Migrating a WordPress website to a new hosting provider is one of the most complex tasks a webmaster can undertake. With over 34% of the web running on WordPress, the chances are high that you’ll someday need to move your site to a new host or server.
But for WordPress users, the prospect of a hosting migration often evokes fear. And rightfully so—the process is fraught with potential pitfalls, from extended downtime to permanently losing access to your site.
The stakes are high, but the good news is that with careful planning and preparation, you can seamlessly migrate even large WordPress sites to new hosts in a way that’s invisible to your visitors.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll demystify WordPress migrations by walking you through a proven process for moving sites with zero downtime. I’ll draw on my 15 years of experience as a web developer to help you avoid common mistakes and make the transition smooth as butter.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Why users migrate WordPress hosting (and signs it‘s time for you)
- How to select the best new managed WordPress host
- Step-by-step guide to migrating WordPress with no downtime
- Recommended WordPress migration plugins
- How to update DNS records and finalize the switch
- Expert tips to avoid migration mishaps and errors
- Answers to frequently asked questions
So take a deep breath. Follow this guide, and you can check “WordPress migration” off your to-do list painlessly. Let’s get started!
Contents
Why Do People Migrate WordPress Hosting?
Before we dig into the nuts and bolts of migrating WordPress, it’s helpful to understand why users switch hosting providers in the first place.
According to a recent survey by Blog Tyrant, the top 5 reasons people migrate WordPress hosting are:
- Poor performance or reliability (56%)
- Outgrowing a shared hosting plan (43%)
- High renewal costs or to get a better deal (29%)
- Scaling concerns on current host (18%)
- Needing more features, security, or support (12%)
These motivations indicate that most people switch WordPress hosts to gain better performance, resources, or value. They’ve outgrown their current provider and need to graduate to a managed WordPress host.
But how do you know when it‘s the right time to migrate your WordPress site’s hosting? Here are four signs:
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Your site is slowing down – Load times exceed 3 seconds or bounce rate is rising.
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You’re hitting resource limits – Maxed out on storage, bandwidth, DB size, etc.
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You experience frequent downtime – Uptime below 99.95% or regular outages.
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Your traffic has exploded – Growth has accelerated rapidly. Time to scale up.
Pay attention if your WordPress site exhibits one or more of these symptoms. They indicate it’s time to migrate your hosting to a provider than can better handle your needs.
Fun fact: The average WordPress site migration takes 190 minutes from start to finish, according to Kinsta.
Now let’s look at how to carefully choose your ideal new WordPress managed hosting provider…
How to Select the Best Managed WordPress Hosting
The web is rife with hosts claiming to be the best home for your WordPress site. But sadly, not all live up to the hype.
The wrong choice of hosts could mean your WordPress migration goes haywire. You want to choose carefully.
Here are the 6 criteria I use to select the best managed WordPress hosting provider for flawless migrations and beyond:
1. Specialized WordPress Expertise
Your ideal host should exclusively focus on managed WordPress hosting. No upselling on heavy add-ons or support for other CMS platforms.
Providers like WP Engine or Kinsta have deep WordPress expertise that ensures smooth migrations and optimized performance. They even contribute core code to the WordPress project.
2. Speed and Reliability
For a successful migration, you need a fast and ultra-reliable host. Look for uptime history over 99.95%, page loads under 500ms, and multiple data centers.
Avoidhosts with a reputation for downtime or congested, overloaded servers. This can derail your migration fast.
3. Top-Notch Support
When migrating WordPress, little issues are bound to pop up. Your new host must offer 24/7 live chat, phone support, and a knowledgeable human touch.
Steer clear of providers with purely ticket-based support or reliance on bots/automation.
4. Seamless Migration Assistance
Choose a managed WordPress host that offers free migration services. They should handle moving your site files/database with minimal effort on your part.
For example, WP Engine assigns a Launch Engineer to walk you through migrating to their platform. Very handy.
5. Advanced Site Performance Tools
To enhance performance post-migration, select a host with built-in CDNs, caching, auto-scaling, and other optimizations.
For example, Kinsta includes a Google Cloud Platform-powered CDN with each plan to improve speed.
6. Affordable Pricing & Value
No need to break the bank. Seek plans with reasonable resource limits and transparent pricing. Avoid hosts with lowball teaser rates but exorbitant renewals.
SiteGround strikes a nice balance here – their GrowBig shared WordPress plan is under $10/month.
Keeping these criteria in mind will help you select a managed WordPress host tailor-made for seamless migrations and stellar performance. Do your research to find the right fit.
Now let‘s get into the step-by-step process for how to migrate WordPress to your new host with zero downtime…
Step-by-Step Guide to Migrating WordPress with No Downtime
Once you’ve chosen your new stellar WordPress host, it’s go time.
The following is my proven step-by-step process for seamlessly migrating WordPress sites with no pesky downtime. Each phase is critical, so let’s dive in:
Step 1: Install and Run Duplicator Plugin
To migrate your WordPress site, we’ll use an amazing plugin called Duplicator. It packages your entire site – files, database, plugins, themes – for simple migration anywhere.
First, log into your current WordPress dashboard and install + activate Duplicator (the free version is fine). Then under Duplicator > Packages, click “Create New.”
