How to Migrate Your Website to a New Host Without Downtime

Changing hosting providers sounds risky, and done badly it is: a few hours of downtime, broken images, lost emails. Done in the right order, a migration is invisible to your visitors. This guide walks through moving a website to a new host with zero downtime, in the sequence that actually prevents problems.

Why people move hosts

Usually one of four reasons: the site has got slow and the server is the bottleneck; support takes days to answer; the renewal price jumped after the first-year discount; or the site has simply outgrown its plan and keeps hitting resource limits. If any of these sound familiar, the migration itself is the easy part — it is the preparation that matters.

Before you start: the pre-migration checklist

• Take a full backup of files and database, and download it to your own computer. Not just to the old server.
• Note your DNS records — A, CNAME, MX, TXT/SPF, DKIM. Screenshot the whole zone. Email records are the ones people forget.
• Lower your DNS TTL to 300 seconds at least 24 hours before you switch. This is the single most effective zero-downtime trick, and almost everyone skips it.
• List everything the site depends on — PHP version, database version, cron jobs, SSL certificate, email accounts, any custom server modules.
• Don’t cancel the old plan. Keep it running for at least a week after the move.

Step 1 — Set up the new hosting account

Create the account and add your domain, but do not change DNS yet. Match the old environment first: same or newer PHP version, same database engine, the same PHP extensions. A site that ran on PHP 7.4 may throw errors on PHP 8.3 until you update plugins, so test before you switch rather than after.

Step 2 — Copy files and database

If both hosts run cPanel, the fastest route is a full cPanel backup restore — it carries files, databases, email accounts and cron jobs together. Otherwise:

1. Download the site files over FTP/SFTP, or create a compressed archive on the old server and move that (much faster for thousands of small files).
2. Export the database from phpMyAdmin as a .sql file.
3. Upload the files to the new server’s document root.
4. Create a fresh database and user on the new server, then import the .sql file.
5. Update the database credentials in your config file — wp-config.php for WordPress.

For WordPress specifically, a migration plugin (Duplicator, All-in-One WP Migration, or your host’s own tool) packages everything into one file and rebuilds it on the new server. It is the least error-prone option for most people. Salasar Hosting handles this step free for customers moving to our shared hosting and VPS plans.

Step 3 — Test on the new server before switching DNS

This is the step that turns a risky migration into a boring one. Edit the hosts file on your own computer to point your domain at the new server’s IP address. Your machine now sees the new site while the rest of the world still sees the old one.

With that in place, check: the homepage and several inner pages, images and CSS, any contact or checkout form, the login area, search, and your admin dashboard. Fix anything broken now, while nobody else is affected.

Step 4 — Move email properly

Email causes more migration pain than the website does. Create every mailbox on the new server with the same addresses before switching. Then copy existing mail across — IMAP-to-IMAP transfer tools handle this, or users can drag folders between accounts in a desktop client.

Crucially, your MX records only need to move if your mail is hosted with the website. If you use a separate provider such as business email hosting or a third-party suite, leave the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records exactly as they are — changing them by accident is how companies lose a day of email.

Step 5 — Install the SSL certificate

Issue or reinstall your certificate on the new server before the DNS change, so HTTPS works the moment traffic arrives. If you use a free AutoSSL certificate, some hosts can only issue it after DNS points at them — in that case be ready to issue it within minutes of switching. Do not leave the site serving plain HTTP; see our guide to SSL certificates for what to check.

Step 6 — Switch DNS

Update the A record (and www CNAME) at your domain registrar to the new server’s IP. Because you lowered the TTL in advance, most resolvers pick up the change within minutes rather than hours. Pick a low-traffic window anyway — late evening or a weekend.

During propagation, some visitors reach the old server and some the new one. This is why the old account stays live: both copies work, so nobody sees an error. The only real risk is split content — new orders or comments landing on the old server. Put the old site into a read-only or maintenance state for the changeover if your site accepts submissions.

Step 7 — Verify, then finish up

• Confirm the domain resolves to the new IP from several networks (a DNS propagation checker makes this quick).
• Send and receive a test email on every mailbox.
• Check the padlock and look for mixed-content warnings.
• Crawl the site for 404s — a free crawler catches broken links and missing images fast.
• Re-submit your sitemap in Google Search Console and watch the Coverage report for a week.
• Set up backups and cron jobs on the new server. They do not always come across.
• Raise the DNS TTL back to its normal value (3600 or higher) once everything is stable.

Only after a full week of clean logs and working email should you cancel the old plan.

Frequently asked questions

Will migrating hosts affect my Google rankings?

Not if the URLs stay the same and there is no downtime. Google cares about the content and the addresses, not which company owns the server. Rankings suffer only when a migration causes extended downtime, mass 404s, or an accidental switch from HTTPS to HTTP.

How long does a website migration take?

The copy itself is usually one to three hours for a normal small business site. DNS propagation adds anywhere from a few minutes (with a low TTL) to 24–48 hours (with a default TTL) before every visitor worldwide is on the new server.

Do I have to change my domain registrar too?

No. Your domain and your hosting are separate services. You can keep the domain where it is and simply repoint it. If you would rather have everything in one place, you can transfer the domain separately, after the hosting move has settled.

What if something breaks after the switch?

That is exactly why the old account stays live. Point the DNS back to the old IP and you are restored within minutes. Fix the problem on the new server at your leisure, then switch again.

Can I migrate without any technical knowledge?

Yes — most hosts will do it for you. Ask before you sign up whether free migration is included and what it covers (files, database, email, SSL). Salasar Hosting migrates sites free for new customers; talk to our team before you move anything.

Salasar Hosting provides free, hands-on website migration to our cPanel shared hosting, VPS and dedicated server plans, with Indian data centre options and local support. Call +91 99620 05753.