ServerBrief

Website migration checklist

Everything to check before, during and after moving a website to a new host, so nothing is forgotten and nothing breaks.

3–4 minutes
Desk with a monitor showing code and small plants

Most failed moves are not technical failures. Something was forgotten: an email account, a scheduled task, a DNS record. Work through this list in order.

How to use this checklist

Moves go wrong in the gaps: the cron job nobody remembered, the email forwarder set up years ago, the redirect added to .htaccess by a long-gone developer. The point of the checklist is to write down everything the old host does before you start, so nothing silently stops working. Tick items as you go, and keep notes of passwords and settings somewhere safe as you collect them.

A week before

  • List everything the old host does: websites, databases, email accounts, cron jobs, SSL certificates, FTP accounts.
  • Export a copy of every DNS record from your current DNS provider.
  • Check the new server runs the same major versions of PHP and the database, or newer versions your software supports.
  • Note any special server settings: upload limits, PHP extensions, redirects, rewrite rules.
  • Decide whether email moves too. If it does, read moving email first.

A day before

  • Lower the TTL on records you will change to 300 seconds.
  • Take a full backup of the old site and keep a copy off both servers.
  • Tell anyone editing the site about the content freeze.

Moving day

  • Copy files and databases to the new server. See moving WordPress.
  • Recreate cron jobs, email accounts and any other services.
  • Test the new server through your hosts file before changing DNS.
  • Check forms send email, logins work, and uploads succeed.
  • Switch DNS records to the new server.
  • Issue SSL certificates on the new server once DNS points to it.

If the URL changes too

Moving to a new domain, or changing from http to https or between www and the bare domain, needs extra care for search engines:

  • Set up permanent (301) redirects from every old address to its new one, page by page, not all to the home page.
  • Update internal links and canonical tags to the new address.
  • Add the new domain in Google Search Console and use its Change of Address tool if the domain changed.
  • Submit the new sitemap.
  • Keep the old domain registered, and its redirects running, for at least a year.

Rollback plan

Decide before moving day what you will do if the new server fails:

  • Keep the old server untouched and running until the move is confirmed.
  • Note the old A record values so you can switch back in one edit.
  • Know which data might be lost in a rollback (orders, comments, form entries made on the new server) and how you would copy it back.

With a low TTL and the old server still running, rolling back takes five minutes.

The week after

  • Watch the old server for new comments, orders or form entries during propagation.
  • Check error logs on the new server for missing files and permission problems.
  • Confirm backups are running on the new host.
  • Raise DNS TTLs back to normal.
  • Take a final backup of the old account, then cancel it.

What people most often forget

  • Cron jobs and scheduled tasks, such as backups, newsletters and feed imports.
  • Email forwarders and aliases, as distinct from mailboxes.
  • DNS records unrelated to the website: verification TXT records, DKIM keys, subdomains pointing at other services.
  • Firewall allow-lists at payment providers or APIs that only accept requests from your old server’s IP.
  • Hard-coded IP addresses in configuration files or other systems.
  • SFTP logins for developers or partners.
  • Renewal dates: the old host may auto-renew before you cancel.

Something out of date? Software changes. If a step no longer works, tell us and we will check it and update the page.

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