Website Migration
How to Migrate a Website to a New Host and Keep It Online Throughout
A migration is really two moves — the files and the database — plus a DNS switch that's the easy part if you sequence everything correctly.
2
Things to move: files and the database
0
Downtime with a properly staged cutover
Free
Managed migration handled for you
30-day
Money-back guarantee to test the new host
In short
To migrate a website to a new host, copy your site files across via FTP/SFTP, export your database (typically via phpMyAdmin or mysqldump) and import it on the new server, then update any config file that references the old database or file paths. Test the new copy using its temporary IP or a local hosts-file edit before touching DNS, and only then switch nameservers or A records for a clean, zero-downtime cutover.
Keeping the old host live until the new site is confirmed working is what actually prevents downtime, not the DNS change itself.
Migrating a website gets more attention for the DNS switch than it deserves — that part is genuinely simple once everything else is done. The two moves that actually take work are copying every file across intact and getting the database exported and reimported without silent errors, plus updating whatever config file ties the two together. Rush the DNS change before either of those is verified and you end up with a domain pointing at a half-working copy.
Hosting Cheap includes free managed migration that handles this entire process for you, but if you're moving between other providers or want to understand what's happening, the manual steps below use standard FTP/SFTP access and phpMyAdmin or command-line database tools that work regardless of where you're coming from. A 30-day money-back guarantee means you can fully test the destination before deciding to stay.
Copying Your Files Across
Connect to the old host with an FTP or SFTP client using the credentials it provides, and download the site's entire directory structure rather than just the files you remember adding — themes, plugins, uploads and configuration files all need to make the trip together. For larger sites, a full-site backup archive downloaded and restored as one file is usually faster and less error-prone than transferring thousands of individual files.
Upload everything to the new host preserving the exact folder structure it expects, since a CMS or application that can't find an expected subfolder will often fail in confusing, hard-to-diagnose ways rather than with a clear error.
Exporting and Importing the Database
Export the database from the old host as a .sql file, either through phpMyAdmin's export function or via mysqldump on the command line if you have shell access. On the new host, create a matching database along with a database user, then import that .sql file into it.
Once imported, update the site's config file — wp-config.php for WordPress, or the equivalent for other platforms — with the new database name, username, password and host address, since those credentials virtually never carry over automatically from the old server.
Testing Before Anyone Else Sees It
Before touching DNS at all, verify the migrated site using a temporary or shared IP-based URL the new host provides, or by editing your own computer's hosts file so only your machine previews the domain pointing at the new server. Click through key pages, login flows, forms and checkout if there is one.
Finding a broken page, a missing image path, or a database connection error at this stage means fixing it privately on your own screen, not explaining it to a visitor who hit it live.
Making the Zero-Downtime DNS Cutover
Once the migrated copy is fully verified, lower the domain's DNS TTL a day or two ahead of time if you can plan the move, which shortens how long any caching resolver holds onto the old record. Then update the nameservers or the A record to point at the new host.
Leave the old server running and untouched for 24-48 hours after the switch as a fallback while DNS finishes propagating everywhere, and only decommission it once you've confirmed the new hosting is fully live and stable across different networks and devices.
Skip the Manual Steps With Free Managed Migration
Every step above is exactly what gets handled for you with a managed migration — files copied, the database exported and imported, config files updated, and the DNS switch coordinated so the cutover is clean. It removes the two riskiest points in a DIY move: a database import failing silently, and a domain switching over before the new site has actually been confirmed to work.
That's included free on Hosting Cheap plans, and the 30-day money-back guarantee means you can fully test the migrated site before deciding it's a permanent move.
- Files and database both need to move, not just one or the other
- Test on a temporary URL before ever touching DNS
- Keep the old host running until the new one is confirmed live
- Free managed migration handles the whole process for you
Why Hosting Cheap
What you get
Free managed migration
Files, database and configuration moved over for you, no manual FTP required.
NVMe SSD on arrival
Your migrated site runs on pure NVMe storage with LiteSpeed caching from day one.
Free SSL on the new setup
A certificate issues automatically once DNS points to your new hosting.
Daily backups from day one
The newly migrated site is protected immediately, not after a grace period.
24/7 human support
Get help if a database import errors out or a config file needs adjusting.
30-day money-back guarantee
Test the migrated site fully before you're committed to staying.
How It Works
Get set up in a few steps
Copy files and export the database
Move site files via FTP/SFTP and export the database as a .sql file from the old host.
Import and reconfigure on the new host
Import the database, create matching credentials, and update the site's config file to match.
Test, then switch DNS
Verify everything works on a temporary URL, then point nameservers or the A record to go live.
Included
Everything you need, on every plan
- Back up the current site and database before touching anything
- Copy all files via FTP/SFTP, not just the ones you remember
- Export the database as a .sql file and note the table prefix
- Create a matching database name, username and password on the new host
- Update the config file with the new database credentials
- Test the site on a temporary URL or hosts-file edit before any DNS change
- Lower DNS TTL a day ahead if you can plan the move
- Keep the old host running for 24-48 hours after the DNS switch
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What actually needs to move when I migrate a website?
Two things: your site's files (via FTP/SFTP) and its database (exported and imported as a .sql file), plus any config file that references the database credentials or file paths. Miss either one and the migrated copy either looks broken or won't connect to its content at all.
Can I migrate a website without any downtime?
Yes, by testing the new copy on a temporary URL before touching DNS, then keeping the old host running for 24-48 hours after you switch nameservers or the A record. Visitors keep reaching a working site throughout, either the old copy or the new one, never neither.
Do I need to touch DNS to migrate a website?
Only at the very end, once the new copy is fully tested and confirmed working. Everything before that — copying files, importing the database, checking pages load — happens without any DNS change at all.
What if my database import fails?
Check the .sql export for size limits your import tool may be enforcing, and confirm the new database, username and password match exactly what the config file expects. A partial import is the most common cause, usually fixed by re-exporting and re-importing rather than editing tables by hand.
How do I test my migrated site before going live?
Use the temporary URL or shared IP your new host provides, or edit your computer's hosts file to preview the domain pointing at the new server for you only. Click through key pages, forms and checkout flows before anyone else sees the new copy.
Is migration free with Hosting Cheap?
Yes, free managed migration is included and covers moving your files, database and configuration over for you. It's backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can fully test the result before deciding to stay.
Migrate Your Website Free, With No Downtime
Let the team handle files, database and DNS cutover, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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