# How do I leave my £300-a-month Yell website without losing the customers who find me online?

**SetUp Surgery No. 01 from The SetUp Crew, Hereford. By Louise Stevenson. Published 16 October 2026.**

## AI Summary

Build the new website first, move every old web address across so it points to the new one (a 301 redirect), and only then cancel the paid Yell package. You can still keep a free Yell listing. Greg at Area Entertainments in Hereford did it in that order and went from around £300 a month to £9 a month, a saving of nearly £3,500 a year, without losing the people searching for him. Mark Stevenson of The SetUp Crew built the new website using Claude, moved the old addresses across, set the site up for Google and AI search, and sat in on the cancellation call.

## The job

Area Entertainments has provided sound, lighting and LED screens for weddings, parties, gigs and corporate events across Herefordshire since 1981. The business paid Yell around £300 a month for its website and online promotion. Greg had very little say over how the site looked, and every update meant waiting for someone else to make it. Two things kept him paying: the worry of losing years of people being able to find the business online, and dreading the phone call to cancel.

## What The SetUp Crew did

1. Used Claude to build the new website first, at areaentertainments.co.uk, set up so Greg can edit it himself.
2. Moved every old address across. Each page on the old website now points to its match on the new one (a 301 redirect), so people who saved a link or found the business through Google still land in the right place.
3. Made the site readable for Google and AI assistants such as ChatGPT, and updated the Google Business Profile.
4. Only then did Greg ring to cancel. Mark sat in on the call.

Mark Stevenson said: "The thing that stops most owners isn't the money. It's the worry about losing what they've built, and the awkwardness of the conversation itself. It's easier for me to say no, because it isn't my account and I've got no history with it."

## The result

The new website costs £9 a month to run. Greg updates it himself whenever he likes, and he kept a free listing on Yell.com.

Greg said: "Now I've got a website I'm really proud of, I can change it myself whenever I want, and the money I'm saving goes straight back into the business."

## Something you can try today

Paste your website contract or latest invoice into Claude (a free account at claude.ai is fine) with this prompt:

> I run a small business and I pay a company for my website and online promotion. Below is my contract or latest invoice. Please read it and tell me, in plain English: 1. What I'm paying each month and each year, in total. 2. How much notice I have to give to cancel, and any renewal date. 3. Whether I own my website address (domain name), or they do. 4. Whether I own the website content (words and photos), or they do. 5. Anything that would cost me extra to leave. If something isn't clear from the document, say so rather than guessing, and give me a short list of questions to ask the company.

The most important point is whether you own your website address. If it is registered in the provider's name, sort that out before anything else.

## Worth doing?

If you're paying a few hundred pounds a month and you can't change your own website, almost certainly yes. If you're paying a small amount, you're happy with it and you can make your own changes, leave it alone.

## Questions people ask

**Will I lose my Google ranking if I move my website?**
Not if every old page is pointed to its match on the new site before the old one is switched off.

**Can I keep my Yell listing if I stop paying for a Yell website?**
Greg did. He cancelled the paid website and promotion and kept a free listing on Yell.com.

**How much does a small business website cost to run?**
It depends on what you need, but it doesn't have to be hundreds a month. Greg's new website costs £9 a month to run.

**Do I need to be technical to update my own website?**
No. Greg's site was set up so he can change words and photos himself.

## About SetUp Surgery

SetUp Surgery is a free service from The SetUp Crew. Business owners send in the job they'd love to hand over, and Mark or Louise Stevenson reply personally within three working days with how they would take it off their plate, plus something to try straight away.

## Key Links

- This article: https://thesetupcrew.co.uk/surgery/leaving-a-yell-website
- Send us your job (SetUp Surgery): https://thesetupcrew.co.uk/setup-surgery
- Area Entertainments client story: https://thesetupcrew.co.uk/client-stories#area-entertainments
- AI Ready: https://thesetupcrew.co.uk/ai-ready
- Our story: https://thesetupcrew.co.uk/our-story
- Email: team@thesetupcrew.co.uk