Will we lose traffic moving standard blog to self-hosted site?

Hello,

I am almost done with a client site, which is a customized wordpress self-hosted site in which I combined 2 blogs (each in a different language) and a web site into one, integrating design and functionality in one-stop shop.

Just when we are about to launch, the client freaks out and doesn’t want to stop her old blogs since she has built them up over the last year, and doesn’t understand why we have to move the blogs (this is after I’ve spent hours finessing the blog entries on the new site). I’ve explained to her the benefits of having a self-hosted blog as opposed to using a standard wordpress or blogger site, especially since she wants to make money off the site. But she doesn’t want to understand, even though I had laid scope of the project out in the proposal.

From the research I’ve done, it seems that we can still keep her old blogs up so we don’t lose traffic on the old entries, and redirect her current readers to her new blog with a final post (which would also get sent to her rss email subscribers), at least until she builds up traffic on the new site.

Am I jeopardizing her traffic, or is it a better idea to consolidate as soon as possible so that she has more control while her project is still young enough?

Or should I just give the client what she wants and get out of the job fast (she has been a difficult client throughout and I’ve already lost money on this project.)

Thanks for any thoughts.

just give her what she wants. Her blog will probably get shut down anyways once it is littered with affiliate links, because blogger and wordpress don’t like it. Just explain to her that at any given time she could get shut down so it is suggested to own your blog.

Then just rinse your hands and walk away. If she doesn’t want to listen its her problem. Chances are she will come crying back to you once it is shut down, but just charge her again.