WordPress migration without downtime

Why you migrate a WordPress site

Legitimate reasons: current hosting is slow, costs too much, support doesn't respond, the server doesn't have enough resources for WooCommerce, the site was attacked and the old host doesn't handle it well. Less legitimate reasons: the site is slow but the problem is WordPress with too many plugins. Migrating won't fix a badly configured WordPress. Optimise it first. If after optimisation you need more power, then migration makes sense.

The three migration methods

Three possible routes, with different trade-offs between ease and control.

• Migration plugin (Duplicator, All-in-One WP Migration, Migrate Guru): you create a package on the old host, upload it to the new one, install clean WordPress, import the package. Easy, few risks, works for most sites.
• Manual migration: download all files via FTP, export database via phpMyAdmin, upload to new host, import database, change URLs in wp-config.php and in the database. More control, more chance of error.
• Hosting-managed migration: many hosts (Kinsta, SiteGround) do it for free — they ask for your old hosting credentials, copy everything, configure DNS. Convenient, but you have to trust the new host with your old site.

The procedure to migrate without downtime

Never change DNS before you've migrated everything and tested. DNS can take 1-48 hours to propagate: during this time some visitors see the old site, others the new. Real downtime, if there are no errors, is zero.

• Configure the new hosting with a temporary URL (a hosts file on your computer or a server preview URL).
• Install clean WordPress or import files via plugin.
• Test locally on your computer by modifying the hosts file.
• If everything works, update the domain DNS to point to the new server.

Mistakes to avoid during migration

Four mistakes that keep coming back, in roughly this order of frequency.

• Not changing URLs in the database: if the site moves from http to https, or the domain changes, the database contains the old URLs and internal links don't work. Use the Better Search Replace plugin to update all occurrences.
• Forgetting wp-config.php: database credentials are different on new hosting.
• Not clearing site cache: caching plugins save files to disk, if you bring them with the migration the site shows old or broken content. Delete wp-content/cache before migrating, or recreate it on the new server.
• Not testing the contact form and WooCommerce checkout: emails often stop arriving after migration because the new host has different SMTP.

After migration: what to check

Not just the home page: navigate the whole site like a normal user, page by page.

• Try a contact form and check the email arrives.
• Try a WooCommerce checkout without paying.
• Check SSL is configured and that the HTTP → HTTPS redirect works.
• Verify the sitemap is accessible and Search Console doesn't flag errors in the following days.
• Look for the robots.txt file: if it was set to block crawlers on the old host (often done on staging), it might have been copied to the new one too — and the site won't be visible to Google anymore.

How much does a WordPress migration cost

Four routes, four prices.

• Yourself, with a plugin: you save money, but if something breaks you're on your own figuring it out.
• Managed hosting: often free if you're migrating to them.
• Freelancer: 2-4 hours, from €70 to €140 — you talk directly to whoever's doing the work.
• Agency: from €300 to €1,000, and between you and whoever touches the site there are accounts, PMs, tickets.