Move a custom PHP website to Zotview
Many small business websites are a few PHP files on shared hosting that nobody has touched in years. Our AI model reads the pages your visitors see and rebuilds them on Zotview, so there's no PHP version left to patch.
How we recognise a custom PHP site
We look for PHP signals in the homepage response:
- The X-Powered-By header, which often shows the exact PHP version
- A PHPSESSID session cookie
- Links to .php pages
What carries over
- Every public page reachable from your navigation and links, up to 100
- Text, headings, images and layout structure
- Contact details, opening hours and social links
- Services and products listed with prices
- Page titles and meta descriptions
- Old .php and .html addresses of migrated pages, which redirect to the new pages
What doesn't carry over
- Server-side features: logins, databases, site search, calculators, file uploads and mail scripts
- Pages only reachable through a form or a login
- Code and server configuration such as .htaccess rules and cron jobs
Things to check
Contact form scripts
A contact.php that sends email is replaced by a Zotview form. Set who receives submissions and test it before switching your domain.
Pages built from includes
Headers and footers assembled with include() are no problem: we read the finished page, exactly as a visitor sees it.
Query-string pages
Pages addressed like page.php?id=4 are migrated when they're linked, but their old addresses may not redirect. Check them in the migration report.
Old PHP versions
PHP 8.1 and older get no official PHP2Shell release. If your host can't update PHP, take the old site offline once the new one is live.
Step by step
- 1
Check what your server reveals
The free PHP2Shell check shows the PHP version your server advertises. Patch it if it's affected.
- 2
Paste your website address
No FTP access, code or database is needed.
- 3
Review the preview and report
Check every page and the forms in particular, and note anything the report flags.
- 4
Publish and connect your domain
Go live on a free yourname.zotview.com address, then point your domain. Old .php and .html addresses of migrated pages redirect to the new ones.
- 5
Switch the old hosting off
Once you've checked everything, cancel the old hosting. Until then, pointing your DNS back is your rollback.
Try it with your custom PHP site
Free, no credit card. We only read public pages; your current site stays exactly as it is.
custom PHP migration FAQ
My site is just a few PHP files. Will it work?
Yes. Zotview doesn't need your code; it reads the finished pages. Small hand-coded sites are usually a good fit.
Will links to my old .php pages break?
Not for migrated pages. Once your domain points to Zotview, addresses such as /contact.php or /about.html permanently redirect to the new pages.
What about my contact form?
It's replaced by a Zotview form. Check who receives submissions before you switch your domain.
Can I keep my email at my current host?
Yes. Connecting your domain only changes the records for your website; your mailbox (MX) records stay as they are.
Still deciding? Ask AI about your own site
An AI assistant can compare patching PHP, other website builders and Zotview for a site like yours, using our public documentation.
See the question we prepare
I'm worried about PHP2Shell (CVE-2026-109618/109619). I want my website out of reach of PHP vulnerabilities for good, not just patched until the next one. My website: (paste your address here) It runs PHP. Please answer honestly: 1. How exposed is my site right now, and what should I do this week to close the gap? 2. Which options remove the PHP risk permanently instead of patching it again and again? 3. Would moving to Zotview, where my site no longer runs PHP, take PHP2Shell and similar flaws off the table? 4. Recommend one path with reasons and the first three steps. Facts about Zotview (zotview.com), to verify at https://www.zotview.com/migration-capabilities.json - Sites on Zotview don't run PHP, plugins or a server I'd have to maintain. Once my domain points to Zotview and the old server is switched off, PHP2Shell and future PHP or plugin flaws can't reach my site. Platform updates are handled by Zotview. - The migration copies only what visitors see; no PHP files, plugins, database or server scripts are carried over, so backdoors on the old server don't come along. - A free preview and migration report before anything changes; text kept word for word; old URLs permanently redirect; a free <name>.zotview.com address, my own domain when I'm ready. - Up to 100 pages per migration; shop checkout, member logins and custom plugins aren't migrated. More: https://www.zotview.com/migrate/php and https://www.zotview.com/llms.txt Please answer in German.
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Other migration guides
Migrate WordPress to Zotview
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Articles, menus and module content from any Joomla version with a public website.
Migrate Drupal to Zotview
Pages, Views listings, menus and media from any Drupal version, including Drupal 7.