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How to move a website to a new host without downtime

Moving hosts is routine when you do it in the right order, and a nightmare when you do it in the wrong one. The goal is simple: the site is live on the new host before you change DNS, and the old host stays up until the change has fully propagated.

The plan in one sentence

Copy first, switch DNS second, keep the old host running third, clean up last.

Step 1 — Take a full backup of the current site

Files and database. A migration without a backup is a gamble. You want a rollback path in case the new host misbehaves.

Step 2 — Provision the new host and stage the site there

Set up the new server or plan, then copy your files and import the database. Do not touch DNS yet. At this point you can preview the new site by editing your local hosts file (or the new host's hosts override) so only your computer sees it — the public still sees the old one.

Step 3 — Fix configuration for the new environment

This is where most migrations break:

  • Database credentials — update them to the new host's.

  • Absolute URLs — replace hard-coded old URLs with the new domain (which, if you are keeping the same domain, is a no-op — one good reason to keep your domain).

  • File paths — any absolute paths that assumed the old layout.

  • Cron jobs, queue workers, scheduled tasks — recreate them.

Step 4 — Lower DNS TTL before the switch

If your records have a long TTL (e.g. 86400 = one day), lower them to something short (300 = five minutes) a day or two before you migrate. That way the switch propagates in minutes, not a day. Use the DNS lookup tool to check what your TTLs currently are.

Step 5 — Issue TLS on the new host, then switch DNS

Get the certificate working on the new host first, so you never serve an expired or missing cert. Then update the DNS records (A/AAAA for the site, MX for mail if you are moving mail too) to point at the new host. Watch propagation with the DNS propagation checker.

Step 6 — Keep the old host live for a few days

Do not cancel it the moment DNS changes. Some resolvers cache; some visitors arrive on the old IP. Keep both serving identical content until traffic to the old host drops to near zero.

Step 7 — Move email too (if applicable)

If mail is moving, set up the mailboxes on the new side before changing MX, and migrate the stored messages. Missing this step is the classic "my website moved but my email broke" failure. See Email DNS: SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

The go-live checklist

  • Files + database copied and verified on the new host

  • Config updated (DB creds, URLs, paths, cron)

  • TLS working on the new host

  • TTL lowered ahead of time

  • DNS switched; propagation confirmed

  • Mail moved (MX + mailboxes)

  • Old host still live as a fallback

  • Forms, checkout and logins tested on the live site

  • Search Console updated if the domain changed (301s in place)

If you would rather not do this in a weekend, our Website Migration service handles the whole move for you — free with eligible plans, with the old host kept as a fallback until you are happy.

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