How to Move a Website to a New Host Without Downtime

By Abdullahi Abdirahman, Founder & Editor, SoftReviewLab. Updated October 2026.

Short answer: to move a website to a new host without downtime, copy the site to the new host first, test it there, and only then point your domain to it. Lower your DNS TTL a day or two before the switch, recreate your email and DNS records on the new host, and keep the old hosting running for about a week afterwards. Done in that order, visitors see a working site the whole time, because the old copy stays online until the new one has taken over.

These steps come from how DNS and hosting work and from Hostinger’s official migration documentation. I run this site on Hostinger and have used it since 2023, but I have not moved a site to it from another host, so the Hostinger migration steps below follow its documentation rather than my own move. This article contains affiliate links; see our affiliate disclosure.

Which Kind of Website Move Do You Have?

The right method depends on what your site is built with. Find your row first, because one type can’t be moved at all.

Changing hosts doesn’t mean moving your domain. Your domain can stay with the company where you registered it; you only change where it points.

What Moves With Your Website, and What Doesn’t

Most problems after a move come from the parts people assume travel with the site but don’t.

• Moves with the site: your files (pages, images, themes, plugins) and your database (posts, products, orders, settings).
• Doesn’t move on its own: email accounts and messages, DNS records, SSL certificates, scheduled tasks (cron jobs) and FTP accounts. You recreate these on the new host.
• Stays where it is: your domain registration, unless you choose to transfer it.

Why Website Moves Go Wrong, and How to Prevent Each Problem

How to Move a Website to a New Host Without Downtime

1. Pick a Date Before Your Old Plan Renews

Plan the move at least two weeks before your current hosting renews, so you don’t pay for another term, and avoid your busiest days. If you are moving because the site is slow, check first whether the host is really the cause; our guide on why a website is slow shows how to tell. To see every item that renews in a year, not just the hosting, check what a business website costs per year.

2. Lower Your DNS TTL a Day or Two Ahead

TTL (time to live) tells the internet how long to remember where your domain points, and many records are set to several hours. In your DNS settings, lower the TTL on your main records to about 300 seconds (5 minutes) at least one full old-TTL period before the switch, usually 24 to 48 hours ahead. When you switch, visitors then reach the new host within minutes instead of hours.

3. Take a Full Backup

Download a complete backup of your files and your database, and keep a copy on your own computer, not only on the old host. If your email is hosted with the same company, back up important mailboxes too.

4. Write Down Every DNS Record and Email Setting

Screenshot or export your DNS zone: A and CNAME records for the site, MX records for email, and TXT records such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC. These records keep email working and out of spam, and they are not copied automatically.

5. Copy the Site to the New Host

Use the new host’s migration service if it offers one, a migration plugin for WordPress, or upload the files and import the database yourself. Don’t touch the domain yet: the old site keeps serving visitors while the copy is made.

6. Test the Site on the New Host Before You Switch

Open the copy through the temporary or preview address your new host provides, or by editing your computer’s hosts file. Click through key pages, forms, logins and checkout, and fix anything broken now, while visitors still see the old site.

7. Set Up SSL and Email on the New Host

Turn on the SSL certificate (most hosts include a free one) and recreate your email accounts and the DNS records from step 4. If your email runs on a separate service such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, you only need to copy its records over.

8. Freeze Changes, Then Switch the DNS

Pause content edits, and if you run a shop, choose a quiet hour. Take a fresh database copy if anything changed since step 5, then point the domain to the new host by updating its nameservers or its A record.

9. Check Everything, and Keep the Old Host Running

Over the next day, check the site from different devices and networks, send a test email, and confirm the browser shows a padlock. Keep the old hosting active for about a week, until you are sure all traffic and email reach the new host, then cancel it.

Sponsored

Extra Steps for WordPress Sites

• If the domain stays the same, there’s nothing to rewrite in the database. If it changes, replace the old URL with the new one using a search-and-replace tool, and add 301 redirects.
• Go to Settings, then Permalinks, and click Save to refresh links.
• Clear any caching plugin and your host’s cache after the switch.
• Under Settings, then Reading, make sure “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is not ticked.
• Re-enter licence keys for premium plugins that are tied to a domain or server.

How Long Does a Website Move Take?

Copying a small business site usually takes a few hours of work, or less with a host’s migration service, plus waiting time while the service runs. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to reach everyone, but with a lowered TTL most visitors reach the new host within minutes to a few hours. Plan for the whole move, from backup to cancelling the old plan, to span about a week, most of it waiting.

