An IR website transition after a merger or acquisition should preserve the meaning of the public record while making the new company's identity clear. The work extends beyond a name and logo: archives, filings, security data, governance documents, contacts, and incoming links may all need different treatment.
Start with a written transition map approved by the company. Identify what changes at announcement, what changes only at closing, and what should remain available as historical information.
Establish the identity that each page represents
List the companies involved and the role of each public website. Confirm with the authorized team which entity will report, which names will be used publicly, and how any legacy issuer information should be described.
Do not assume that the buyer's brand, the legal issuer, and the account used by a data supplier are interchangeable. Give each service an explicit mapping and owner. Include the visible company description, filing archive, market-data instruments, event accounts, and alert subscriptions.
For a SPAC combination, use the SPAC and de-SPAC website guide to address the stages before the resulting operating-company site becomes public.
Make an archive decision before moving files
Classify each page and document as current, historical, superseded, or awaiting a retention decision. Preserve original publication dates and originating-company context. If the new site includes predecessor materials, label them so visitors can understand whose information they are reading.
Build an archive landing page when a direct replacement does not exist but the history remains useful and approved for retention. Avoid sending every old document link to the new homepage; that loses the purpose of the original request.
Google's site-move guidance recommends mapping old URLs to relevant new destinations and avoiding irrelevant mass redirects. [1] Use the migration checklist to verify the resulting map.
Verify the data integrations separately
Ask each supplier to confirm the change required in its system. For filing history, check the actual issuer identifier rather than relying on a new display name. The SEC's submissions API associates company filing history with its CIK. [2]
A transaction may require an archive that explains more than one entity's record. Have the company define that relationship, then test the result against the official filings. Do not silently merge two histories into a single undifferentiated list.
Market-data configuration should be confirmed with the supplier for the relevant securities and dates. Verify source labels, currency, timestamp, and delay information on the public display. Keep the old and new states documented so the team can diagnose an incorrect change.
Coordinate the public change as a release
Prepare a closing change package with approved copy, files, configuration changes, and verification steps. Name the person who authorizes release and the team members responsible for execution.
Include the possibility that closing is delayed or that a particular service is not ready. Define the approved public fallback rather than leaving a partially changed website. Rehearse the technical steps without making unapproved transaction information public.
Review documents that are easy to overlook: governance policies, leadership biographies, privacy notices, contact information, email templates, and downloaded presentations. Assign each item to the appropriate company owner rather than assuming the web team can determine its legal effect.
Complete the operational handover
Confirm ownership of domains, hosting accounts, analytics, forms, and subscription services. If suppliers are changing, reconcile exports, licenses, and ongoing obligations before terminating services. The provider-change guide addresses these commercial and operational dependencies.
After release, test the website from both the new domain and representative old links. Check current information, historical context, live feeds, and contact routes. Keep a dated list of unresolved transition work with accountable owners.
Questions companies ask
Should the old website be shut down at closing?
Determine that through the approved retention, disclosure, and migration plan. Do not retire it before required information and incoming links have an appropriate destination.
Can the new brand be applied to historical releases?
Preserve the original issuer and publication context. Use surrounding navigation or explanatory labels to connect the history to the current company.
Will a ticker text change update market data?
Do not assume it will. Obtain and test the supplier's specific configuration for the intended instrument.
What is the most useful transition document?
A change register that connects each item to its approved replacement, release trigger, owner, and acceptance test.
Use that register when discussing the transition with VendorGroup, so content continuity and the closing release are part of one plan.
Related VendorGroup resources
- Investor Relations Websites for SPACs and de-SPAC Transactions
- How to Change Investor Relations Website Providers
- Investor Relations Website Migration Checklist
