So, you’re having some problems with your WordPress website and you want to move it to a new host. We understand this can be a daunting prospect, especially if you’re not able to discuss it with the original web developers or hosts, but the good news is it’s usually relatively simple to do. If you want to find out how to move a WordPress website away from the existing host to a new one, read on…
Step 1: Find a new WordPress web host
The first step in getting your WordPress website moved is to find a new host. A good WordPress web host is not just an online space to stick the website and forget about it; websites need maintenance, and that means knowledgeable WordPress developers who are able to look after it for you to keep it running smoothly: they’ll take care of all of the technical stuff that you’re too busy to do or don’t know how to do. They will provide you with tech support if you have any concerns, and they’ll keep an eye on the servers, the firewall, malware scans, and so on. Building a good relationship with your web host is important as it will help you get the best from your website.
Discuss your website problems with the new web host. Detail at this stage will be helpful, as it’s the best way to ensure that the new host is the right fit for the job. The new web host should be able to take a look at your current website (assuming it’s live) and quite quickly be able to tell you if it’s something they’d be able to move and maintain for you or not.
Some WordPress websites can be hosted easily but not maintained easily at all, which comes down to how well they were built in the first place.
Step 2: Copy the website files and database
Assuming the new host is able to look after the site for you, it’ll be necessary to notify the current host that you wish to move the site. They will need to provide you with an exact copy of the website files and the database. This will include the theme, the media library, plug-ins… the whole thing. This will be supplied to you and it is vital that the current host keeps the original copy of the website live, until you tell them it’s safe to close the hosting account.
Step 3: Set the website up in the new hosting environment
Your newly appointed web host will take the copy of the website files and database and install them to the new hosting space for testing. This process is usually fairly quick; for a regular site it’ll take us a few hours, for a more complex site it can take up to a couple of days. Once the site has been set up in the new testing space you will be able to visit it as a live, working website – just not at your own web address; it’ll be on a testing address like “dev.yourwebsite.com”.
Step 4: Test everything
The newly installed copy of the site should be tested thoroughly, both using the front-end of the website to check all content, features and functionality are present, and using the back-end of the website to check all plug-ins, post types, content and so on are identical to those on the original copy of the site. It can be really helpful to actually have both versions of the site open at the same time, logged in to both, so you can compare everything.
You can of course assume that the copy of the site that you’ve been given is an exact copy, but if you do and it turns out something’s missing, and the original copy of the site is taken down, it’ll make recovery very difficult – if not impossible.
Step 5: Happy? It’s time to make a DNS switch
So you’ve checked the new copy of the site and you’re happy it’s as it should be. At this point you could decide to have your appointed web host make some changes before making it live, assuming there are things you want to change with the site. But our opinion is that it’s always best to migrate the site to ‘safety’ first, make that live and then make changes after; this way the dependence on the previous host is reduced to the bare minimum.
When it’s time to make the new copy of the site the one people see when they visit your web address, you need to carry out a DNS (Domain Name System) switch, to point the website address away from the previous web host and to your new web host. Your web address will be registered with a domain name provider, for example Nominet, Godaddy, 123-Reg, 1&1 AKA IONOS, Namesco, etc. You should have access to the control panel for the domain name, which is where your new host will log in and make the DNS switch.
The DNS switch will take some time depending on the domain name provider’s DNS time-out settings, sometimes it’s instant, sometimes it can take up to 48 hours.
It is our belief that the original copy of the website should remain published to the previous host’s server until you tell them it’s safe to take down, assuming your hosting account with them hasn’t already expired. We say this because it’s a sensible backup plan, should the new copy of the site on the new hosting setup fail for any reason. In usual circumstances it won’t be necessary to refer back to it, but this is just a wise insurance policy to avoid losing part or all of your website.
Can’t access your domain name?
If you don’t have access to the DNS control panel it is possible that your previous web host registered the domain name on your behalf. This is quite common, and often having them renew the domain name for you each year is something they’ll include with the hosting package. Ask your previous web host if the domain name is in their control, and if so ask them to liaise with your new web host so that it can be transferred. There is sometimes a small admin fee from the domain name provider to do this, but in our view the previous host should not charge for this themselves.
If you don’t know where your domain name is registered, it’s possible to do a “Who Is” look up for .co.uk domain names. Visit https://who.is/ and enter your web address into the search bar. Due to Data Protection Law it is no longer possible to find out who the registrant (owner) is for a domain name using this means, but you can find out who the registrar is. Look for the registrar details, it’ll be a provider like Godaddy, 123-Reg, Nominet etc. You can then take steps to attempt to log in using the ‘I forgot my password/username’ link via the domain name provider’s site.
If you still can’t locate the domain name, check that it’s actually registered, and if you know it’s registered but can’t find out where, but you know it is your domain name, contact Nominet who should be able to assist you with a process known as “Re-establish Identity for Registrants“.
Where do I find a good web host?
So that’s how to move a WordPress website in a nutshell. If you don’t have a web host in mind, we can assist you. Our developers are among the most experienced in the WordPress community, and our dedicated WordPress hosting platform is extremely reliable and competitively priced. Contact us to discuss.
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