Job host-wordpress-site-move-to-new-host · revised 11 October 2026
Move one WordPress site to a new host and switch over with a way back
Copy one WordPress site, files and database, to a new host, test it on a preview address, then switch traffic with a written way back and live checks.
You might be seeing
- The host is raising prices or shutting down the plan the site is on
- You are afraid a move will break the design, the forms or the logins
- A plugin told you the PHP version on your host is no longer supported
- A previous attempt left the site half-working at the new host
No passwords, keys, card details or admin invites needed to start.
What usually happened
A WordPress site is a folder of files plus a database that stores the site's web address in many places, some of it in serialised data that breaks if it is edited carelessly. Copying only the files leaves posts and settings behind, a blind find-and-replace can corrupt widgets and options, and switching DNS before the copy is tested sends visitors, and any new comments or form entries, to a half-working site.
Who it’s for: Owner of a small business with a WordPress brochure or blog site whose host is too slow, too dear, closing, or no longer supports a current PHP version.
Usually starts when: A renewal notice, a host closing a plan, repeated outages, or a recommendation to move to a faster managed host.
The result: The site runs at the new host with the agreed pages, forms and logins tested on a preview first, traffic is switched with a written way back, and live checks pass after the switch.
Check whether this job fits
Six questions, about two minutes. Your answers stay on this page unless you choose to email them.
Checks you can run yourself
See which versions you are running
In the WordPress dashboard, open Tools then Site Health then Info, and expand the WordPress, Server and Database sections.
Look for: Note the WordPress version, the PHP version and the database server version. Send us those three lines.
What you get
- The backup and a record of what was copied
- A test sheet for the preview with a pass or fail for each agreed item
- Steps and timing for the domain holder, with the previous DNS values to restore
- A list of anything that differs at the new host: PHP version, limits, cron and mail sending
Included
- One single-site WordPress installation with up to 10 GB of files and a database up to 2 GB, moved to a host you choose and own
- A full backup of files and database taken first, and kept until sign-off
- Copying files and database, adjusting the database settings in the site's configuration file, and, only if the web address changes, a dry-run and then a serialised-data-safe search-and-replace
- A preview at the new host before DNS changes, with tests of ten agreed pages, the menu, one contact form and a staff login
- A content freeze and a final sync of changed content, then a switch and switch-back plan for the domain holder with live checks after it
Not included
- WooCommerce shops, membership sites or any site taking orders or payments while it moves
- WordPress Multisite networks
- Moving email mailboxes or changing DNS provider
- Fixing a broken theme or plugin, redesign, speed tuning or cache setup
- Cleaning a hacked site: see the restore job
How we know it’s done
Agreed with you before work starts. Each check produces evidence you keep.
On the preview at the new host, each of ten agreed pages loads with its images and menu, one contact form delivers a test message to the agreed address, and one staff login reaches the dashboard.
Evidence: The test sheet with a screenshot or message for each item
The counts of posts, pages, media items, users and comments at the new host equal those at the old host at the time of the final sync.
Evidence: A side-by-side count table taken from each site's own dashboard
After the DNS switch and once cached answers expire, public lookups show the new host's address, the https certificate is valid for the domain and www, and the ten pages still load.
Evidence: Lookup output, certificate details and a status for each page
dig +short A yourbusiness.co.uk
Sign-off. You sign off after the preview tests, the count comparison and the post-switch checks pass. The old host stays untouched for at least 14 days.
If it fails. If the agreed preview tests do not pass, no DNS change is made and you do not pay. If a live check fails after the switch, the domain holder restores the previous DNS values and we fix the new copy.
When it fits, and when we stop
It fits when
- You own the new hosting account and it offers a PHP and database version the site's WordPress version supports
- You can give us a full backup, or secure access to take one, and keep the old host active for at least 14 days
- Someone can change DNS at the agreed time, and content can be frozen for the final sync
- Your email does not depend on the old host, or you are keeping the old hosting account running until the mailboxes have moved
We stop and tell you if
- The site is already compromised or shows unexplained files or admin users
- The database is over 2 GB, the site is a shop with live orders, or it is a Multisite network
- WordPress, PHP or a key plugin is so old that no supported host runs it and an upgrade is needed first
- Nobody can sign in to the old host and no backup exists
What could go wrong
The old host stays live and unchanged for at least 14 days, and the previous DNS values are written down, so the domain holder can switch back. Content added at the new host after the switch must be copied back by hand if you reverse it, which is why the freeze window is agreed first.
