changing existing site to php/FM

[jeh910]

Our website is the face of a working business and we have employees who would be affected by a major loss of traffic, so much care is needed in the transition. I am still making the switchover to php/filemaker from html/Cold Fusion and from one web host to another. I have learned quite a bit on the journey but as usual there are questions.

I have switched over all of the pages to php except those pages with cold fusion forms on them and the index pages. I left the original html pages on the original site though. In watching the stats, I am concerned about the final changeover because the stats show that most of the entries onto the site are still being made through the html pages. I know that redirection will have to take place but how do you get people to change their bookmarks or favorites.

I have also moved the new php pages to the new site and it is still locked down from prying eyes. I have extra domains that I could use on the new site until I make the final move and I can leave the order page links as a full url link to the order form on the old site. I question the wisdom in that but there you are. I wonder if there is a full domain redirect if I did and how it would work.

I want to use a shopping cart but I can't figure out how to add products from the existing individual pages to the cart. As the stats show, the individual product pages bring traffic to the site so changing that working model would be chancy.

Any suggestions or comments on this transition are very welcome.

[Genx]

I am struggling to find the question in that ... paragraph.

[jeh910]

The rambling was written in the early hours so mostly likely the direct question is lacking. Or in review, the question is not one on FM but one about handling website changes in more general terms.

I have been using FM (12 years) longer than I have had a site on the web(10 years). With the php api, the chance to merge FM with the website was too tempting: However, simply making the changes to the site without regard to customer's ability to find us is spooky.

I will retreat and look for a web-related forum. Thanks for your time