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Moving a WordPress site to a new host

A well-prepared move doesn't take your site offline. The idea: install the site at the new host, check it, and only then point your domain name at it.

Before you leave

  • Don't cancel the old hosting before the end: your site must stay online there during the move.
  • Check the new server: a PHP version at least equal to today's, enough space, and its file upload limit.
  • Locate your email. If your mailboxes are with the old host, they don't move with the site: plan for them separately.
  • Make a full backup, and keep it off both servers.

The steps

  1. At the new host, install a blank WordPress.
  2. Transfer your site: back it up at the old host, then restore the backup at the new one.
  3. Check the site at the new host: pages, images, forms, admin area.
  4. Point your domain name at the new hosting, with the company you bought it from.
  5. Wait for the change to propagate, a few hours, sometimes up to two days, then check again.
  6. Keep the old hosting for a few more days, to be sure.

The domain name, last of all

It's the only step your visitors see. Only change the address the site points to; if your email is elsewhere, leave its settings as they are. And check that the https certificate is in place at the new host: without it, browsers warn your visitors.

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