Move your website to a new host
Moving hosts means copying files, databases and settings, testing before the switch, and not losing the email, DNS or cron jobs that lived on the old account. Plan the move and switch without downtime.
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Your plan so far
15things this change touches
- critical5
- high7
- moderate2
- low1
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical web host plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Take full backups you control
Critical · Data & files
If the migration goes wrong after the old account ends, there's nothing to restore from.
Mailboxes hosted by the old web host
Critical · Email delivery
Cancelling the old hosting deletes the mailboxes, and mail stops arriving if MX records point at a server that's gone.
DNS zone hosted by the old web host
Critical · Website & DNS
When the hosting account closes, the website, email and every subdomain stop resolving at once.
Environment variables, secrets and config files
Critical · Website & DNS
The site can't reach its database or third-party services, or every user is signed out if security salts change.
Migrate the database
Critical · Data & files
Encoding mistakes, version mismatches or a partial import can corrupt content or lose records.
Services that allowlist your server's IP address
Critical · Integrations & APIs
Payments, API calls or database connections fail from the new host even though the site loads.
Test on the new host before switching DNS
Critical · Website & DNS
Problems only show up once every visitor is on the new host.
Plan a final database sync at the switch
Critical · Data & files
Orders, accounts or messages made during the switch exist only on the old host and are easy to lose.
SSL certificate on the new host
Critical · Website & DNS
Visitors see security warnings until a certificate is issued, and APIs and webhooks refuse to connect.
Point DNS at the new host
Critical · Website & DNS
A missed record (www, an AAAA record or a subdomain) leaves part of your traffic on the old server.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- Inventory what the current host does
- Take full backups you control
- Mailboxes hosted by the old web host
- DNS zone hosted by the old web host
- New hosting account: access, billing and contacts
- Match runtime versions and server settings
- Environment variables, secrets and config files
- Host-specific plugins and features
- Migrate the database
- Copy files and media
- Services that allowlist your server's IP address
- Scheduled tasks (cron jobs)
After the change
- Plan a final database sync at the switch
- SSL certificate on the new host
- Point DNS at the new host
- Inbound webhooks during the switch
- Search engines during the move
- Backups at the new host
- Uptime monitoring and alerts
- Caching and performance settings
- Test everything on the live domain
- Cancel the old host only after an overlap
- Remove your data from the old host
- Update documentation and contacts
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: Inventory what the current host does
List every site, database, mailbox, DNS zone and scheduled job on the old account.
- Inventory what the current host does (high risk)
Step 2: Take full backups you control
Download files and a database dump, and store them outside both hosts.
- Take full backups you control (critical risk)
Step 3: Move email, DNS and the domain off the old host first
These outlive the website move and must not depend on the old account.
- Mailboxes hosted by the old web host (critical risk)
- DNS zone hosted by the old web host (critical risk)
Step 4: Set up the new host
Secure the account and match runtime versions, settings and secrets.
- New hosting account: access, billing and contacts (high risk)
- Match runtime versions and server settings (high risk)
- Environment variables, secrets and config files (critical risk)
- Host-specific plugins and features (moderate risk)
Step 5: Copy files and databases
Move the content and data, checking counts on both sides.
- Migrate the database (critical risk)
- Copy files and media (high risk)
Step 6: Prepare scheduled jobs, mail and IP allowlists
Set up what depends on the server itself, not just the files.
- Services that allowlist your server's IP address (critical risk)
- Scheduled tasks (cron jobs) (high risk)
- Forms and outgoing email from the site (high risk)
Step 7: Test the new host before switching
Use a hosts-file override so you test with the real domain.
- Test on the new host before switching DNS (critical risk)
Step 8: Lower TTLs and schedule the switch
Give cached DNS answers time to shorten before the switch.
- Lower DNS TTL before the switch (high risk)
During the change
Step 9: Switch traffic to the new host
Freeze or sync data, make sure the certificate is ready, then change DNS or the CDN origin.
