Moving your website to a new host sounds risky. Most people worry their site will vanish for days, or that they’ll lose their emails. Done in the right order, a move can happen with no downtime at all, and your visitors will never know.
Here’s the order we follow when we move a website, and the mistakes that cause most of the problems.
Before You Start: Make A List
Write down everything your current hosting does for you. It’s usually more than people think:
- The website files and database.
- Email accounts and any email forwarders.
- Your DNS records, including anything for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or other services.
- Where your domain is registered, and who has the login.
- Any scheduled jobs, like backups or shop tasks.
The domain login catches people out more than anything. If a previous designer registered it in their name, sort that out first.
Step 1: Don’t Cancel Your Old Hosting Yet
Keep your old hosting running until the move is finished and checked. Cancelling first is how sites end up offline for days.
Step 2: Copy The Website To The New Host
Copy the files and the database across, then check the site on the new server before anyone else sees it. A good host will let you preview it on a temporary address so you can click through every page.
Step 3: Test Everything Before Switching
- Pages and images load.
- Contact forms send to the right address.
- Shop checkout works, with a test order.
- Logins and the admin area work.
- Nothing still points at the old server.
Step 4: Move Email Carefully
Email is where most moves go wrong. If your email is with your current host, set up the same mailboxes on the new host and copy the old messages across before you switch. If your email is with Microsoft 365 or Google, make sure those DNS records are copied over exactly, or mail will stop arriving.
Step 5: Switch The DNS
Once everything is tested, point your domain at the new host. A day or so beforehand, lower the TTL on your DNS records so the change spreads faster. Most people see the new server within an hour or two, though it can take up to a day for some.
Because the old hosting is still running, anyone who still lands on the old server sees a working site. That’s what makes it zero downtime.
Step 6: Check, Then Cancel The Old Host
- Make sure SSL is working and the padlock shows.
- Send test emails both ways.
- Check that forms and order emails arrive and don’t land in spam.
- Keep an eye on things for a week, then cancel the old hosting.
Common Mistakes
- Cancelling the old hosting before the new one is tested.
- Forgetting email, or only moving some mailboxes.
- Missing DNS records for other services, so things like Microsoft 365 stop working.
- Not checking that forms still send after the move.
Common Questions
(01)Will Moving Host Affect My Google Rankings?
Not if your web addresses stay the same and the site works as it did. A faster, more reliable host can help over time.
(02)How Long Does It Take To Move A Website?
The work itself is often a few hours for a small site. The DNS change can take up to a day to reach everyone, which is why we keep the old host running during the switch.
(03)Can You Move My Website For Me?
Yes. If you’d rather not do it yourself, get in touch and we’ll talk you through moving your site and email to our hosting.
Thinking Of Moving Host?
Our website hosting starts at £9 a month with SSL, backups, security monitoring and help from real people in the North East. If your current host is slow, unreliable or impossible to get hold of, talk to us.
