Make a map of the services you use
Write down where your domain is registered, where DNS is managed, who hosts the website and who supplies email. Add booking tools, payment providers and any other service connected to the domain. One supplier may handle several of these jobs, but they remain separate parts of the move.
Agree who is responsible for each change. Your business, a developer and the new hosting provider should all know when work starts, what needs approval and how to contact one another if a check fails.
Take a backup and test the destination
Keep a current copy of the website files and database before making changes. Confirm that the backup can actually be restored, rather than relying on a successful download message.
Test the new copy before changing public DNS. Check the main pages, images, forms, search, downloads and administration access. For a shop, use the payment provider’s test mode to check the journey without taking a real payment.
Plan for information that keeps changing
An online shop can receive orders while files are being copied. A booking site can receive appointments, and a membership site can gain new accounts. Decide how those records will be kept in step during the final changeover.
This may need a short maintenance window, a final database transfer or another application-specific approach. Avoid replacing a live database with an older test copy after customers have started using the new site.
- Choose a sensible changeover time for the business.
- Agree how new orders, bookings and enquiries will be preserved.
- Keep a written recovery route if the new setup fails a critical check.
- Leave the old hosting available until the move has been verified.
Give email its own checklist
Changing hosting does not necessarily require moving email. If your mailboxes are staying with Microsoft 365 or another provider, preserve the relevant DNS records. If mailboxes are moving too, agree how existing messages, folders and device settings will be handled.
After the change, test sending and receiving with an external address as part of the agreed changeover. Check website-generated messages separately. A working website does not prove that enquiry notifications or order emails are being delivered.
Check the business journey after the switch
Open the site on a phone and a desktop. Check HTTPS, the important page addresses and the actions a customer needs to complete. Review redirects where URLs have changed, then keep an eye on errors and customer reports.
Our website migration page explains how to start the conversation. Bring your domain and a brief description of the current setup; we will help you identify the next practical step.
Further reading: 20i: website migrations · WordPress: backup guidance
