Move a WordPress site from SiteGround by copying its files and database to the new server, configuring the destination, testing the copy while the live site remains online, and only then changing DNS. Keep a complete independent backup and leave SiteGround active until the new site, email, and integrations are verified.
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What a hosting migration actually changes
A WordPress move is four coordinated operations: transfer the site files, transfer the database, configure WordPress for the destination server, and direct the domain to that server. The domain registration itself is a separate matter. You can keep the domain at its current registrar and change only the web-hosting destination.
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The files include WordPress core, wp-content, uploaded media, themes, plugins, and wp-config.php. The database contains posts, pages, users, settings, orders, comments, form entries, and other dynamic data. A copy that omits either side is incomplete.
There is no universal downtime or success-rate guarantee. Downtime depends on DNS behavior, the final copy, how quickly visitors resolve the new address, and whether the site continues receiving writes during the move. A preview-and-cutover plan minimizes risk without promising that every resolver will switch simultaneously.
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Decide what will and will not move
Before opening the new hosting account, write down the boundaries of the project. Hosting, DNS, domain registration, email, and third-party services can be changed independently.
- Web hosting: the server that stores WordPress and runs PHP and the database.
- DNS hosting: the authoritative zone containing records for the domain.
- Domain registration: the registrar account that renews and controls the domain. It does not have to move with the website.
- Email: mailboxes and delivery services identified by MX and authentication records.
- External services: payment gateways, analytics, CDNs, API callbacks, security allowlists, and scheduled jobs that may refer to the old server.
Choose early whether DNS will stay where it is. If it stays, changing the web server’s A or AAAA record is usually less disruptive than changing nameservers. If DNS moves, the entire zone must be rebuilt before the nameserver switch.
Inventory the live SiteGround setup
Create a migration sheet and record the current values before changing anything. This prevents a working but forgotten dependency from failing after cutover.
- Primary domain, www variant, parked domains, subdomains, and installation directories.
- Current DNS provider, nameservers, A and AAAA records, CNAMEs, redirects, and TTL values.
- Email provider, mailboxes, forwarding rules, MX records, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC or other TXT records.
- PHP version, database engine and version, storage use, and any server-level limits.
- SSL certificate arrangement, forced-HTTPS rules, CDN, page-cache and object-cache settings.
- WordPress cron tasks, server cron jobs, backup jobs, webhooks, payment callbacks, and IP allowlists.
- Contact forms, search, memberships, subscriptions, WooCommerce or other checkout functions, analytics, and Search Console verification.
- Plugin and theme licenses, custom code, environment variables, and credentials required by integrations.
Schedule a controlled content freeze
A final database export captures a point in time. If visitors can place orders, submit forms, comment, register, or edit content while that export is being made, those writes may exist only on the old server. Announce a short freeze, maintenance window, or read-only period for the final copy. A low-traffic brochure site may need only a brief pause; a busy store may require a more carefully timed freeze and an order-reconciliation plan.
Lower DNS TTL only when useful
Reducing the DNS time-to-live before the move can shorten how long some resolvers cache the old address, but the useful lead time and minimum value depend on the DNS provider. Changing TTL does not flush caches that already received the previous value, so do it ahead of the cutover rather than minutes before it.
Create and verify an independent backup
The backup is your rollback safety net, not merely a convenience. WordPress guidance recommends downloading the old site files, exporting the database, and retaining the old copy safely.
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- Download the complete document root, including WordPress core,
wp-content, uploads, themes, plugins, andwp-config.php. Include hidden files such as.htaccesswhen the server uses them. - Export every WordPress database used by the site. Record the database name, table prefix, character set, and the export date.
- Store the archive and SQL export on independent storage, such as an external drive for WordPress migration backups, rather than only inside the SiteGround account.
- Open the archive, inspect that uploads and themes are present, and confirm that the SQL file is readable and non-empty. If possible, restore the backup to a disposable database or local environment.
