A full Squarespace to WordPress migration for a Bristol-based occupational training provider — custom multi-page build, dynamic course enquiry form with URL parameter pre-fill, domain cutover with zero Microsoft 365 email downtime, and Google Search Console set up from day one.
OccuTeach is an occupational training provider based in Bristol, delivering CPD accredited courses and Ofqual-regulated qualifications across four specialist areas: Health & Social Care, Clinical, Childcare, and Commercial. They work with care homes, NHS trusts, schools, local authorities, and businesses of all sizes — both from their Bristol training centre and on-site anywhere in the UK.
The existing site was built on Squarespace. While functional, it was outgrowing the platform — limiting customisation, slowing down content updates, and offering little in the way of SEO control. The business had also grown significantly, with an expanding course catalogue that needed a more structured, scalable approach to presenting and promoting individual courses.
They needed a custom WordPress build that reflected the breadth of their offering, made it easy for organisations and individuals to find the right course, and included a smart enquiry form that could capture the specific course a visitor was interested in. All of this needed to happen without touching their Microsoft 365 email — a business-critical system that couldn't afford any downtime during the migration.
We designed and built a fully custom WordPress theme for OccuTeach — no page builders, no bloat. The site structure was planned around how organisations and individuals actually search for training: by sector, by course type, by qualification level, and by location. Dedicated page templates were built for courses, qualifications, sector landing pages, about, and contact — each structured for both usability and search engine clarity.
OccuTeach offers over 80 CPD accredited courses. Rather than requiring every visitor to type the course they're enquiring about, we built a contact form that reads the ?course= URL parameter on page load and automatically pre-fills the course name field. Every course page on the site links to the enquiry form with its own parameter — so when the form opens, the course is already populated. Enquiries arrive with full context, reducing back-and-forth and improving response times.
The domain was registered and DNS-managed through Squarespace, with Microsoft 365 email running through the same DNS zone. To migrate, we added the domain to Hostinger and updated only the A records in Squarespace DNS to point to the new server. Every email-related record — MX, CNAME, TXT, SPF, DKIM, and SRV — was left completely untouched. DNS propagated within the hour. Email kept working without a single interruption throughout the entire cutover.
With the Microsoft 365 inbox preserved and separate, we configured WP SMTP through Hostinger's mail server to handle outbound form delivery. Every course enquiry submitted through the site lands reliably in the OccuTeach inbox with the course name, enquirer details, and message intact. No lost enquiries, no spam folder issues.
Every page was built with structured data relevant to a training provider — Organisation schema with contact details and accreditation, Course schema on individual course pages for Google's education rich results, FAQPage schema for common questions, and BreadcrumbList schema for clean search appearance. Google Search Console was verified via TXT record in Squarespace DNS, the XML sitemap submitted, and every key page manually requested for indexing on launch day.
Training Provider Website Design Case Study: This case study details how Mako Digital designed and built a custom WordPress website for OccuTeach, a Bristol-based occupational training provider delivering CPD accredited courses and Ofqual-regulated qualifications across Health & Social Care, Clinical, Childcare, and Commercial sectors. The project included a complete Squarespace to WordPress migration with a rebuild from scratch on Hostinger, a dynamic course enquiry form with ?course= URL parameter pre-fill, and a full domain cutover that preserved Microsoft 365 email throughout.
The project also included Google Search Console verification and indexing, comprehensive SEO schema markup including Organisation, Course, FAQ, and Breadcrumb types, WP SMTP configuration for reliable contact form delivery, and LiteSpeed caching for performance. Every Mako Digital project includes our 10-point delivery checklist covering design, lead handling, domain setup, email, security, SEO, performance, analytics, and ongoing support.
Whether you're on Squarespace, Wix, or starting from scratch — we'll build you something properly.