Website Studio lets you export your site's HTML, edit it externally, and upload it back. This guide explains how the download/upload workflow works, why a re-uploaded site can break, and the safest ways to make changes and recover a working version.
⚠️ Why a Re-Uploaded Site Can Break
When you download HTML from Website Studio, you receive the rendered markup only. The export does not include everything that makes the live site function. Re-uploading that file—even without edits—can break the site because the package is missing dependencies the platform normally manages.
Common reasons a re-uploaded site breaks:
- Linked assets are not bundled. CSS, JavaScript, fonts, and images often load from paths or a content delivery network that the standalone HTML file cannot resolve once it is taken out of its original environment.
- Relative and absolute paths change. Editing in an external editor can rewrite file paths, so stylesheets and scripts no longer point to the right location.
- Platform-injected code is lost. Website Studio adds structural and tracking elements at publish time. A manual upload can omit or duplicate these.
- Encoding or formatting changes. Some editors alter character encoding or auto-format the file, which can corrupt how the page renders.
This is why the same workflow breaks even on a second site with no edits: the issue is the round-trip itself, not the specific changes you made. The same applies whether the project was created from an HTML upload or a ZIP upload.
✅ Recommended: Edit Inside Website Studio
For most changes, the safest and fully supported method is to edit directly in the Website Studio visual editor rather than downloading and re-uploading. In-app editing keeps all assets, paths, and platform code intact, and your changes are tracked automatically.
✏️ To edit in the editor
- Open Website Studio from your dashboard.
- Select the project you want to change.
- Click Edit to open the visual editor.
- Make your changes to text, images, layout, or settings.
- Click Save, then Publish when you are ready to go live.
📦 When You Need the Exported HTML
The HTML export is intended for portability and reference—for example, moving content to an external host or archiving a copy. It is not designed to be edited and pushed back into the same Website Studio project. If you need custom code in your live site, use the built-in custom code options instead of replacing the full HTML.
Known issue: When a project is exported as a ZIP and then re-imported into Website Studio, blog posts that existed before the export can be missing from the imported project. A fix for this is currently awaiting release. If you rely on the export/import workflow and notice missing blogs, avoid further changes and contact Support with links to both the original and the imported project.
💻 Adding custom code safely
- Open your project in Website Studio.
- Go to Settings and locate the Custom Code or Header/Footer Code section.
- Paste your snippet into the appropriate area (head or body).
- Save and publish, then preview the live page to confirm it works.
This approach lets you add scripts and styles without disturbing the rest of the site.
↩️ How to Revert a Broken Project
If your site has already broken, you can usually restore a previous working version.
🕘 Restore from Version History
- Open the affected project in Website Studio.
- Open the Editor.
- Look for Version History (often shown as a clock or history icon, or under the project menu).
- Select a version saved before the upload.
- Click Restore, then republish.
🤖 Reverting individual AI prompts
On HTML- or ZIP-upload projects, each AI change you make is listed as a prompt with its own Revert button, and you can undo a revert with Re-Revert. Reverting an uploaded project can take slightly longer to process than reverting a project built natively in Website Studio. If a revert appears to stall or returns a temporary error such as a gateway message, wait a moment and refresh the page before trying again.
❓ If Version History Is Not Available
Version History only captures changes made inside Website Studio. A manual HTML upload may not create a restore point, which is why the option can appear empty or inaccessible after a broken upload. If you cannot revert through the interface:
- Do not perform further uploads, as this can overwrite recoverable data.
- Note the project name, URL, and the approximate date and time the site was working.
- Contact Search Atlas Support (see below) so the team can attempt a server-side restore.
💡 Best Practices to Avoid Breaking Your Site
- Make routine edits inside the Website Studio editor, not through download/upload.
- Use the Custom Code settings for scripts and styles instead of editing exported HTML.
- Before any major change, publish the current working version so a recent restore point exists.
- Always preview changes before publishing them live.
- Treat the HTML export as a read-only copy for backup or migration.
💬 Contact Support
If your site is broken and you cannot revert, reach out to Search Atlas Support through the in-app chat or your account team. Please include your project name, site URL, a description of what happened, and the date and time the site last worked correctly. This helps the team restore a working version as quickly as possible.