To prepare for a website service shutdown, control your own domain, keep your text and images outside the service, and test whether you can use them elsewhere. A backup needs original image and attachment files and a list of page URLs, alongside the text. You can organize those originals and check account ownership before choosing a replacement.
Check the deadlines before choosing a replacement
A content management system, or CMS, manages articles and other site content. When a CMS or website builder closes, the deadlines for editing, viewing, and exporting may differ.
Ameba Ownd's official notice sets closure for December 24, 2026, at 11:00, with no recovery afterward. From November 2 at 13:00, only viewing remains and premium billing stops. Export is planned to open during November, and details are due to be announced that month. Refunds require no application and will be processed in December. BASE shop users should also check the publishing settings in that notice.
The headless CMS Newt has also announced its closure. Its official FAQ gives November 24, 2026, at 13:59 as the cutoff, after which the dashboard and APIs become unavailable. An API is the connection through which a website receives articles and other data from a CMS.
These are different kinds of service. What they share is the need to secure data you can use after closure. For individual actions, see the Ameba Ownd shutdown checklist and the Newt shutdown checklist.
1. Keep control of your domain registration
A custom domain is a website address you register yourself. Check who holds the registration, how to sign in to the registrar, when renewal is due, and how it is paid. If an agency manages it, record who owns the account and how settings can be changed when the person responsible leaves.
DNS is the set of instructions that directs that address to a server, the place where your site is hosted. With control of your domain, you can point it to a replacement that supports it. This does not transfer your content or images, and domain renewal remains a separate expense.
Ameba Ownd's domain guidance requires DNS changes at the registrar before closure. It advises preparing the replacement first and preserving email settings for the same domain. Changes may take around 24 hours to take effect, so avoid leaving them until the deadline.
Keeping the domain does not preserve links automatically if individual page addresses change. Make a table of old and new URLs and arrange any necessary redirects at the replacement. An address under a service's own domain is different from a domain you register; do not assume you can redirect it freely after the service closes.
2. Back up text, files, and settings separately
Export means writing managed data to a file. Import means loading that file into another system. Check the ability to export separately from the ability to recreate the site's appearance and functions.
What to save | What it should contain | How to check |
|---|---|---|
Text and article information | Headings, body, publication dates, categories, drafts | Open files and compare counts with the article list |
Images and attachments | Actual photos, logos, PDFs, and other files | Open the saved files |
URL mapping | Old URLs, article IDs, new URLs | Test important links on the replacement |
Content fields and layout | Required fields, menus, examples of the design | Keep settings notes and screenshots |
External functions | Form, booking, and shop accounts and settings | Assign an owner and a test on the replacement |
An image URL records a location, not the image itself. Even if the link survives in your article, the image may disappear when its host stops serving it. Keep original photos and logos separately from the moment you upload them, and record which articles use them.
Include unfinished drafts and unpublished changes. Screenshots and PDFs help document appearance, but they do not replace editable text or original image files. Store exports containing inquiries or unpublished material somewhere only the responsible people can access.
Newt's export guide separates content obtained through an API, asset files downloaded as ZIP archives, and form submissions downloaded as CSV. ZIP bundles and compresses files; CSV is a table format; JSON preserves structured fields. One successful download does not establish that every category of data is covered.
3. Export regularly and test a small restore
Choose a schedule based on how much work you could afford to recreate. As an example operating routine, a site updated weekly could save its text and new images after each update, then check counts and storage monthly. Export before major changes or bulk updates too. This is an example for a team to adapt, rather than a provider's prescribed schedule.
Keep dated copies outside the original CMS. Continually overwriting one file can remove accidentally deleted articles from the backup as well. Keep a copy accessible to the site owner, rather than storing everything only on an agency's computer.
Do not stop checking when a download finishes. Pick a few articles containing text, images, and categories and display them in a separate test environment. Check for image links still pointing at the old service and for drafts accidentally made public. If someone else can follow the saved instructions and reproduce the result, the same process supports a future handover.
4. Test the exit before choosing your next CMS
Check what you can retrieve as carefully as you evaluate the editor. Read official documentation for each candidate and ask about anything unclear before signing up.
Can you retrieve text, drafts, actual image files, categories, and field definitions?
What plan, permissions, fees, file sizes, and record limits apply to export?
Can common software open the files? Will another CMS require conversion?
How long can you export after cancellation or a closure announcement?
Which layouts, forms, and search functions must be rebuilt?
genko.me is one candidate. Its official documentation describes CSV and JSON content export and import, plus JSON export of field definitions. Exports support up to 10MB; imports accept up to 10MB per file and 1,000 entries per operation. Export does not include image or attachment binaries or edit history. Import also does not restore the original publication state, creation timestamps, or publishing schedules unchanged.
There is also an import path for Newt JSON and image ZIP archives, but it does not migrate non-image files such as PDFs or references between content. See the Newt migration guide. Any CMS can close, including genko.me. Migration features do not remove the need to keep originals and test recovery.
5. Separate content from presentation when you can maintain it
A headless CMS separates managing text and images from the website that displays them. A separately built site receives articles through an API. It can be designed to retain the display while changing the content provider, but field conversion, image migration, and testing may still be necessary.
Approach | When it can fit | Cost and ownership to consider |
|---|---|---|
Website builder | A small team wants templates and direct control of publishing | Check subscription costs and export options; make exports part of routine work |
Headless CMS | Custom presentation or several sites have an assigned development and maintenance owner | Budget for website development, hosting, and maintenance alongside the CMS |
Subscribing to a headless CMS does not deliver a finished website. For a small shop information site or a handful of pages without a developer, a simple builder with verified export options can be easier to operate.
When commissioning a site, discuss whether delivery includes source code, original images, domain and hosting account control, content exports, and the work and fees involved in a future move. Establish who maintains the connection between the content and the website, alongside the cost of changing CMS providers.
FAQ
What should I do first after a shutdown announcement?
Read the official notice and distinguish the viewing, editing, and export deadlines. Secure your text and original images, URL list, and domain account details, then assign the migration work and schedule.
Does owning a domain mean I do not need to migrate?
A domain preserves control of the address. Text, images, pages, and forms need separate migration. Even under the same domain, changed article URLs need redirect checks.
Is a CSV or JSON file a complete backup?
That depends on whether it includes image binaries, field definitions, and drafts. Save original images and settings too, and test whether you can display the articles elsewhere.
Will a headless CMS protect me from another shutdown?
It offers a way to separate content management from presentation, without guaranteeing continuity. You still need data exports, independent image hosting where appropriate, and someone responsible for website changes and maintenance.