Yes, you can move a WordPress website to another host. In most cases, you won’t need to rebuild the website, change its design or start again with your content.
Instead, you copy the website’s files and database to a new hosting provider. You then update the domain settings so visitors reach the new server. Think of it as moving your business into a new building: the address your customers use can stay the same, but everything behind the front door moves to a new location.
That sounds simple enough. However, a WordPress website can connect to your email, contact forms, payment systems, analytics and several other services. So, a successful move involves more than dragging a folder from one place to another.
If you plan the migration properly, your customers may not notice anything has changed. If you rush it, you could face downtime, broken pages or missing emails.
This guide explains how to move a WordPress website to another host, what the process involves and when it makes sense to ask someone else to handle it.
- Why Would You Move Your WordPress Website to Another Host?
- What Actually Moves During a WordPress Migration?
- Will Your Domain Name Change?
- Will Your Website Go Offline During the Move?
- How to Move a WordPress Website to Another Host
- What Could Go Wrong During a WordPress Migration?
- Will Moving Hosts Affect Your SEO?
- What About Your Business Email?
- Can You Move a WordPress Website Yourself?
- How Long Does It Take to Move a WordPress Website?
- How Much Does a WordPress Website Migration Cost?
- Questions to Ask Before You Move
- Ready to Move Your WordPress Website to Another Host?
- FAQs
Why Would You Move Your WordPress Website to Another Host?
Businesses change hosting providers for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes the original package no longer provides what the website needs. In other cases, a low introductory price turns into an expensive renewal without a noticeable improvement in service.
You might consider moving because:
- Your website loads slowly
- The server goes offline too often
- Support takes too long to respond
- Your current package has become expensive
- The hosting provider doesn’t offer regular backups
- You have concerns about security
- Your website has outgrown the package
- You want someone to manage WordPress updates
- Your web designer recommends a more suitable setup
- You want to keep several websites with one provider
Poor hosting can affect more than your patience. A slow or unreliable website can frustrate visitors, reduce enquiries and make your business look less professional. Speed and availability can also influence how well your website performs in search results.
However, don’t move simply because another provider advertises a very low monthly price. Check the renewal cost, support, backups, security and migration service before making a decision. A cheap package isn’t good value if you have to manage every technical problem yourself.
If you’re unsure how different packages compare, our guide to managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting explains the main differences.
What Actually Moves During a WordPress Migration?
A WordPress website contains two main parts.
The first part is its files. These include WordPress itself, your theme, plugins, uploaded images and other documents.
The second part is its database. This stores your pages, blog posts, website settings, user details, product information and much more.
Your new host needs both parts. If you only copy the files, the new version won’t have your content or settings. If you only copy the database, it won’t have the theme, plugins or images required to display the website correctly.
A complete migration may also involve:
- Creating a new database
- Updating connection details in the wp-config.php file
- Installing an SSL certificate
- Copying or recreating email accounts
- Moving DNS records
- Checking redirects
- Reconnecting caching or security tools
- Testing forms and online payments
You don’t need to understand every technical term to arrange a migration. Nevertheless, it helps to know that several pieces work together. That makes it easier to ask the right questions and check that your new provider has covered everything.
Will Your Domain Name Change?
No. You can usually keep your existing domain name when you move your website.
Your domain and hosting are connected, but they aren’t the same thing. The domain is the address people type into their browser, while the hosting stores the website they see when they arrive.
You can leave the domain registered with the same company and point it towards the new server. Alternatively, you may choose to transfer the domain registration as well. You don’t have to do both jobs at the same time.
In many cases, keeping the domain where it is during the website migration makes the process easier. Once the new website works correctly, you can decide whether moving the domain would make your accounts simpler to manage.
Most importantly, make sure you know who owns and controls the domain. It should sit in an account that your business can access. If a former developer, employee or agency controls it, resolve that before you start the move.
Will Your Website Go Offline During the Move?
A well-planned WordPress migration should involve little or no noticeable downtime.
The usual approach is to copy the website to the new server while the original version remains live. You can then test the new copy before changing the domain settings. Once everything works, you point the domain to the new hosting.
Those domain changes can take time to spread across the internet. This process is often called DNS propagation. During that period, some visitors may reach the old server while others reach the new one.
For a simple brochure website, this crossover usually causes few problems. However, it needs more thought if your website:
- Takes online orders
- Accepts bookings
- Has customer accounts
- Receives frequent comments or form submissions
- Contains stock levels that change throughout the day
For example, a customer could place an order on the old server after you copied the database. That order wouldn’t automatically appear on the new server. Therefore, an e-commerce migration may need a short maintenance window, an order freeze or a final database sync immediately before the switch.
Planning the move for a quieter time can also reduce risk. Avoid migrating just before a product launch, advertising campaign or busy seasonal period if you have a choice.
