Sooner or later, most business websites outgrow the place they started. Maybe your hosting bill keeps creeping up at renewal time, your pages have started loading slowly, or you’re rebranding under a new domain name. Whichever one brought you here, you need to move your site without losing your content, your customers or your Google rankings.
The good news is that migrating a WordPress site is more straightforward than it sounds. With a migration plugin, or a host that offers free migrations, you can move the whole site without writing any code or hiring a developer.
When should you migrate your WordPress site?
Migrate your WordPress site when your current website is holding the business back. Common signs are slow pages even after you’ve trimmed images and plugins, frequent outages, a sudden jump in renewal price, or support that went quiet after a security problem. Rebranding to a new domain name is another common trigger.
If two of those sound familiar, start packing.
Pre-migration checklist: steps to prepare your site
- Back up the whole site. WordPress has two parts: files (theme, plugins, photos) and a database (pages, posts, orders, settings). UpdraftPlus copies both. Keep a copy off your hosting account, in Google Drive or Dropbox.
- Delete unused plugins and themes. Less to move, less to break.
- Gather your logins for both hosts, your domain registrar and WordPress admin.
- Check where your domain lives. If it came bundled with your old hosting plan, sort that out first, or cancelling the hosting could take your web address with it.
- Pause caching and security plugins, which often interfere with migrations.
Think of the backup as photographing the back of the TV before you unplug it. You’ll probably never look at it. You’ll be very glad it exists if you do.
Should you migrate your WordPress site manually or automatically?
For most small businesses, automatic wins. Ask your new host to move the site for free, or use a migration plugin that packs and unpacks everything for you. Manual migration means copying files over FTP, exporting the database and editing configuration files, which is developer territory.
| Method | Who does the work | Skill needed | Suits |
| Free host migration | Your new host | None | Busy owners, online shops |
| Migration plugin | You, with guided screens | Basic WordPress dashboard use | Small to mid-size sites |
| Manual migration | You or a developer | FTP, databases, code edits | Developers |
If your new host offers a free move, take it. If not, a plugin is the next safest route.
Option 1: Ask your new host to migrate it for free
Kinsta, WP Engine, Bluehost, DreamHost and Flywheel all offer free migration help. Some move the site by hand; others give you a plugin and a migration key. Terms change, so confirm what’s included before you sign up.
Option 2: Use a WordPress migration plugin
Duplicator bundles your site into an archive plus an installer file. All-in-One WP Migration exports one file you import into a fresh WordPress install. Migrate Guru copies straight from server to server. All three have free versions. One caveat: WP Engine notes that large sites are more prone to plugin errors, so very big stores may suit a host-managed move better.
Option 3: Migrate your site manually
BlogVault tried this while writing its migration guide and called it not for the faint of heart. Its test site, under 100MB, took over an hour just to download via FTP. Leave this one to a developer.
How to migrate your WordPress site with a plugin
Step 1: Turn on maintenance mode
A plugin like WP Maintenance Mode shows visitors a back soon page, so no orders land on the old site mid-move. Pick your quietest day in Google Analytics.
Step 2: Create a copy of your site with the plugin
Install the plugin on your current site, run the export, and download the file it creates.
Step 3: Set up your new hosting account
Note the temporary web address your new host gives you, so you can work while customers still see the old site. All-in-One WP Migration needs WordPress installed there first; Duplicator’s installer doesn’t.
Step 4: Import your site to the new host
Upload the file and follow the prompts. Keep the browser tab open until it finishes.
Step 5: Test your site on the temporary URL
Click through the homepage, menu, a few pages and your contact form. It’s walking through the new house before the couch arrives.
How to point your domain to the new host
Log in to your domain registrar and update the DNS records to the values your new host provides. DNS is the internet’s phone book, telling browsers where your site lives. Changes can take up to 48 hours to spread, though they’re often quicker.
Watch your email here. Kinsta points out that changing nameservers sends everything on your domain to the new provider, email included. If your email runs through the old host, either have the new host set up your email (MX) records first, or change only the website’s A or CNAME record. It’s an easy step to miss until the inbox goes quiet.
Keep the old hosting running until the switch is complete.
Post-migration checklist: what to check after moving your site
- Send a test message through every contact form.
- Place and refund a test order if you sell online.
- Look for the padlock (SSL) in the browser bar.
- Check images on inner pages, not just the homepage.
- Go to Settings → Permalinks → Save Changes, a single click that fixes many page not found errors.
- Re-enter premium theme and plugin license keys, as some are tied to your domain.
- Turn maintenance mode off and caching and security plugins back on.
- Watch Google Search Console for new errors.
Wait a week or two before cancelling the old hosting. Ongoing WordPress maintenance keeps these checks on someone else’s list after the move.
How to fix common WordPress migration problems
Error establishing a database connection means the site can’t log in to its database, usually because a password or database name is wrong. Send your host’s support team a screenshot.
Broken layout or missing images means some saved addresses still point to the old site. Re-run the import with the correct address, or use a plugin like Better Search Replace.
Logging in sends you back to the old site when WordPress still has the old address in its settings. Your host can correct it quickly.
Migrating from WordPress to another platform
Switching from WordPress to a different platform, such as Wix, Squarespace or Shopify, works differently from a host move. You aren’t copying the site; you’re rebuilding it on new software, and only some of your content makes the trip. Your words and images pack neatly into boxes. The furniture (your theme and plugins) stays behind.
Start by exporting your content from WordPress under Tools → Export, which gives you an XML file. What happens next depends on where you’re going:
Squarespace has a built-in WordPress importer that brings across pages, blog posts and comments. Your theme, plugins and custom CSS don’t transfer, and imported pages arrive switched off until you add them to your menu.
Wix imports published blog posts with their images, dates and categories, according to Wix’s help centre. Drafts, contact forms, plugins and custom code need to be recreated by hand.
Whichever platform you choose, plan to rebuild anything a plugin handled for you, like booking forms or an online shop. Then set up 301 redirects from your old page addresses to the new ones. Wix notes that it doesn’t create these automatically, and skipping them is the quickest way to lose the Google rankings you’ve built up. Your domain and email need the same care as a host move, so check where both live before you change anything.
WordPress migration FAQs
How long does it take to migrate a WordPress site?
WP Engine estimates a straightforward migration at 1 to 4 hours, with complex sites taking longer. Add up to 48 hours for DNS.
Will migrating my site affect my Google rankings?
Keep the same domain and page addresses, and the impact is usually minimal. If addresses change, add 301 redirects from old pages to new ones.
Will my business email move with my website?
Not automatically. Email hosting is often separate, so plan for it before changing DNS.
A solid backup, the right method and a careful look around afterwards are what make a move painless.
