Website rescue and recovery
Pause the damage. Recover what matters.
If the website was hacked, lost, locked, broken during a move or abandoned by its supplier, I trace what still exists and build the safest route back to a working website you control.
Direct help from Ernest. Normal contact hours: 8:00 to 19:00 UK time.
Random fixes can overwrite the cleanest evidence.
Start with what happened
The first safe move depends on the failure.
Choose the closest situation. You will see what to preserve now and what I need to begin. A real inspection still decides the recovery route.
Before another change
Protect the last recoverable version.
The most useful first action is often to stop. A damaged copy can still contain the newest orders, pages, images, configuration or evidence of how access was lost.
Do this
- Keep hosting, domains and platform subscriptions active
- Save files, database, logs and screenshots where possible
- Record what happened, when and after which change
- Use a clean device for important password changes
Avoid this
- Do not repeatedly reinstall, restore or overwrite the site
- Do not cancel the old service before the data is extracted
- Do not move the domain while email and DNS are unknown
- Do not assume visible spam is the whole compromise
Access is a chain
Tick what the business still controls.
No WordPress password does not always mean no recovery route. Domain ownership, business email, invoices or hosting billing can be enough to start tracing the accounts.
Start with ownership evidence. A route may still exist.
What may still be recoverable
A website is more than its homepage.
Even when the public site is unavailable, useful parts may survive in the database, uploads, source files, search caches, account exports or connected systems. I inventory them before deciding what must be rebuilt.
For a compromised website
Cleaning the surface does not close the door.
I work down through the visible changes, altered files and data, persistent access and likely entry point. The recovered site is checked again before normal traffic and customer actions resume.
If the evidence suggests customer, order or payment information may be involved, technical recovery may need to run alongside advice from the relevant provider or professional adviser.
Not only WordPress
Recover the useful business, not necessarily the old platform.
I can repair WordPress, static HTML and bespoke PHP websites. When a closed platform or unusable codebase is the real problem, I can extract what is available and rebuild the customer route on a maintainable stack.
Keep the existing website when its code, hosting and ownership can be made dependable.
Move files, data, URLs and connected services from one host or system to another.
Recreate the essential pages and functions when the old platform cannot provide a clean export.
The rescue route
Preserve first. Return control last.
The exact route changes with the incident, but the order protects evidence, customer data and the last useful version.
Limit further damage
Pause unsafe activity without erasing the evidence.
Copy what exists
Keep files, database, access details, logs and DNS state.
Find cause and scope
Separate the visible failure from the route behind it.
Restore useful service
Repair, restore, migrate or rebuild the affected route.
Test the real journey
Check pages, forms, orders, email and connected services.
Return clear ownership
Document access, backups, changes and the next safeguards.
A defined rescue, not a blank cheque
Know the recovery route before the work expands.
I confirm a practical scope after seeing the website, access and failure. The typical range covers a contained rescue or platform move where the recoverable source can be identified.
A full replacement, specialist third-party service, paid hosting or unusually large data recovery is explained and priced separately before it is added.
Typical rescue
£400 - £900one-offWebsite rescue or platform move
- Initial evidence and access review
- Preservation of the available source
- Cause and recovery route
- Focused repair, restore or migration
- Customer-route verification
- Access and change handover
Honest recovery expectations
I will protect the evidence, not invent certainty.
Nobody can promise that every deleted file, compromised record or lost account is recoverable before inspecting it. I explain what is known, what is inferred and which step carries risk.
- No destructive change before a recoverable copy where possible
- No claim that a visible cleanup proves the site is safe
- No domain or hosting move without mapping email and DNS
- No guarantee that missing data exists in a backup
- You receive the access, changes and recovery notes
Before the recovery starts
Website rescue questions.
Is this an emergency website repair service?
It is for situations where the website, access, ownership or recoverable data is at risk. Send the website, what happened and which accounts you still control. I will assess the safest first step. Contact outside normal hours does not guarantee an immediate response.
Can you recover a hacked WordPress website?
Often, yes, but the route depends on the available files, database, backups and access. I check visible changes, altered code and data, users, scheduled tasks and likely entry points. Removing the visible spam alone is not treated as a complete recovery.
Can you rescue HTML or bespoke PHP websites?
Yes. I work with WordPress, static HTML and bespoke PHP websites. I can inspect source files, databases, hosting configuration, DNS and connected services, then repair in place or move the useful website to a maintainable setup.
What if I have no WordPress or website login?
A WordPress login is only one route. Domain ownership, hosting billing, business email, invoices, account-recovery addresses or access to a connected supplier may provide a legitimate way forward. Gather what you have and do not cancel the existing services.
What if the old developer or agency stopped responding?
I map what the business owns and what the previous supplier controlled. The domain, hosting, email, website files, database and third-party services may sit in different accounts. I help recover or replace each dependency without assuming one login controls everything.
Can you move me away from Wix, Squarespace or another platform?
Yes. I first inventory the pages, media, forms, products, URLs, tracking, domain and available exports. Some platforms provide more portable data than others. The old subscription remains active until the replacement and domain route are ready.
Can you recover deleted pages, orders or customer data?
Sometimes, but not before the sources are inspected. The newest useful copy may exist in a backup, database, old hosting account, export or connected service. I do not promise that missing information exists, and I avoid overwriting the evidence that could answer the question.
How long does a website rescue take?
It depends on access, the cause and what must be recovered. Regaining an account, cleaning a compromise and rebuilding a locked platform are different jobs. I confirm the first practical route and scope after reviewing the evidence rather than giving a false deadline before seeing it.
Will the website need to stay offline?
Not always. A stable old copy may remain available while a migration is prepared. A compromised or damaging site may need containment while it is checked. I explain the trade-off between continuity and risk before normal traffic is restored.
Can you simply restore the latest backup?
A restore may be the right step, but the newest backup may already contain the fault or may remove later orders and content. I preserve the current state, identify what the backup contains and close the cause of the failure before relying on it.
What is included in the £400 to £900 range?
A typical defined rescue includes an evidence and access review, preservation of the available source, a recovery route, focused repair, restore or migration, verification of the important customer journey and a clear access handover. Large rebuilds, paid suppliers and unusually extensive data recovery are priced separately before being added.
What happens after the website is recovered?
You receive the access, changes, recovery notes and any remaining risk or decision. I can also set up appropriate backups, updates, monitoring and ongoing website care, but the rescue does not force you into a maintenance plan.
Send what you know
Tell me what happened before changing more.
Include the website address, what changed, when it was noticed and which accounts you still control. Screenshots and exact error messages can follow in my reply.
- I read every rescue request myself
- I reply within 24 hours - much faster on WhatsApp
- No automatic rebuild, transfer or destructive cleanup
Sent
Got it. I reply within 24 hours - much faster on WhatsApp. Check spam if nothing arrives, then message me there.