How to Move a WordPress Site to a New Host Without Losing Traffic

Moving a WordPress site to a new host means copying two things, your files and your database, to the new server, then pointing your domain at it.

Done in the right order, visitors and Google never notice. Done in the wrong order, you get downtime, broken images, or lost rankings.

Before You Start

• Do not cancel your old hosting until the move is finished and checked.
• Write down your current DNS settings, including email records.
• Note your site's speed and a few key pages, so you can compare after.
• Pick a quiet time of day for the switch.

How to Move It in 7 Steps

• Take a full backup of files and database on the old host and download it.
• Copy the site to the new host, either with a migration plugin such as Duplicator, All-in-One WP Migration, or UpdraftPlus, or with your new host's free migration tool.
• If you moved it by hand, create a new database, import the old one, and update the database name, user, and password in wp-config.php.
• Preview the site on the new server before switching, using your host's temporary URL or a hosts file entry.
• Lower your DNS TTL a day before, then point your domain's A record or nameservers to the new host.
• Recreate your email (MX) records if your email ran through the old host.
• Install SSL on the new server and check that every page loads on https.

Check SEO After the Move

• Click through your main pages, forms, and checkout.
• Make sure the site is not set to discourage search engines, a setting staging copies often carry over.
• Check robots.txt did not change.
• Open Search Console and watch the Page Indexing and Crawl Stats reports for a couple of weeks.
• Test speed again. A move is a good time to pick a faster host.

Common Mistakes

• Cancelling the old host too early, so there is no fallback.
• Forgetting email records, so business email stops working.
• Old URLs hard-coded in the database, so images still load from the old server.
• Leaving a staging noindex setting switched on after launch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will moving host hurt my rankings? Not if the URLs stay the same and the site stays up. Changing host is not the same as changing domain.

How long does DNS take? Often minutes to a few hours, sometimes up to 48 hours. Keep the old host running until traffic has fully moved.

Can my new host do it for free? Many hosts offer free migration. Ask before you buy.

Should I change my domain at the same time? No. Move host first, check everything, and change domain later if you must.

Want It Done for You

A move is the moment SEO settings get lost. Our SEO service checks the site before and after, catches anything the move broke, and keeps watching it.