How to switch web hosts without downtime

Switching hosts is the best defence against renewal price hikes, and it's less work than most people think. With free migration offered by most hosts, a typical WordPress site moves in an afternoon with no downtime if you follow the right order.

Before you start

• Note your renewal date and avoid paying for another term at the old host.
• Check whether the new host offers free migration (Hostinger, SiteGround, GreenGeeks, InMotion, ChemiCloud, Kinsta, Rocket.net and others do).
• Make your own full backup: files and database. Don't rely on the old host's backups.

Step by step

1. Sign up with the new host and add your domain without changing DNS yet.
2. Migrate the site. Use the host's free migration service, a migration plugin (for WordPress), or copy files via SFTP and import the database.
3. Test on a temporary URL or by editing your computer's hosts file. Click through key pages, forms and checkout.
4. Lower your DNS TTL to 5 minutes a day before switching, so the change spreads fast. Check current values with our DNS lookup.
5. Point DNS to the new host: either change nameservers or update the A record.
6. Install SSL on the new host (usually automatic once DNS points there) and check it with the SSL checker.
7. Move email if your old host provided it: create the mailboxes at the new host or a dedicated email provider, then update MX records.
8. Wait 48 hours, confirm everything works with the website status check, then cancel the old plan.

Common gotchas

• Email is the thing people forget. Move it deliberately.
• Hard-coded URLs in older sites can break; search-and-replace tools fix them.
• Domain registered with the old host? You can leave it there, or transfer it later: transfers are blocked for 60 days after registration.