Migration of one hosting service to another is one way of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your website. However, just one mistake while performing the procedure may lead to various problems including website malfunction, loss of email contacts, downtime, or even a drop in your ranking within the search engines.
Regardless of the fact whether it is the website, blog, e-commerce site, or even a WordPress website, with the help of the website migration checklist, you will make sure that the transfer of your website goes smoothly.
This article will provide information on all steps needed to move your website to a new hosting service. As a result, you will be sure that no mistakes will be made and your SEO and visitors will remain the same.
Table of Contents
Website Migration Importance
There are many reasons why website owners switch their web hosts and these include:
- Website underperformance
- Downtime issues
- Inadequate customer service
- Lack of web host resources
- Cheaper services somewhere else
- Increased website security
Successful migration will help you keep your website visitors without any disturbance to its ranking in search engines.
If you are still in doubt whether to change the provider, we recommend you a guide on how to migrate domain name if you plan to move your domain registration too.
Web Migration Checklist When Switching Hosting Providers
1. Create a full web backup
Before making any modifications, take a complete backup of:
- Web pages
- Database
- Emails
- SSL certificate
- Configurations
This step ensures you have a safety net should something go wrong in the process of web migration.
2. Check your current web site
Make sure that your current website works properly before web migration.
Check:
- Dead links
- Missing pictures
- Plugins errors
- Web site speed
- Current redirects
If the web site that you are migrating has some issues, you will just transfer those issues to your new hosting.
3. Write down important DNS data
Write down your:
- DNS records
- Nameservers
- MX records
- TXT records
- Subdomains
These records will have to be recreated after the migration.
4. Low DNS TTL
It is recommended to lower DNS TTL 24 to 48 hours before website migration to ensure that the DNS change will affect your site fast when migrating from one server to another.
5. Upgrade plugins, themes and software
Before migration, update the following things:
- WordPress core
- Themes
- Plugins
- CMS software
Before migration, testing backup files is essential since it guarantees the successful migration.
6. Services of web hosting service provider
All web hosting companies do not provide easy website migration.
Choose those which have the following services:
- Website migration service for free
- Servers that run on SSD or NVMe technology
- Daily backup
- Free SSL certificates
- Security
- High uptime
- Excellent technical support
If you are looking for a web hosting service provider that will provide you with reliable services, free SSL certificates, high-speed servers, and website migration services in Nigeria, you are in the right place.
7. Upload website files
The next thing you need to do is upload your website files onto the new web hosting server.
Web hosts usually make it possible to migrate your site using:
- File manager
- FTP
- SSH
- Migration plugins
8. Import your database
Once you have uploaded your website files, import your database and make sure that the credentials in the configuration file are correct.
Incorrect database configuration will usually lead to the famous “Error Establishing Database Connection” message.
9. Test your website without making changes to the DNS
Before changing your DNS settings, you should test your website using either a temporary link or modifying the hosts file.
Make sure that you check the following:
- Navigation
- Contact forms
- Images
- Login pages
- Checkout pages
- Mobile compatibility
10. Modify the DNS
Once everything is working well in the new host, you have to modify your domain name’s DNS record/nameservers.
In case you are unaware of how to do it, this article will help – How to Point a Domain Name to a Hosting Server. You must ensure that everything is okay before you move your domain to the new hosting account.
11. Check if your website is experiencing any downtime
It will take some time for DNS propagation.
During this time, you must:
- Not make any changes to the website
- Check the uptime
- Ensure that your visitors can visit the website
Website migration generally does not include downtime when planned well.
12. Test each crucial function
Once the propagation is done, test the following things:
- Homepage
- Inner pages
- Contact page
- Login system
- Email sending
- SSL certificate
- Cart functionality
- Payment processing
In some cases, a website is live but is not working.
13. Check your website loading speed
Your new hosting should be more efficient than the old one.
Compare your loading speed using various tools for evaluating web performance:
- Loading speed
- Core Web Vitals
- Response time of the server
In case your website is still slow, please read our article “Why Is My WordPress Website Running Slow?” to know how to fix it.
14. Follow your SEO metrics
Hosting change may influence SEO performance if done incorrectly.
Pay attention to:
- Number of indexed pages
- SEO crawl errors
- Position for your keywords
- Organic traffic
If you face issues with indexing, you can use our article “My Website Is Not Found on Google” to find out how to fix it.
15. Temporarily leave the old hosting active
Don’t cancel your previous hosting right away.
Wait several days until:
- Propagation of DNS settings completes
- Files are checked
- Emails work
- Website visitors access the new server
This way, you won’t lose your data.
Common Website Migration Mistakes to Be Avoided
Some website managers often end up creating issues because they:
- Fail to backup their websites
- Modify DNS before testing
- Overlook email settings
- Delete their old website host too soon
- Fail to set up their SSL
- Do not check their SEO after migrating
Avoiding these mistakes will ensure that you have an easy website migration process.
Conclusion
Website migration does not have to become a cause for stress. If you have an excellent website migration checklist, you will have no problems moving your website to a new host without harming its SEO, downtime, or bothering the website visitors.
It is important to select the right host when searching for website migration host. HarmonWeb provides secure and reliable hosting and assists customers in efficient migration.
