Move your website to a new host without taking it down
Changing host is scary for two reasons: a site that stays down and emails that go missing. I move the site, the database and the mail, test everything on the new server and switch the address only once it works.
Tell me where from and where toCall me on +39 347 741 5402
What can go wrong
A rushed move shows itself through the symptoms: missing images, a site that still points to the old address, no SSL certificate, emails that stop arriving for two days. Most of the time the site itself moved fine, and something around it got lost: a DNS record, a mailbox, a server setting.
How I move a site
- I list everything on the old host: sites, databases, mailboxes, DNS records, scheduled tasks.
- I copy files and database to the new server and test the site there, before it goes public.
- A few days ahead I lower the DNS lifetime, so the switch spreads quickly.
- I copy again whatever changed in the meantime, like orders or comments, and switch the DNS.
- I check the site, the SSL certificate and email on the new server, and leave the old one running for a few more days.
This works for WordPress, Joomla and PHP sites and business apps.
From Wix to WordPress
I have already moved sites from Wix to WordPress. Wix doesn't let you download your site as files. The text and images get carried over, by hand or with a script, and the pages are rebuilt in WordPress, which is a chance to fix whatever Wix wouldn't let you change. Every old address gets a 301 redirect to its new page, so Google and anyone with a saved link land in the right place. See also Websites.
After the move
If the site moves to my servers, I back it up every day and you get an email a month before the domain or hosting renews. The plans are in Servers and hosting. And if one day you want to leave me too, I hand over the files and database and help you move them.
Frequently asked questions
Will the site go offline during the move?
No: the old site keeps answering until the new one is ready and tested. The switch happens by changing DNS, and for a few hours some visitors still see the old copy, which is identical.
Will I lose email?
That's the part that needs the most care. If mail is on the same host, I move the mailboxes too, old messages included, and check the records that make sure email arrives and stays out of spam.
Will I lose my Google rankings?
If the page addresses stay the same, no. If they change, as with Wix to WordPress, I set up a 301 redirect from every old address to the new one.
Can I move it to your servers?
Yes. I have two plans, basic and advanced, with daily backups and SSL certificates that renew themselves.
Read more
- The service: Servers and hosting
- More pages like this: Websites with a problem
Write to me
Write the site address, your current host and the new one if you've already chosen it, and whether email runs on the same domain. Don't put passwords in the form: I'll ask for access later, in a safe way.
- gokalex@gokalex.com
- Phone
- +39 347 741 5402
- Where
- Rovellasca (Como), Italy. With clients further away I work remotely.
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm, Italian timeClients with 24/7 cover can call at any hour, nights and holidays included.