The short answer
Copy the files and database to the new host, point the site’s configuration at the new database, test it on the new server before changing DNS, move email deliberately, then switch the domain and keep the old copy for a week. The order matters more than the tools.
Before you start
- Inventory the old site. List the files and their total size, each database and its size, the PHP version, any cron jobs, and every email mailbox on the domain. This is also what a new host needs to tell you whether the site fits a plan.
- Take a full backup and keep it off the old server. Files plus a database export. Everything below is reversible only if this exists.
- Do not cancel the old hosting yet. It is your fallback until the new site has run cleanly for a week.
Moving the site
- Create the new account and add the domain.
- Upload the files to the new site’s web folder (via the file manager, FTP or an archive you unpack there).
- Create a database and user, then import your database export (phpMyAdmin is fine for most sizes).
- Update the configuration. The site must be told the new database name, user and password. In WordPress that is
wp-config.php; other systems have an equivalent file. - Match the PHP version to the old site first so nothing changes at once; upgrade it later, separately. See choosing a PHP version.
Test before the world sees it
Do not switch DNS and hope. Preview the new copy first, either from a temporary address your host provides, or by editing your own computer’s hosts file so that your browser alone resolves the domain to the new server. Check the home page, a few inner pages, forms, logins, uploads, search and any checkout. Look for broken images (often a leftover old address in the database) and for errors in the site’s log.
Email deserves its own plan
Website files and email are separate. Create the mailboxes on the new host, move existing mail if you need it (most email programs can copy folders between accounts), and only then change the MX records. More on email.
Switching the domain
- Lower the DNS TTL a day beforehand if you can.
- Change the nameservers or the A record, as explained in nameservers vs DNS records.
- Watch both servers; for a while some visitors will reach the old one. Avoid editing content on either side during the changeover, or new comments and orders can land in the wrong database.
- Once the domain resolves to the new server, make sure SSL is issued and the http-to-https redirect works.
Afterwards
- Keep the old hosting and backup for about a week, then cancel the old service.
- You do not need to resubmit anything to search engines: they follow the domain, not the server. If the page addresses did not change, the move itself does not affect rankings.
- Set up your own regular backups on the new host. Goji does not take backups of your website for you. The control panel gives you the tools to download your own.
If you would rather have help
Moving an existing website is an assisted move done with a person, not a one-click import. Ask before buying and Goji will say whether the site fits the plan. The old site stays online until the domain is switched, and a nameserver change can take up to 48 hours to spread. See how a move to Goji works.
Common questions
How long does a website migration take?
Copying a small site can take an hour. The domain switch then takes up to 48 hours to spread, and a careful move leaves a week of overlap.
Will moving hosts hurt my search rankings?
Not by itself, if the domain and page addresses stay the same and the site stays up. Problems come from broken pages, lost redirects or long downtime.