Introduction

Many businesses stay with a hosting provider they are unhappy with for one reason: moving seems risky. What if the website goes offline? What if emails are lost? What if Google rankings fall? What if something breaks and nobody knows how to fix it?

These worries are reasonable, but a website migration does not have to be dramatic. With careful planning, a website and its email can move to a new host with little or no downtime, no lost messages and no loss of search visibility. The secret is simple: copy and test everything on the new server first, and only switch visitors over when you are sure it works.

This guide explains when to move, how to prepare, the step-by-step migration process, how to move email safely, how to protect your search rankings and what to check after the move. It also explains how Dsigngo Group handles migrations for clients.

Good reasons to move

Common reasons for moving to a new host include:

• Slow performance that remains after the website itself has been optimised.
• Frequent downtime, especially when you hear about it from customers first.
• Poor or slow support.
• Sharp renewal price rises without better service.
• Old server software that the host cannot or will not upgrade.
• Security problems, such as repeated malware infections or no usable backups.
• Growth, when the website needs more resources, a VPS or a cloud server.
• Consolidation, bringing the website, email and domains together with one accountable provider.

Moving hosting is not the same as moving the domain

Before starting, it helps to separate three things that are often confused:

• The hosting is where the website files, database and possibly email are stored.
• The DNS is the set of records that tells the internet which server handles the website and which handles email.
• The domain registration is the record of who owns the domain and which registrar manages it.

To move a website, you need to move the hosting and update the DNS. You do not have to transfer the domain registration at the same time. Many businesses move the hosting first and transfer the domain later, separately, to keep each step simple. If the domain is registered in someone else’s name, fix that first; our guide to domain names and business email explains why.

Step 1: Take stock of what you have

Make a complete list of everything that depends on the current hosting. Missing items are the main cause of problems after a move.

• Website platform and versions: WordPress or another system, PHP version, database type and version.
• Files and databases: how much storage they use, and any very large folders such as uploads or backups.
• Email: every mailbox, alias, forwarder, mailing list and autoresponder, and how large each mailbox is.
• Subdomains and other sites: shop., portal., staging. or old microsites on the same account.
• Scheduled tasks (cron jobs): for example, nightly reports, feed imports or reminder emails.
• Integrations: payment gateways, courier tracking, accounting software, CRMs and API connections, especially any that are restricted to the old server’s IP address.
• SSL certificates: free or paid, and which domains they cover.
• DNS records: a full copy of every record, including MX, TXT (SPF, DKIM, DMARC and verifications) and CNAME records.
• Access details: logins for the old host, the domain registrar, the website administrator and any connected services.

Step 2: Choose the right time

Plan the switch for a quiet period: late evening, a weekend or a public holiday, depending on when your customers are least active. Avoid the week before a major sale, a product launch or the end of the financial year. For an online store, check that no campaigns or promotions are scheduled for the migration window.

Step 3: Take full backups

Before touching anything, take a complete backup of the website files, the database and the email, and download a copy to a safe place away from both servers. If anything goes wrong, this is your safety net. Keep the old hosting account active until the move is confirmed, usually for at least a week or two after the switch.

Step 4: Lower the DNS TTL

Every DNS record has a time to live (TTL), which tells other servers how long to remember it. If the TTL is several hours, some visitors may keep reaching the old server for hours after you switch. A day or two before the move, lower the TTL on the website and email records to a few minutes. When you switch, the change will then take effect quickly for most visitors.

Step 5: Set up the new hosting

Create the hosting account on the new server, with:

• The same or a newer PHP version, tested for compatibility.
• The database and database user.
• Subdomains and any special settings.
• Email accounts with the same addresses (if email is moving too).
• Firewall, malware scanning and backups switched on from the start.

Step 6: Copy the website

Copy the website files and import the database to the new server. For WordPress, update the configuration file with the new database details. If the website address is changing, for example from a temporary address to the final domain, use a search-and-replace tool designed for WordPress, because WordPress stores some data in a serialised format that simple text replacement can break.