- Keep SiteGround active. Do not cancel the plan or delete files until the destination has been tested and a rollback is still possible.
Keep a second copy of credentials and DNS exports in a secure password manager or encrypted storage. A backup that cannot be opened, or whose password is lost, is not a usable rollback.
Prepare the destination host
Create the new hosting account and either install a clean WordPress instance or create an empty document root and database. Obtain the destination IP address and working SFTP or FTP and database credentials.
Check compatibility before uploading
- Confirm that the required PHP and database versions are available and compatible with the current WordPress, plugins, and theme.
- Check disk space against the size of the files and database, with room for logs, backups, cache, and future uploads.
- Confirm SSL support, HTTPS redirects, and whether the host provides a staging site, temporary URL, or preview method.
- Record database host, database name, user, password, table-prefix requirements, and any nonstandard port.
- Find out whether the provider’s migration service includes files, database, SSL, email, DNS, and post-migration fixes. These are often separate services.
Do not assume a provider’s inbound migration tool can move a site away from that provider. SiteGround’s Migrator is intended for transfers into SiteGround; an outgoing move to another provider requires a manual process or a service that explicitly supports it.
Choose a migration method
| Method | Best fit | Strengths | Risks and checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual files and database | Owners who need control or have unusual setups | Transparent, independently restorable, and not tied to one host’s plugin | Requires correct credentials, database import, configuration edits, URL handling, and testing |
| Migration plugin | Standard single-site installations with moderate size | Can package or copy files and database with less server work | Large archives, server limits, serialized data, multisite, and login or redirect changes may need manual intervention |
| Managed migration | Sites where staff time or outage risk costs more than a service fee | May include transfer, SSL setup, preview, and troubleshooting | Scope varies; verify treatment of email, DNS, large databases, WooCommerce writes, multisite, and rollback before authorizing work |
Evaluate options on preview capability, handling of high-write databases, SSL and staging support, multisite or unusual-plugin compatibility, email and DNS treatment, rollback, labor, and total cost. A managed service is not automatically a complete DNS or email migration.
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Copy the WordPress site manually
The following sequence keeps the old site available while the destination is assembled.
- Create the destination database and user. Grant the permissions required by WordPress and note the exact database name, username, password, host, and table prefix.
- Upload the files. Transfer the complete WordPress directory to the new document root with SFTP or FTP. Preserve directory structure and file names, including
wp-content/uploadsand server rules such as.htaccesswhere applicable. - Import the SQL export. Use the destination host’s database tool to import the export. For a large database, use the provider’s command-line or staged importer if the web interface times out; do not silently omit tables.
- Edit
wp-config.php. Set the new database name, user, password, host, and any required table prefix. Preserve salts, debugging choices, and custom constants unless the destination requires a deliberate change. - Set file ownership and permissions. Use the destination’s documented permissions so PHP can read WordPress and write only to directories that need uploads or updates. Avoid making the entire site world-writable.
- Configure PHP and web-server behavior. Match upload limits, memory limits, rewrite rules, HTTPS handling, and caching settings to the old site where the destination supports them.
- Enable destination SSL. Issue or attach the certificate for the real domain before public DNS points there. Test the certificate on the preview address if the host supports it.
A migration plugin or host-assisted copy can automate parts of these steps, but retain the independent backup and verify the resulting files and database yourself.
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Handle domain, path, and URL changes safely
If the domain, protocol, and installation path remain identical, avoid a broad search-and-replace. Unnecessary replacements can damage serialized WordPress data and create new redirect or media problems.
When the domain or folder changes
Update WordPress’s siteurl and home values to the new address when the application uses another domain, protocol, or directory. Make the change through the destination database or a trusted administrative method while the site is still private.
Replace old URLs in content, menus, widgets, and plugin settings with a serialization-aware tool. Plain text replacement can leave serialized string lengths incorrect, which may cause lost settings or broken widgets. Search for both HTTP and HTTPS forms, old subdomains, and the old directory path, then inspect representative pages and media.
