Will my site go down during the move?

Not if DNS is switched only after the copy is tested. Our definition of done includes no downtime during the switch.

Tell us where the mailboxes live. If they are at the old host, they have to move or be re-pointed before the old plan ends; we plan that into the job rather than discover it afterwards.

Do I need to tell my old host?

Not to move. Keep the old plan active until the move is confirmed, then cancel it yourself. If the domain is registered through the old host, keep that account until the domain is transferred or its DNS is moved.

Can you move a hacked site?

Moving a hacked site moves the hack. Clean it first, or combine the two jobs and we clean it on the way.

Move a WordPress site to a new host without downtime

Moving a website, transferring it, migrating it: three names for the same job. The site's files and database are copied to the new host, tested there, and then the domain is pointed at it. Done in the right order, visitors never notice. Done in the wrong order, the site is dark for a day and email stops.

What has to move

The files: WordPress itself, your theme, plugins and the uploads folder with every image.
The database: posts, pages, orders, users and settings.
The domain's DNS: the record that tells browsers which server to go to.
The SSL certificate: issued fresh on the new host, usually free, but only after DNS points there.
Email, if your mailboxes live at the old host. This is the piece people forget until the inbox goes quiet.

Where it goes wrong

DNS is switched before the copy is tested, so the first test is your customers.
The mailboxes stay at the old host, the old plan is cancelled, and mail bounces.
The new host runs a different PHP version and an old plugin breaks.
The site URL in the database still points at a staging address, so every page redirects somewhere odd.
The .htaccess file or the permalink settings do not come across and every page but the homepage is a 404.

The order that avoids downtime

Lower the DNS time-to-live a day ahead so the switch propagates in minutes instead of hours.
Copy files and database to the new host and test the site there using a temporary address or your computer's hosts file.
Fix what the test shows: PHP version, URLs, redirects, missing extensions.
Issue the SSL certificate, then switch DNS.
Keep the old host running for a few days and cancel it only after mail and traffic have fully moved.

Do it yourself or hire it

For a small site with email elsewhere, the free migration tools from hosts such as SiteGround, Kinsta and Cloudways work well and you should use them. Hire it when the mailboxes are at the old host, when the site is a store with live orders, when the old account is already suspended or past its renewal, or when the first attempt left you with a site that half works. Those are the cases our fixed-price move exists for.

Questions people ask

Will my site go down during the move?: Not if DNS is switched only after the copy is tested. Our definition of done includes no downtime during the switch.
What about my email?: Tell us where the mailboxes live. If they are at the old host, they have to move or be re-pointed before the old plan ends; we plan that into the job rather than discover it afterwards.
Do I need to tell my old host?: Not to move. Keep the old plan active until the move is confirmed, then cancel it yourself. If the domain is registered through the old host, keep that account until the domain is transferred or its DNS is moved.
Can you move a hacked site?: Moving a hacked site moves the hack. Clean it first, or combine the two jobs and we clean it on the way.