WordPress · Migration
Moving a website looks simple until it turns out that the mailboxes disappear together with the old hosting and the contact form stops sending messages. That is why I run a migration so that the domain points to the new server only after testing, with a full backup and the old hosting kept as a fallback.
Scope of work
A migration has six parts. Most problems come from the last two, the SSL certificate with its redirects and the email records, and standard website move offers usually leave them out.
Before I move anything, I back up the files and the database and store the copy away from both servers. The old hosting stays untouched until the migration is finished. If a problem comes up, the domain simply stays where it is, and nobody notices anything.
The files and a database dump go to the new server, together with the PHP settings and the cron jobs. For large shops I do this over SSH, because transferring tens of thousands of files over FTP can take longer than all the rest of the work.
I start the new server under a temporary address and go through the whole website there, including its pages, search, forms and, in a shop, a complete order with payment. The domain points to the new hosting only when everything works.
I agree the date of the switch with you, so that visitors do not notice the change. Your hosting provider usually moves the email, and I coordinate it. The old server stays on during the transition, so visitors who still reach it see the normal website instead of an error message.
I install the certificate on the new server, and if you have your own, I move it together with its key. When the domain changes, every old address gets a 301 redirect to its new equivalent, so that the Google rankings of each page can move to its new address.
Email causes the most common mistake in a migration: the mailboxes stay with the old provider or disappear together with the old account. I check the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, agree with you where your email should be hosted and switch over only the services that move.
Process
I plan the whole process so that the migration can be called off up to the last moment without any effect on the live website.
I establish what runs where: who the domain is registered with, where the DNS records are managed, who handles email and which integrations refer to the server’s IP address. You set the date of the switch together with me, ideally outside your busiest hours.
The files, the database, the PHP configuration and the cron jobs move over. I start the new server under a temporary address and go through the whole website. This is the stage where differences in the PHP version or missing extensions show up, and there is still time to fix them.
I switch the DNS records and check the certificate, the redirects and the forms at the final address. Over the following days I watch the error logs and Search Console. It is worth keeping the old hosting for another week as a fallback.
Starting the migration
Finding out who actually manages the domain usually takes the most time: the registrar, the hosting and the DNS panel are sometimes three different companies, and the passwords stayed with the previous developer.
I agree the date of the switch with you so that visitors do not notice the change. Your hosting provider usually moves the email, and I coordinate it. That is why a migration cannot be done properly overnight: at least one day of lead time is needed.
Other services
A move is a good moment to sort out other things as well. The new server may well be faster, but on its own it will not make a heavy website lighter or update overdue plugins.
Cache, images, database, plugins and server. I measure before and after on the same pages, using Core Web Vitals rather than a single test score.
Updates, backups, uptime monitoring and hours of work for ongoing changes. Three plans from €100 net per month.
White screen, critical error, plugin conflict or a form that does not send: I find the cause in the logs and usually fix the website within 24 to 48 hours. Quote before I start work.
If you are moving a shop, see also WooCommerce maintenance, where I describe the work in a staging environment. You will find all WordPress services on the WordPress page. All prices are net, excluding VAT. The offer is for businesses only.
FAQ
What businesses ask before a move: downtime, email, a change of domain, hosting providers, access and Google rankings.
In practice, no. The new installation is ready and tested before the domain points to it, and the old server stays on while the DNS change takes effect. Anyone who has not yet received the new information reaches the old copy and sees a working website. The full DNS change usually takes between about 15 minutes and 48 hours, so it is best not to publish new content on the day of the switch.
Email and the website are two separate services, even if you bought them in one package. If the mailboxes stay with your current provider, I move only the website’s records and leave the MX records unchanged. When they move too, the accounts have to be set up with the new provider and the messages transferred before the old account is deleted. I raise this before the migration starts.
Yes, although a change of domain is more work than a change of server. Besides moving the files, I replace the addresses stored in the database, set up 301 redirects from the old addresses, update the sitemap and report the change of address in Search Console. The old domain has to stay paid for at least another year, so that the redirects keep working and the rankings have time to move over to the new domain.
Yes, as long as the new server meets the WordPress requirements, meaning a current PHP version, a MySQL or MariaDB database and enough memory and upload size. SSH access speeds up the work on large websites considerably, but I can also do the migration without it. If you do not have new hosting yet, I tell you what to look for. You can buy hosting from me or from any provider you choose, and either way the account is in your name.
Access to your current hosting, meaning FTP or SSH and the database, access to the new hosting account, and access to the domain control panel or wherever the DNS records are managed. I also need information about the mailboxes on the domain and a list of external integrations, for example payments, couriers, a CRM, webhooks and IP addresses on allowlists. Finding out who manages the domain usually takes the longest.
A change of server alone does not change the addresses, so the rankings stay where they are, and faster hosting tends to help. The risk comes with a change of domain. In that case, 301 redirects from every old address, an updated sitemap and the change of address reported in Search Console decide whether your rankings move over to the new domain. I do all three as part of the migration.
I leave it running for a few days after the domain switch, because during that time some visitors still reach the old IP address. You can cancel the old service once it is confirmed that the new server handles all the traffic, the email and the forms. The full backup, meaning the files and the database dump, stays with you, so you can go back at any point during that time.
No. OneNet is a one-person business, and I carry out every migration myself, from the inventory to the checks after the switch. You deal directly with the person who moves your website.
Yes. I work remotely with companies in the UK and the EU, among them a chain of tattoo and piercing studios in the UK and education organisations in Belgium. You deal with me directly, in English. A migration runs entirely through remote access to the hosting accounts and the domain control panel. You can reach me by email, WhatsApp, phone and video call, Monday to Friday, 9:00–17:00 Central European Time (8:00–16:00 UK time).