Keep the domain registration separate if desired
You do not need to transfer the domain registrar account to change web hosting. Leaving registration where it is can reduce the number of simultaneous changes. Transfer registration only for a separate administrative, pricing, or ownership reason, and follow the registrar’s authorization and lock rules independently of the hosting cutover.
Test the copied site before changing DNS
Use the host’s temporary URL, staging URL, or a local hosts-file override that maps the real domain to the new IP. A hosts-file test changes only your computer’s resolution, allowing you to exercise the destination while public visitors still reach SiteGround.
Functional test checklist
- Open the home page, representative posts, pages, category archives, search results, and 404 pages.
- Log in to
wp-admin; create a disposable test user if the site has role-based access. - Open media from old and recent uploads and confirm image sizes, downloads, and video embeds.
- Save a draft, preview it, and verify permalinks and redirects.
- Submit every important form and confirm delivery, spam handling, autoresponders, and CRM or webhook callbacks.
- Run a test checkout or other transaction in the provider’s sandbox mode; verify cart, payment return, order email, and fulfillment callbacks.
- Check scheduled posts, backups, WordPress cron events, server cron jobs, and queue workers.
- Inspect canonical URLs, robots.txt, XML sitemaps, analytics tags, consent tooling, and Search Console verification.
- Test HTTPS, www-to-non-www or non-www-to-www redirects, mixed-content warnings, and any CDN or cache purge process.
- Compare database-backed features with the old site, including memberships, subscriptions, comments, and customer history.
Fix errors on the destination before cutover. Do not use the preview merely to confirm that the home page renders; most migration failures appear in login, forms, media paths, scheduled work, or integrations.
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Choose the DNS cutover method
| Situation | Action | Records to protect |
|---|---|---|
| DNS stays with the current provider | Change the domain’s A record and, if the site uses IPv6, its AAAA record to the new server address. | Leave MX, SPF, DKIM, CNAME, TXT, subdomain, verification, and service records unchanged. |
| DNS management moves to the new provider | Recreate the complete zone first, verify it, then change the domain’s nameservers. | Copy every required A, AAAA, MX, SPF, DKIM, CNAME, TXT, redirect, and subdomain record before switching authority. |
A nameserver change replaces the authoritative DNS zone. Missing mail or verification records can interrupt email, subdomains, certificate issuance, payment callbacks, or third-party services even when WordPress itself is perfect. Export or screenshot the old zone, compare record-by-record, and obtain the new nameservers or IP addresses from the destination provider.
Preserve email deliberately
Changing web hosting does not require moving mailboxes. If email remains with its current provider, keep its MX records and authentication records intact. Recreate MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and any provider-specific CNAME or TXT records before a nameserver switch. Afterward, send and receive a test message from an external account and inspect authentication results.
Make the cutover
- Confirm the destination passes the preview checklist and the final content freeze is active.
- Take one last files and database backup, or export only the changed database data if your high-write migration plan explicitly supports that.
- Update the A and AAAA records, or replace nameservers after the complete zone is ready.
- Record the exact time and old and new values so you can distinguish DNS cache delay from an application error.
- Keep SiteGround serving the old site during propagation wherever possible.
Verify after DNS changes
DNS propagation is not a single global event. Check resolution from multiple networks, devices, or independent DNS lookup services and confirm that the resolved address is the destination.
- Open HTTP and HTTPS versions, verify the certificate name and chain, and test all canonical redirects.
- Log in, load media, submit forms, and complete a safe test transaction or callback.
- Send and receive email, then inspect SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results if mail records changed.
- Confirm cron jobs, scheduled content, backups, analytics, CDN behavior, and monitoring alerts.
- Compare representative pages and database-backed records with the old site for missing writes or stale content.
- Review server and PHP logs for fatal errors, permission errors, redirect loops, database connection failures, and blocked callbacks.