Scroll the table sideways to read it all.
| Risk | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| A search-and-replace damages serialised settings or widgets. | Only needed if the address changes; we dry-run it first, use a serialised-data-safe method and compare before and after. |
| New comments or form entries land on the old host after the final sync. | We agree a content freeze and check both hosts for new entries after the switch. |
| The new host differs in PHP version, limits or mail sending. | Differences are listed before the switch and tested on the preview, including one real form submission. |
A second reviewer, separate from the work that produced the copy, compares the preview test sheet and the cut-over plan. No human supervisor is included unless your proposal names one. At launch much of the preparation is automated, and we say so.
How we deliver
We arrange the work and independent review, then show you the result against the agreed checks. You keep authority over your systems.
- Take a full backup of files and database, and record the WordPress, PHP and database versions
- Create the site at the new host, import the copy and adjust the configuration to the new database
- If the web address changes, dry-run the search-and-replace and then run it in a way that keeps serialised data intact
- Test the preview with a temporary route that does not change public DNS: ten pages, the menu, one form and one login
- Freeze content, run a final sync and agree the switch time with the domain holder
- The domain holder changes DNS; we run the live checks and keep the old host in place for the agreed days
This is a one-off job, not emergency cover or a subscription. We confirm eligibility, the total price, a start window and a delivery date before you accept. Work starts only after agreed inputs, secure access, any licences and necessary permissions are in place. Hosting, platform and supplier charges are excluded unless the written quote includes them. No charge or booking is created by an enquiry.
Need to keep it working?
After the move, ask about the standing responsibility that keeps WordPress updated, backed up and monitored.
Ongoing work is separately scoped and quoted: no monitoring, response-time guarantee or automatic subscription is included in this job.
Explore an ongoing engineering lane, or mention the responsibility you need in your enquiry.
What you can check
This is a new service. We have not delivered this job for a client yet.
Other ways to get this done
- Many managed WordPress hosts offer a free migration of one site, usually by plugin. If your new host does, ask what they test afterwards: this job is for when you want the pages, forms and logins checked and a written way back.
- WordPress's own developer documentation sets out the manual steps for moving a site, including the warning about serialised data. developer.wordpress.org
Questions
Will my site be down?
The preview is built before DNS changes, so the public site keeps running at the old host until the switch. A short freeze on new content is agreed first. No move can promise zero delay for every visitor while DNS answers spread.
My site is a shop. Can you move it?
Not with this fixed-price job. Orders arriving during a move need their own freeze plan and a separate quote.
Will moving the site move my email?
No. If your mailboxes are on the old host, keep that account running until the mail has moved, or move the mail first with the mailbox job. Cancelling the old host removes them.
Do I need to pay for the new host?
Yes. The new hosting account is in your name and its charges are separate from our price.
Send an enquiry
Send us
- The site address, the old host and the new host
- The WordPress and PHP versions, if you can see them, and approximate site size
- Where your email is hosted: if the mailboxes sit on the old host, cancelling it will remove them
- The ten pages and the one form to test, and who logs in
- Your preferred switch window and how long content can be frozen
Later, once you agree
- A full backup or a secure export of files and database from the old host, via a company-controlled handoff
- An empty hosting account at the new host and access to its panel or an SFTP and database details held by you
- The domain holder's agreement to change DNS at the agreed time
- No live passwords, payment keys or customer records by ordinary email
The site, both hosting accounts and the domain stay in your name. We work from your backup, keep no copy after sign-off, and you or your domain holder make the DNS change.
Email fallback: open your mail app
If website submission is unavailable, review and send the fallback email yourself. An email fallback is not a website receipt. Or write to hello@syntheticindustry.ai with “host-wordpress-site-move-to-new-host” as the subject.