How to Move a WordPress Website to Another Host
The exact steps depend on your current and new hosting providers. However, most WordPress migrations follow the same general process.
1. Choose Your New Hosting Provider
Start by finding a hosting package that fits your website rather than simply choosing the cheapest offer.
Ask what the package includes:
- How often does the provider create backups?
- How long do they keep those backups?
- Does the package include an SSL certificate?
- Who manages WordPress, plugin and theme updates?
- Does support cover WordPress problems or only the server?
- Will the provider migrate the website for you?
- Are there storage or traffic limits?
- What will the package cost when it renews?
- Does the provider include email hosting?
Also check whether the provider supports everything your website uses. This matters particularly for older WordPress websites, custom code, specialist plugins and WooCommerce stores.
2. Collect the Access Details
Your new provider or web developer may need access to:
- Your WordPress dashboard
- Your current hosting control panel
- Website files through FTP or a file manager
- The website database
- Your domain or DNS settings
- Any external services connected to the website
You might not need every login, as different hosts offer different migration methods. Even so, collect the details early. Tracking down an old hosting account halfway through the move creates unnecessary delays.
Share passwords securely and remove any temporary accounts after the migration. Don’t send sensitive login details through an unprotected email if you can avoid it.
3. Create a Full Backup
Take a complete backup before changing anything.
The backup should include both the website files and database. Ideally, store a copy somewhere separate from the current hosting account. That way, you can still reach it if the old server becomes unavailable.
Don’t assume that your hosting provider already has a usable backup. Check when it last ran and whether you can restore it. A backup only helps if it contains everything you need and someone knows how to use it.
4. Copy the Website to the New Server
You can move WordPress manually, use a migration plugin or ask the new host to handle the transfer.
A manual move offers plenty of control, but it requires confidence with files, databases and WordPress configuration. Migration plugins make the process easier, although large or complex websites may exceed their limits. Many managed hosting providers use their own tools or complete the migration for you.
At this point, the live website should still run from the old server. The new copy sits separately while you prepare and test it.
5. Test the New Copy
Never point the domain to the new server without testing the website first.
Check the new copy using a temporary address, a staging domain or a local adjustment that allows you to view the new server privately.
Test more than the homepage. Work through:
- Main pages and blog posts
- Navigation menus
- Images and downloads
- Contact and enquiry forms
- Buttons and internal links
- Mobile and tablet layouts
- Login areas
- Booking systems
- Checkout and payment processes
- Analytics and tracking codes
- Cookie consent tools
- Search functions
Look for missing images, broken layouts and error messages. In addition, send real test enquiries through every important form and confirm that they reach the correct inbox.
For an online shop, place a test order and check payment confirmation, order emails, tax, delivery charges and stock changes. A page that looks correct isn’t necessarily working correctly behind the scenes.
6. Point the Domain to the New Hosting
Once you’re happy with the new copy, update the domain’s DNS settings. These records tell browsers which server holds your website.
Your new provider should give you the correct details. Depending on the setup, you may need to change the nameservers or update individual DNS records.
Take care at this stage because DNS can also control your business email and other services. Replacing every record without checking them may stop your email from working.
Before making the change, record the existing DNS settings. Then copy across any email, verification or third-party records that still need to work.
7. Check the Live Website Again
After the domain points to the new server, repeat your important tests on the live website.
Check that:
- The website loads securely with HTTPS
- Pages don’t show certificate warnings
- Forms send and deliver correctly
- Orders or bookings work
- The WordPress dashboard opens
- Images display properly
- Redirects still work
- Analytics continues to collect data
- Business email sends and receives messages
Keep the old hosting active while you carry out these checks. If a serious problem appears, you may need the original website or its data.
8. Cancel the Old Hosting at the Right Time
Don’t cancel the old package as soon as you start the move.
Wait until the new website has worked correctly for several days and the domain changes have fully taken effect. Keep your independent backup as well.
Before cancelling, check whether the old account also contains:
- Business email accounts
- Other websites or subdomains
- Domain registrations
- DNS records
- Saved backups
- Files that don’t appear on the public website
If you cancel too early, you may lose access to something important. Once you know everything has moved or been saved, you can close the old account with much more confidence.
What Could Go Wrong During a WordPress Migration?
Most WordPress websites can move successfully. Still, mistakes can cause problems if nobody checks the details.
Common migration issues include:
- Missing images or files
- A blank page or database connection error
- Broken contact forms
- Mixed-content or SSL warnings
- Lost orders, bookings or enquiries
- Business email suddenly stopping
- Links pointing to a temporary domain
- Licence keys becoming disconnected
- Caching showing an old version of the website
- Analytics or advertising tracking failing
- Search engines finding duplicate or blocked pages
Older websites can create extra complications. They may rely on outdated versions of PHP, abandoned plugins or themes that don’t work on a modern server. In that situation, moving the website can reveal problems that already existed but hadn’t become visible yet.