After its DNS switch, SiteGround recommends avoiding site changes for 48 hours to reduce the chance of divergent copies while some visitors still reach the old server. Apply the same principle to your move: keep a controlled change window until traffic consistently reaches the destination.
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Brochure sites are easier because the database changes little. Stores, membership sites, forums, and busy forms continue writing while a migration archive is prepared.
- Schedule the final export during the quietest practical period.
- Announce a brief maintenance or read-only window so new orders, comments, registrations, and form entries are not split between servers.
- Reconcile order IDs, customer records, submissions, and other writes between the final export and the first destination requests.
- Disable duplicate cron workers and payment callbacks on the old server only when the new server is confirmed ready; otherwise background jobs may run twice or not at all.
- Use a migration service only after confirming how it handles ongoing writes, large databases, serialized data, and rollback.
Troubleshoot common migration failures
Database connection error
Recheck the database name, username, password, host, port, and table prefix in wp-config.php. Confirm that the destination user has permissions and that the imported tables use the prefix WordPress expects.
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Home page works but internal links return 404
Save the permalink settings once in WordPress to regenerate rewrite rules, then verify the destination web-server configuration and copied .htaccess or equivalent rules. Check that the site is not installed one directory deeper than intended.
Redirect loop or mixed-content warnings
Confirm the HTTPS certificate, proxy or CDN HTTPS mode, WordPress home and siteurl values, and forced-HTTPS rules. Remove conflicting redirect layers and update hard-coded HTTP asset URLs only where necessary.
Images or downloads are missing
Verify that the entire uploads directory was transferred, file names retained their case, and permissions allow web-server reads. Regenerate thumbnails only after confirming the originals exist.
Forms, payments, or webhooks fail
Update provider allowlists and callback URLs, install required PHP extensions, and verify outbound firewall rules. Use sandbox transactions and inspect both WordPress and destination-server logs.
Email stopped after the switch
Compare the active DNS zone with the recorded old zone. Restore missing MX, SPF, DKIM, CNAME, or TXT records, then allow DNS caches to expire before judging the result. If mailboxes were not migrated, do not delete the old mail service.
Some visitors still see the old site
That is usually resolver caching during propagation. Confirm that the old server remains functional, check TTL and nameserver responses, and avoid making different content changes on each copy.
Rollback and retire SiteGround safely
Rollback means directing DNS back to the old server while the independent backup and old account remain available. Decide in advance what failure would trigger rollback, such as lost orders, broken payment callbacks, unrecoverable database errors, or missing mail.
- Keep the old files, database, DNS records, and credentials untouched during the observation period.
- If rollback is required, restore the previous A and AAAA values or nameservers and record the time.
- Preserve any new orders, comments, registrations, or form entries created on the destination so they can be reconciled after recovery.
- Correct the destination, repeat preview tests, and schedule a new cutover rather than repeatedly switching DNS without a plan.
When traffic consistently reaches the new host and business-critical checks pass, remove obsolete credentials, disable duplicate cron jobs, archive the final backup and DNS record set, and document the new server and recovery locations. Only then cancel the old SiteGround hosting plan.
Quick Recap
Final migration checklist
- Inventory, DNS export, credentials, integrations, SSL, cron, and email records documented.
- Independent files and database backup opened and verified.
- Destination PHP, database, storage, SSL, preview, and access requirements confirmed.
- Files uploaded, database imported,
wp-config.phpadapted, and permissions set. - Domain and path values checked; serialized data handled with a serialization-aware method when needed.
- Preview test passed for pages, admin, media, permalinks, forms, checkout, jobs, redirects, SEO files, analytics, and HTTPS.
- DNS plan chosen: A/AAAA update or complete nameserver-zone recreation.
- Email MX, SPF, DKIM, CNAME, and TXT records preserved.
- Final content freeze and backup completed.
- Post-cutover DNS, site, email, integrations, and logs verified from multiple networks.
- Old hosting retained until rollback is no longer needed, then credentials and obsolete jobs retired.
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