For large websites, the copy can take time. Copy everything once, then copy only the changes just before the switch.

Step 7: Test before anyone sees it

This is the most important step. Test the website on the new server before changing the DNS. There are two common ways:

• A hosts file change on your own computer makes your computer use the new server for the domain, while everyone else still sees the old one.
• A temporary address provided by the new host, if the website works on it.

Check:

• Every main page, including the home page, service or product pages, the blog and the contact page.
• Forms: submit each one and check that the email arrives.
• Online store functions: product pages, cart, checkout with a test order, payment gateway, order emails and account login.
• Search, filters and any members’ areas.
• Images, downloads and videos.
• The website administrator area.
• Scheduled tasks and integrations.
• Speed, using the tools described in our article on website speed and hosting.

Fix any problems now, while customers are still using the old server.

Step 8: Prepare SSL

Make sure the new server can provide an SSL certificate for the domain from the moment the switch happens, so visitors never see a security warning. Some free certificates can only be issued once the domain points to the new server; in that case, the host should issue it immediately after the switch, which usually takes minutes. For paid certificates, install them on the new server in advance.

Step 9: Switch over

At the planned time:

1. For a store or a site that takes bookings or form submissions, put the old site into maintenance mode briefly, so no new orders arrive on the old server.
2. Copy any final changes, such as the latest orders and form entries, to the new server.
3. Update the DNS records to point to the new server. If you are moving DNS to the new host’s name servers, make sure every record, especially the email records, has been copied first.
4. Check that the website loads from the new server, with SSL.
5. Take the old site out of maintenance mode only if it is still needed; otherwise leave it as a fallback.

Step 10: Check everything again

After the switch, repeat the key tests from Step 7 on the live domain, then keep a close eye on:

• Uptime and error logs.
• Form and order emails.
• Payment gateway callbacks and other integrations.
• Search Console for crawl errors.
• Performance under real traffic.

Keep the old hosting account until you are confident everything is working, and until all email has been checked.

Moving email without losing messages

Email migrations need extra care, because messages arrive continuously and staff rely on them all day.

1. Create the mailboxes on the new service with the same addresses.
2. Copy existing messages, folders, contacts and calendars from the old service to the new one, using a migration tool or the IMAP protocol.
3. Lower the MX record TTL in advance.
4. Switch the MX records at a quiet time, so new mail goes to the new service.
5. Run a final copy to catch messages that arrived at the old service during the switch.
6. Update SPF and DKIM for the new service, and keep DMARC in place.
7. Set up email on staff devices, including phones and Outlook, with the new settings.
8. Keep the old mailboxes available for a short period, in case anything was missed.

Tell staff in advance what will change and when, and give them simple instructions for their devices.

Protecting your search rankings

A hosting move on its own, with the same domain and the same page addresses, should not harm your search rankings. Problems arise when the move is combined with other changes, or when something breaks. To protect your visibility:

• Keep the same URLs. If any page addresses change, set up permanent (301) redirects from the old address to the new one.
• Keep HTTPS working throughout, with no certificate warnings.
• Avoid long downtime. Short maintenance windows are fine; days of errors are not.
• Keep robots settings correct. A staging setting that blocks search engines must not be copied to the live site.
• Resubmit the sitemap in Google Search Console and watch for crawl errors.
• Check speed. A faster host can improve Core Web Vitals over the following weeks.

If you are also changing the domain name, redesigning the website or restructuring the content, plan it as a separate project with a full redirect map, or do it in stages.

What can go wrong, and how to prevent it

A migration checklist

• Complete inventory of website, email, DNS, integrations and access.
• Full backups downloaded to a safe place.
• DNS TTL lowered a day or two in advance.
• New hosting set up with matching software.
• Website copied and tested through a hosts file or temporary address.
• Email accounts created and messages copied.
• SSL ready.
• Switch planned for a quiet time, with maintenance mode for stores.
• DNS updated, final copies made.
• Post-move tests completed.
• Search Console checked and sitemap resubmitted.
• Old hosting kept as a fallback until everything is confirmed.