A good migration process identifies those risks before the final switch. Sometimes the website needs updates or repairs first. Although that adds a step, it’s far better than discovering the problem after the old hosting has been cancelled.
Will Moving Hosts Affect Your SEO?
Moving a website to another host shouldn’t damage your search rankings if the domain, page addresses and content stay the same and the migration runs smoothly.
In fact, moving to faster and more reliable hosting may improve the experience for visitors. However, problems can arise if the website experiences long periods of downtime, blocks search engines or changes important URLs without redirects.
To protect your SEO, make sure you:
- Keep the same page URLs where possible
- Add redirects for any URLs that must change
- Remove any temporary search-engine blocking setting
- Check the website’s sitemap
- Test important pages for errors
- Confirm that analytics and Google Search Console still work
- Monitor the website after launch
If you only change the host, you normally don’t need to tell Google that the business has moved. The public domain stays the same; only the server behind it changes.
What About Your Business Email?
Email is one of the easiest parts of a hosting move to overlook.
Your website and email may use the same provider, but they don’t have to. If your email accounts sit inside the old hosting package, cancelling that package could remove the mailboxes as well.
Before the move, find out:
- Where your email is currently hosted
- Whether it will stay there or move
- Which addresses and aliases you use
- Whether old messages need transferring
- Which DNS records keep the service working
- How computers and phones will connect afterwards
Services such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace usually continue working if their DNS records remain correct. However, email stored directly with the old website host may need a separate migration.
Treat email as its own part of the project. Losing access to your inbox can affect the business far more quickly than a small visual problem on the website.
Can You Move a WordPress Website Yourself?
Yes, you can move the website yourself if you feel comfortable working with hosting accounts, databases, backups and DNS settings.
Many hosting companies provide a migration tool, while WordPress plugins can guide you through much of the process. For a small and straightforward website, that may be all you need.
However, a do-it-yourself migration carries more risk when the website:
- Generates regular enquiries
- Takes payments or bookings
- Uses WooCommerce
- Contains a membership area
- Connects to several external systems
- Has a large media library
- Uses custom functionality
- Runs on old software
- Shares hosting with your business email
Consider the value of your time as well. Saving a migration fee may not feel like a saving after you’ve spent a weekend investigating error messages.
If the website plays an important role in your business and you don’t feel confident, ask the new provider or a WordPress professional to manage the move. You should still know what they plan to migrate, how they’ll protect your data and what support they’ll provide afterwards.
How Long Does It Take to Move a WordPress Website?
A simple WordPress website may take a few hours to copy and test. A larger or more complicated website can take much longer.
The timescale depends on:
- The size of the website
- The number of images and files
- The speed of both servers
- The website’s age and condition
- Custom functionality
- E-commerce or booking features
- Email migration
- Access to the required accounts
- Problems found during testing
DNS changes can also take time to reach everyone, even though the website transfer itself has finished. Therefore, allow a sensible window for testing and monitoring rather than planning the whole job around a single hour.
How Much Does a WordPress Website Migration Cost?
Some hosting providers include migration at no extra cost when you join them. Others charge a one-off fee, particularly for large, complex or e-commerce websites.
Before accepting a free migration, check what “migration” includes. Will the provider test forms, email, payment systems and redirects, or will they only copy the files and database? Will they help if the website doesn’t work properly on the new server?
The cheapest option may be perfectly suitable for a basic website. Nevertheless, a business-critical site needs more than a successful file transfer. It needs careful checks before and after the switch.
Questions to Ask Before You Move
Before agreeing to a migration, ask your new provider:
- Will you move the website for me?
- Is the migration included in the hosting price?
- Will you test the website before changing the domain settings?
- How will you reduce downtime?
- What happens to my business email?
- Will you install and check the SSL certificate?
- Can the new server support my current website?
- Will you test forms, bookings or online payments?
- How long should I keep the old hosting active?
- Who will help if something goes wrong after the move?
Clear answers now can prevent a lot of confusion later.
Ready to Move Your WordPress Website to Another Host?
You can move a WordPress website to another host without rebuilding it or changing your domain name. The key is to treat the move as a planned process rather than a quick copy-and-paste job.
Back up the website, test the new version, check your email and only cancel the old hosting once everything works. If your website takes orders, bookings or regular enquiries, give those areas extra attention.
Don’t fancy wrestling with databases and DNS settings? Our managed website hosting includes a free migration from your current provider. We’ll handle the transfer, test the website and aim to keep disruption to a minimum. You’ll also have a real person to speak to if you need help afterwards.