- Plan a final database sync at the switch (critical risk)
- SSL certificate on the new host (critical risk)
- Point DNS at the new host (critical risk)
Immediately after
Step 10: Check webhooks and search on the live site
Catch events and crawl issues during the overlap.
- Inbound webhooks during the switch (high risk)
- Search engines during the move (moderate risk)
Step 11: Set up backups and monitoring at the new host
Recreate the safety nets that stayed behind.
- Backups at the new host (high risk)
- Uptime monitoring and alerts (moderate risk)
- Caching and performance settings (low risk)
Verify
Step 12: Test everything on the live domain
Check real journeys on real DNS, not just through the hosts file.
- Test everything on the live domain (critical risk)
Clean up
Step 13: Retire the old host after an overlap
Wait for traffic to stop, take a final backup, remove data, then cancel.
- Cancel the old host only after an overlap (high risk)
- Remove your data from the old host (moderate risk)
Later
Step 14: Update documentation
Record where the site lives now.
- Update documentation and contacts (low risk)
Why this change needs a plan
Moving to a new host means copying your site's files, database and configuration, testing it on the new server, switching DNS and retiring the old account. If page addresses don't change, visitors and search engines shouldn't notice.
What could break: email mailboxes and DNS that lived on the same hosting account, cron jobs and outgoing mail, payment gateways and APIs that only accept your old server's IP address, webhooks during the overlap, and orders placed after your last database copy. Cancelling the old account too early can delete mailboxes and DNS along with the website.
The safe order is to inventory and back up, move bundled services first, build and test on the new host with a hosts-file override, lower DNS TTLs, switch, then keep the old host running for an overlap.
Why it matters
Your host runs the website, and often your email and DNS too. A rushed move can take all three offline, lose orders made during the switch, or break payments that depend on your server's IP address.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest when email or DNS is hosted with the old host, when the site takes payments or orders continuously, when other services allowlist your server's IP, and when the old hosting ends on a fixed date.
Common mistakes
- Cancelling the old hosting before moving mailboxes or DNS that lived on the same account.
- Testing only on a temporary URL instead of the real domain through a hosts-file override.
- Forgetting cron jobs, or leaving them running on both hosts so emails and charges happen twice.
- Not adding the new server's IP address to payment gateway and API allowlists.
- Copying the database once and losing orders or sign-ups made during the switch.
- Leaving a staging 'discourage search engines' setting switched on at the new host.
- Switching DNS before a valid certificate can be served on the new host.
Frequently asked questions
Will moving my website to a new host affect SEO?
Not if page URLs stay the same and the site stays up. Google's guidance is to keep the old host running until its traffic stops and to expect a temporary dip in crawling while it adjusts to the new server, which usually recovers. Check that robots.txt and search-visibility settings on the new host allow crawling.
Will my email stop working when I change web hosts?
Only if your mailboxes are hosted by the web host, which is common with cPanel-style hosting. In that case, move email first and update the MX records before cancelling. If you use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, email is separate, but check MX records aren't changed by accident.
How do I move hosts without downtime?
Run both hosts side by side. Copy the site, test it on the new host using a hosts-file override, lower your DNS TTL a day ahead, switch DNS, and keep the old host running until its traffic stops. If the site takes orders, do a final database sync at the switch.
When should I cancel my old hosting?
After DNS has fully moved, the old host's access logs show no real visitors for several days, email and DNS are elsewhere, and you've downloaded a final backup. A week or more of overlap is a sensible minimum.
Do I need a new SSL certificate when I change hosts?
The new host needs its own valid certificate for your domain. Free automated certificates validated over HTTP can only be issued once DNS points at the new host, so either use DNS validation, copy the existing certificate temporarily, or be ready to issue one immediately after the switch.
Can I test my site on the new host before changing DNS?
Yes. Add a line to your computer's hosts file that maps your domain to the new server's IP address, or use `curl --resolve`. You'll see the new host with the real domain while everyone else still sees the old one.