If you are moving because your current host is slow or its renewal price keeps rising, the move is also a chance to pick a host that makes this easier. This site runs on Hostinger, and Hostinger moves WordPress and cPanel sites from other hosts for free, which takes the copying in step 5 off your hands.

What Is Hostinger?

Hostinger is a web hosting company that sells shared WordPress hosting, cloud hosting, VPS servers and a website builder, aimed at small businesses and individuals who want a site online without managing a server. Every plan includes a free SSL certificate and a free domain for the first year, and higher plans add daily backups and a CDN. I have used it since 2023, and SoftReviewLab runs on it.

How Hostinger Works

You manage everything from hPanel, Hostinger’s own control panel. Each website gets a dashboard showing its plan, WordPress and PHP versions, security status and speed scores, with shortcuts to backups, the file manager, cache and the domain. Plans are paid upfront for one to four years, and the renewal price is higher than the first term, which our Hostinger review covers in detail.

How Hostinger Helps You Move a Website

Hostinger’s migration service does the copying for you, which covers step 5 above. According to its documentation:

• It’s free on web, cloud and agency hosting plans when the site comes from another host and runs on an open-source CMS such as WordPress or Joomla. VPS plans are not included.
• Your old site stays online. Hostinger copies it first and tells you to point the domain only after the migration is complete.
• WordPress and cPanel sites move with a login: you enter the site’s login URL and admin details. Offline sites, other platforms and Node.js apps move from an uploaded archive of the files plus a .sql database export.
• Some things stay with you: email, DNS records, cron jobs, custom SSL settings and FTP accounts aren’t migrated, so steps 4 and 7 above still apply. Email has its own migration guide.
• Builder sites can’t be moved: sites on Shopify, Squarespace, Google Sites, Canva or Blogger have to be rebuilt, for example with Hostinger’s AI website builder.
• Limits: one request per site, including subdomains, and up to five active requests at a time.

If Hostinger sounds like the right home for your site, you can see Hostinger’s plans with our 20% referral discount, which you are welcome to use. For renewal prices, the refund I tested and who should skip it, read our full Hostinger review.

How to Move a Website to Hostinger, Step by Step

1. Lower your TTL and back up the site on your current host, as in steps 2 to 4 above.
2. Buy a Hostinger plan and add your domain to it. You don’t need to transfer the domain.
3. Open the migration tool: in hPanel, go to Websites and click Import Website, or open Websites, then Migrations.
4. Choose the method: Migrate from another host for a live WordPress or cPanel site, or Upload your website files for anything else.
5. Enter the details and submit: your site’s URL and login details, or the archive and .sql file, then review the summary and click Submit request.
6. Wait for the email: you can follow progress under Migrations, and Hostinger emails you when the copy is done.
7. Test before you switch: Hostinger’s documentation points you to its SkipDNS tool and your plan’s IP address to preview the moved site before the domain points to it.
8. Recreate email and DNS records, then point the domain to Hostinger, and keep the old host running for about a week.

Website Migration Checklist

• Old plan’s renewal date checked and move date set
• DNS TTL lowered at least a day ahead
• Full backup of files, database and mailboxes saved on your own computer
• Every DNS record written down, including MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC
• Site copied and tested on the new host
• SSL active on the new host
• Email accounts and DNS records recreated
• Changes frozen and a final database copy taken
• Domain pointed to the new host
• Site, forms, checkout and email tested after the switch
• Old hosting cancelled only after a week

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to transfer my domain to change hosting?

No. You can keep the domain where it is registered and point it to the new host by changing its nameservers or A record. A domain transfer is a separate, optional step.

Will changing hosts affect my SEO?

Not if your URLs stay the same and the new server works well. Google’s guidance on moving a site without changing URLs says it’s normal to see a short drop in how often Google crawls the site right after the move, followed by a steady increase over the next few days.

What happens to my email when I change hosts?

If your email is hosted with your old web host, it doesn’t move with the website. Create the mailboxes on the new host, copy the messages over and update your MX records. If your email runs on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, just copy its DNS records to the new host.

References

• Hostinger: How to migrate a website to Hostinger
• Google Search Central: Move a site with no URL changes
• SoftReviewLab: Hostinger review 2026
• How SoftReviewLab researches and writes its articles