How to migrate your website to a new host

Before migrating, know that one golden rule guides the whole operation: delete nothing until the new site is tested and functional. With preparation, a migration goes smoothly. Let's see the steps.

Why change hosts

You generally migrate for good reasons: a site that's too slow, disappointing customer service, prices that are too high, frequent outages, or simply a site that has grown and needs more resources. Better hosting can improve your speed (and therefore your SEO and conversions) and make your life easier.

Whatever the reason, the goal of a migration is to move your site to better “housing” without your visitors noticing. Done well, the operation is transparent; done poorly, it can cost traffic and rankings. Hence the importance of method.

Preparing the migration

Preparation is the key. First, make a full backup of your current site: all the files and, where applicable, the database. It's your safety net. Then, choose and configure your new hosting. Golden rule: above all, don't cancel your old hosting before everything works on the new one.

Also take the chance to note what must follow: domain name, email accounts, certificates, existing redirects. A migration often touches more elements than you'd think. Better to list everything in advance than to discover an oversight once the site has switched over.

The migration steps

• Back up the entire old site (files and database).
• Set up the site on the new hosting (transfer the files and import the database).
• Recreate the email accounts and reconfigure the necessary elements (SSL certificate, etc.).
• Test the site on the new hosting before any switchover, ideally via a temporary address.
• Once everything is validated, point the domain name to the new host (DNS).

The idea is to rebuild and check your site at its new address while the old one keeps running. That way, your visitors see no interruption, and you only switch over once you're certain everything works.

DNS and propagation time

The final switchover happens at the DNS level: you modify your domain name's records so it points to the new server. This change isn't instant: expect a propagation delay (often a few hours, sometimes up to 24-48 hours) during which traffic is distributed between the old and new server.

A tip: lowering the time-to-live (TTL) of your DNS records a few days before the migration speeds up propagation on the big day. And since the old and new sites are identical during this transition, your visitors notice nothing, regardless of which server serves them. That's why you only close the old hosting after full propagation.

The precautions not to neglect

A few precautions avoid nasty surprises: test everything after the migration (pages, forms, images, speed, emails), keep your redirects and your URL structure to preserve your SEO, and monitor your site in the following days. If the domain or the URLs change, set up 301 redirects so you don't lose your rankings in Google.

Need help migrating your site?

Migrating a site is doable yourself, but the technical details (database, DNS, emails, redirects, SEO) make all the difference between an invisible migration and a site broken for days. It's one of those operations where a mistake costs dearly, and where an expert hand brings real peace of mind.

At Ton Consultant, we manage this kind of migration from A to Z: we move your site to better hosting, with no visible downtime and while preserving your SEO. You keep peace of mind while we handle the technical side — and your site often comes out faster.