apply hosting-level protections and monitor for malware and suspicious activity — and we’ll handle cleanup if something does happen.

5. Better performance, without the guesswork
   We optimize hosting and caching for WordPress sites specifically, which improves load times and user experience without you needing to manage tech settings.

6. Planned migrations and zero surprises
   If you ever want to move your site away from Barefoot Build Hosting, we’ll provide the export and walk you through migration — we’re here to be helpful, not to trap anyone.

How the migration process works (simple, scheduled, tested)

We want this to be painless. Here’s our typical migration workflow:

1. Pre-migration planning
   We pick a migration date with you and put together a checklist of what we need (domain access, any special plugins, etc.).

2. Staging environment
   We build and test your site on a staging server so everything can be confirmed without touching the live site.

3. Migration window
   During the scheduled window we move the site to our hosting, update DNS, and run a full test suite to make sure forms, payments, and logins work.

4. Verification
   We test backups, SSL, email forwarding (if relevant), and any third-party integrations.

5. Go-live & post-migration support
   After go-live we monitor closely and handle any issues that pop up during the first 72 hours.

We’ll always communicate expected downtime (usually minimal) ahead of time.

Pricing & plan alignment (what’s included)

Nothing hidden here — hosting is included in our maintenance packages from here on. If you already know which Barefoot Build Care Plan you want, migration is part of that plan and there’s no separate hosting bill to set up.

If your website is currently hosted elsewhere under a plan set up by Barefoot Build, we’ll continue to maintain your site until that hosting term ends. Once your existing hosting plan expires, we’ll handle your migration to Barefoot Build Hosting as part of your renewal process. This ensures every site we manage runs securely, reliably, and with full support.

Common questions we’re already getting

Q: Will my site still be mine?
A: Absolutely. You retain ownership of your content, domain, and site files. We host and manage the technical environment while you retain ownership.

Q: Will you move my email accounts?
A: We can help coordinate email migration, but often email is best handled at the registrar or a dedicated email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365). We’ll guide the best option for your setup.

Q: How long does migration take?
A: Most small business websites migrate in a single maintenance window (1–3 hours of visible work). Larger stores or sites with special integrations require more time and planning.

Q: Can I opt out?
A: For new builds, hosting with Barefoot Build is part of our standard workflow. Existing clients may opt to stay with their host by exception, we’ll outline the trade-offs and any extra fees tied to third-party host troubleshooting.

Q: Is there any downtime?
A: We schedule migrations carefully to minimize downtime. In most cases, site visitors will see no more than a short DNS propagation delay.

How this helps your marketing & long-term growth

This move isn’t only about tech. It also lets us be better partners in marketing and growth. When we control hosting, we can:

• Spin up landing pages quickly for seasonal promos

• Deploy popups, banners, and sales with confidence and speed

• Test changes (A/B tests, conversion tweaks) and roll back cleanly if needed

• Coordinate updates with email campaigns and social promotions without the host being a bottleneck

That means your website can be more responsive to seasonal needs and revenue opportunities — without you having to learn server-side wizardry.

Final notes and how we’ll communicate this

We’ll be reaching out to each existing client before their contract renewal with a customized plan and migration timeline. If you’re ready to move now, we can schedule your migration sooner, just reply to your next invoice email or reach out at support@barefootbuild.com and we’ll get it on the calendar.

We’re genuinely excited about this. Managing hosting in-house lets us give you faster, more consistent service and frees you up to focus on what matters: running your business.

Thanks for trusting Barefoot Build. We’re here to make your website one less thing you have to worry about.

— Alison, Co-Founder, Barefoot Build