Do students need to know at all?
If the domain stays the same and the move goes well, students may never notice. You still tell them, for three reasons: a short window where logins or checkout might misbehave, a possible rollback that loses a few minutes of progress, and the support load you can prevent by explaining what to do if something looks wrong.
Tell them more if anything changes for them: a new domain, a new login page, a password reset, new payment details or a different app. Those are the moves where silence creates support tickets and refund requests.
Notice timeline
Pick a window away from billing days and launches. If most memberships renew on the 1st, do not move on the 1st. If you run live cohorts, avoid session days.
| When | Channel | Message goal |
|---|---|---|
| 7 to 10 days before | Email to all active students and members | Date, expected impact, what if anything they need to do |
| 1 day before | Email plus site banner | Exact window in their time zone, what to avoid during it |
| During the window | Site banner or limited-mode page | Checkout or login paused, when to come back |
| Right after | Email or banner update | Move complete, how to report problems |
| 48 hours after | Support inbox and FAQ page | Answer and log issues; follow up individually |
| If you roll back | Email to anyone who bought or registered in the window | What happened, what you have restored, what they may need to redo |
Plain-text templates
Template 1, a week ahead. Subject: Scheduled maintenance on [site name] on [date]. Body: We are moving [site name] to new servers on [date] between [start] and [end] [time zone]. Your account, courses and progress will move with it. You do not need to do anything. During that window you may not be able to log in or buy a course. If something looks wrong after [end time], reply to this email or write to [support address].
Template 2, the day before. Subject: Tomorrow: [site name] maintenance, [start] to [end] [time zone]. Body: A reminder that [site name] will be briefly unavailable tomorrow from [start] to [end] [time zone]. Please finish any quiz or purchase before [start]. Lessons you have completed are saved.
Template 3, after. Subject: [site name] is back. Body: The move is complete. Log in as usual at [URL]. If you cannot log in, try a password reset at [reset URL]. If a lesson, download or receipt is missing, reply to this email with your account email and what you expected to see.
Template 4, only if the domain or login changes. Add: Our address is changing from [old] to [new]. Old links will redirect. Please update bookmarks and any saved passwords for the new address.
Keep the notice a service message
The FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide treats messages that notify recipients of changes to the terms or features of an ongoing commercial relationship, or of their account standing, as transactional or relationship messages, which are exempt from most of the Act's provisions but must not use false or misleading routing information. The guide also says these categories are read narrowly. If you add a discount code or a new course launch to the notice, it starts to look like marketing.
Google's sender guidelines require one-click unsubscribe for marketing and subscribed messages from senders above 5,000 messages a day to Gmail. A plain service notice sent through your normal transactional channel avoids that question; a notice sent through your newsletter tool to your whole list does not. Send to active students and members, not to every lead you have ever collected.
The site banner and the window itself
Google's guidance on pausing a site recommends limiting functionality, for example disabling the cart and adding a banner, rather than taking the whole site offline. If you must disable everything briefly, it recommends a 503 status with a Retry-After header for a closure of one to two days at most. For a migration window of a few hours, a banner plus paused checkout is enough.
Write the banner in one sentence: We are moving to new servers today from [start] to [end] [time zone]; purchases and quiz submissions are paused until then.
Support plan for the first 48 hours
- Assign one person to the support inbox for two days after the move, with a target reply time.
- Prepare canned replies for login failure, missing course access, missing receipt and broken download.
- Keep a log of every issue with the student email and time, so you can spot a pattern quickly.
- Check new orders against your payment processor once a day for a week.
- Grant access first and investigate second when a paying student is locked out.
- Update the FAQ page with any issue that appears more than twice.
Questions before you decide
How far in advance should I tell students about a site move?
About a week ahead for the first notice, then again the day before with the exact window. More notice helps if students must do something, such as reset a password or update a bookmark for a new domain.
Can I mention a sale in the migration email?
Better not. The FTC guide treats notices about changes to an ongoing relationship as relationship messages and reads that category narrowly. Mixing in promotion makes it look like marketing, with unsubscribe and other obligations.
Should I take the whole site offline during the move?
Usually not. Google recommends limiting functionality, such as pausing checkout with a banner, rather than disabling the site. If you must close it briefly, it recommends a 503 status with Retry-After for one to two days at most.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide for business Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Gmail Help: email sender guidelines Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Google Search Central: pausing or disabling a website Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.