Give your backup a name, then run the system scan. Once it finishes, click “Build” to package your site. This may take several minutes for large sites.
Once built, download the installer and archive.zip files for upload to your new host.
Step 2: Sign up for New Host Account
Next, sign up for a hosting account with your selected new WordPress host. Resist any temptation to install WordPress – we’ll handle this through Duplicator.
Make note of your new host’s server IP, cPanel/SSH login, FTP details, and nameserver IPs for easy access.
Step 3: Upload Migration Files to New Host
Using an FTP client like FileZilla, connect to your new host and upload the installer.php file and archive.zip from Duplicator to the root folder. This is usually /public_html/.
Ensure the root folder is empty first – delete any existing files on new host if needed.
Step 4: Update Local Hosts File
Here’s where the magic happens to avoid downtime. Edit your local “hosts” file to point your domain to the new host‘s IP temporarily:
123.123.123.123 example.comWhere 123.123.123.123 is your new host‘s IP address.
This tricks your computer into accessing the new host when you visit your domain. The rest of the world still goes to the old host for now. Clever!
Step 5: Create New Database
Log into your new host’s control panel and setup a new database and user account for WordPress. Record the database name, user, password, and hostname.
Step 6: Run Duplicator Installer
Time to migrate! Access the Duplicator installer at http://yourdomain/installer.php using your edited hosts file.
Step through the installer:
- Accept license
- Enter new database details
- Click "validate" to test connection
- Review migration results
- Click "finalize"
Your WordPress site is now migrated to the new host! Log in to check that everything looks dandy.
Step 7: Update Nameservers
The final step is changing your domain’s nameservers to point to your new host. Log into your domain registrar, swap to your new host’s nameservers, and save.
It can take up to 48 hours for the DNS to propagate worldwide. But your WordPress migration is complete! Delete your old host account whenever ready.
And that’s it folks! Using this proven process, you can seamlessly migrate WordPress to any new host or server with zero downtime. Just take it slow and follow each step carefully.
Now let’s cover some key tips to avoid headaches and ensure migration success…
Expert Tips to Avoid WordPress Migration Mistakes
After managing dozens of WordPress migrations over my 15 year career, I’ve learned how to dodge common pitfalls that can spell trouble:
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❌ Don‘t try to manually migrate by copying files and exporting/importing SQL. This often causes issues.
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❌ Don‘t migrate your live site without testing locally first. Always do a trial run in a staging environment if possible.
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❌ Don‘t forget to update URLs in your database after migrating. Use a search/replace tool to avoid broken links.
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✅ Do clear all caches before migrating to avoid conflicts. Disable caching plugins too.
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✅ Do review error logs closely and validate every aspect of your migrated site to catch problems early.
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✅ Do migrate during low-traffic hours and alert users if needed. Less disruption and stress!
Follow these tips and the process above, and your WordPress migration should go off without a hitch. For even smoother sailing, a managed host like WP Engine can handle the heavy lifting for you.
Now let’s cover some frequently asked questions about migrating WordPress hosting:
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is migrating WordPress hard?
It can be tricky, but following this guide step-by-step makes WordPress migrations straightforward. The key is avoiding downtime by using a duplicated site on the new host and updating DNS last. Managed WordPress hosts also simplify the process.
Q: How long does a WordPress migration take?
The migration itself can take as little as 30-60 minutes for smaller sites. But plan for up to 48 hours total including DNS propagation. Run migrations during low-traffic windows.
Q: What is the best WordPress migration plugin?
Duplicator is my top pick for WordPress migrations. The free version has all you need to securely migrate an entire site in just a few clicks.
Q: Can I migrate WordPress to any host?
You can technically migrate WordPress anywhere. But for best results, go with managed WordPress hosts like WP Engine, Kinsta, or SiteGround rather than janky shared hosts.
Q: Should I migrate my domain to my new WordPress host too?
I recommend transferring your domain to be managed by your new WordPress host too. This simplifies renewals and DNS management in one unified dashboard.
Q: Can migrations damage my SEO?
As long as you follow WordPress SEO best practices and avoid extended downtime, migrating hosts should not impact rankings or traffic. Monitor closely though.
Q: Is WordPress hosting migration safe?
Using a tool like Duplicator ensures safe WordPress migrations. Your site is fully backed up first, so there’s no risk of data loss. Take it slow and migration is secure.
Migrating WordPress Doesn‘t Have to Be Hard
As you can see, WordPress migrations don’t have to strike fear into webmasters’ hearts. As long as you carefully prepare, follow proven methods, and use the right tools, migrating your WordPress site can be simple and downtime-free.
The key steps we covered include:
- Finding a managed WordPress host that fits your needs
- Using Duplicator to copy your site files and database
- Updating local DNS to access the new host before changing nameservers
- Importing your site on the new host via Duplicator
- Flipping the domain DNS to the new host when ready
Take it slow and lean on your new host’s support team if needed. Stay vigilant those first few weeks post-migration to ensure everything runs smoothly.
But the payoff for finding a managed WordPress host tailored to your site’s growth is huge. Your site performance and reliability will soar to new heights.
So breathe easy and be fearless in migrating your WordPress site. Simply follow this guide, and you’ll be off to the races on new hosting in no time flat. Let me know if you have any other questions!
