Moving your website to a new host without downtime

The site has slowed down, the host keeps going offline, support doesn’t answer, or you’ve simply found a better plan — there are plenty of reasons to switch hosts. What usually stops people is fear: “the site will go down, emails will be lost”. In reality, if the move is done in the right order, visitors notice nothing.

Before the move: what you need to know

• Where is the domain registered and who changes its NS records? If you have no access to the domain panel, recover it first (see: what happens when a domain expires).
• What does the site consist of? Files, a database (MySQL in WordPress and most CMSs), cron jobs, the PHP version.
• Where does email run? If mail lives on the old host, the MX records and the mailboxes themselves must be part of the plan (see: business email).
• The old hosting term — don’t cancel it until the move is finished.

Step-by-step plan

1. Take a full backup — files and database separately, and keep a copy on your own computer too (the 3-2-1 rule).
2. Lower the DNS TTL. A day before the move, drop the TTL of your A records to 300 seconds — the change will then spread within minutes.
3. Set up the site on the new host: upload the files, import the database, put the new database details into the configuration (e.g. wp-config.php), and pick the same or a newer PHP version.
4. Test without touching the domain. Add the new server’s IP to the hosts file on your computer and open the site in a browser: forms, login, images, payments — test everything.
5. Prepare the SSL certificate, or the browser will show a warning after the switch.
6. Switch DNS — point the A record at the new IP. From this moment, make no changes on the old site (new orders, comments, posts) — otherwise the data will diverge.
7. Watch for 2–3 days, then close the old hosting.

Common mistakes

• Cancelling the old host before the move is checked.
• Forgetting the MX records and losing email.
• Old addresses (http, old domain) left in the database — pages then show a “mixed content” warning.
• Not setting up cron on the new server: automatic emails and backups stop.

Cloudflare makes it easier

If the domain runs through Cloudflare, the switch is a single A-record change that takes effect almost immediately — no waiting for an NS change.

FAQ

How long will the site be down? Following the order above — not at all. While DNS spreads, some visitors reach the old server and some the new one; that is why no changes are made during this window.

Will I lose Google rankings? Not if the domain and page addresses stay the same. If the new server is faster, it may even help (see: how to choose hosting).

Want to move your site to our hosting? Write to us from your client account — we’ll check the current setup together and plan the move. SSL, Cloudflare protection and backups are included in the plans: hosting plans and prices.