Who should carry out the migration?

A small brochure website can be moved by a confident website owner using migration plugins or the host’s tools. But most business migrations involve more than the website: email, DNS, SSL, integrations and sometimes a store taking orders. A mistake in any one of these can cause lost messages, failed payments or downtime.

Ask these questions before deciding to do it yourself:

• Do you have full access to the old host, the domain registrar and every connected service?
• Do you understand the DNS records your email and services rely on?
• Can you test the website on the new server before switching?
• Do you have time to do the switch at night or at a weekend, and to check everything afterwards?
• Do you know how to roll back if something goes wrong?

If the answer to any of these is no, it is usually cheaper and safer to let the new host’s team handle the move. Many hosts, including us, include migration help for new clients.

Illustrative example

The following example is illustrative and does not describe a real client.

A boutique hotel on the south coast had its WordPress website, booking engine connection and eight staff mailboxes on an overseas host that was slow and difficult to contact. Bookings from Europe arrived around the clock, so downtime had to be avoided.

The inventory found an old subdomain for a spa price list, a forwarding address used by the booking engine and a payment confirmation link restricted to the old server’s IP address. The website was copied to the new hosting, tested through a hosts file change, and the booking widget and payment confirmations were checked with a test booking. The IP restriction was updated with the payment provider before the switch.

The DNS TTL was lowered two days in advance. The switch took place at 2 am Sri Lanka time, when European guests were least active. Email was copied in advance, the MX records were switched, and a final copy caught the few messages that arrived during the change. The website was available throughout, and the hotel’s search visibility was unaffected.

How Dsigngo Group handles migrations

When you move to our hosting, our team plans and carries out the migration for you. We take the inventory, back up everything, copy and test the website and email on our servers, set up SSL, plan the switch for a quiet time and check everything afterwards. We keep you informed at each step, and the old hosting stays as a fallback until you confirm all is well.

We migrate WordPress websites, WooCommerce stores, websites built on other platforms and custom applications, along with email accounts. Migration is free for websites and email moving to our business and WordPress hosting plans, up to the number of websites in the plan. Migrations to cloud servers and complex custom applications are quoted after we review them.

Frequently asked questions

Will my website go offline during the move?

For most websites, no. Because the site is copied and tested on the new server before the switch, visitors move from the old server to the new one without seeing a break. Online stores may have a brief maintenance window of a few minutes so that no orders are lost.

Will I lose any emails?

Not with a planned migration. Existing messages are copied in advance, and a final copy after the switch catches any messages that arrived at the old service during the change.

How long does a migration take?

A small company website and a few mailboxes can usually be moved within a few days of planning, with the switch itself taking minutes. Large stores, many mailboxes or complex integrations take longer to plan and test.

Do I need to transfer my domain too?

No. You can move the hosting and update the DNS while the domain stays with its current registrar. You can transfer the domain later if you want everything in one place.

Will moving hosts affect my Google rankings?

A planned hosting move with the same domain and page addresses should not harm rankings. Faster hosting can improve page experience over time.

Conclusion

Moving to a new host is a project, not a leap of faith. Take a full inventory, back everything up, lower the DNS TTL, copy and test the website and email on the new server, switch at a quiet time and check everything afterwards. Keep the same URLs, keep HTTPS working and watch Search Console, and your search visibility will be safe.

Thinking of moving your website? Our team will plan and handle the migration for you.

Plan My Website Move

Sources

• Google Search Central, Site moves with URL changes and redirects: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes
• Google Search Central, Sitemaps: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/overview
• WordPress Developer Resources, Moving WordPress: https://developer.wordpress.org/advanced-administration/upgrade/migrating/
• Google, Email sender guidelines (SPF, DKIM and DMARC): https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126
• Raiden (Pvt) Ltd company profile (services): https://www.raiden.lk