Website hosting migration services

What to gather before starting

Choosing a new host

Keep accounts in your name

Ask the provider to set up the new hosting account in your business's name, with their own access added. If a provider opens hosting under their own account, moving away later can be difficult. The same applies to the domain: it should remain registered to your business, with changes made using access you control or grant temporarily.

A list of all accounts, with renewal dates, is a useful output of any migration.

How the service runs

1. 01

   Plan

   Host chosen, settings recorded and timing agreed.

   Output: Migration plan

2. 02

   Prepare

   Site copied and tested on the new server.

   Output: Ready new host

3. 03

   Switch

   Domain pointed at the new host at an agreed time.

   Output: Live migration

4. 04

   Verify

   Website, forms, email and backups checked.

   Output: Confirmed move

If something goes wrong

• Site errors on new host

  Domain pointed back to the old host while issues are fixed.

• Email interruption

  Original email records restored from the recorded baseline.

• Missing content

  Recovered from the old server, still available.

Communication during the move

Agree when you will be told the switch is happening, what to check afterwards and who to contact if staff notice email or website problems. A short note to staff explaining what is changing, and asking them to report anything unusual, helps catch problems quickly.

Choosing when to switch

Pick a quiet time for your business, avoiding campaign launches, seasonal peaks and periods when key staff are away. Domain changes take some time to spread, so allow a day or two in which both servers may receive some traffic, and avoid making content changes during that window. The provider should confirm the exact timing with you in advance.

For shops, avoid switching during busy order periods.

Provider experience

Ask how many hosting migrations the provider handles and whether they have worked with both your current and new hosts. Familiarity with the hosts' control panels, backup tools and support processes makes the move smoother. Ask too how they protect email during the process, since this is where many migrations go wrong.

Support after the move

Agree a period after the switch during which the provider will fix any problems that appear, such as a scheduled task that stopped or a form that needs adjusting. Small issues often surface in the first days of normal use.

Handover notes

Ask for a short record of the new setup: hosting plan, server software versions, where backups are stored, domain and email records, and any scheduled tasks. This helps your team and any future provider understand the setup without guesswork.

Several sites or domains

If you have several sites or domains, list them all. Some may have been forgotten, such as old campaign sites or redirect-only domains, and they still need a home or a decision.

Sharing access safely

Where hosts and registrars allow it, add the provider as a collaborator rather than sharing your main password. Remove or reset access after the migration. If a password must be shared, change it once the work is complete, and avoid sending it in the same message as the account name.