In this guide · 7 sections
Short answer
Take a full backup, build and test a copy on the new host using a temporary address, lower your DNS TTL a few days ahead, then change only the website A or CNAME records, leaving MX and email records alone. Keep the old host running until traffic there drops to zero, usually a week or more.
How a hosting move works (and why there's no downtime)
Your domain's DNS records tell browsers which server holds your website. During a move, the old server keeps serving the site while you build an identical copy on the new one. When the copy is ready, you change the DNS record, and visitors gradually start arriving at the new server as DNS caches expire. Because both servers have the same site for a while, nobody sees an error.
Google's guide to changing hosting without changing URLs describes the same four phases: prepare the new hosting, start the move by changing DNS, monitor traffic, then shut down the old hosting. If your URLs or domain are changing too, that is a different job with redirects; this guide is for keeping the same addresses.
Before you start: inventory and backup
Collect everything you need before touching anything. Most delays come from a missing login halfway through.
Hosting move inventory
WordPress's backup documentation notes there are two parts to a backup: the database and the files. You need both. Our guide on website backups and how to restore them explains the options.
Step by step: moving the site
This is the order we recommend for a WordPress or similar CMS site. A static site is simpler: copy files and skip the database steps.
Lower the DNS TTL a few days ahead
Set the TTL on your website's A or CNAME record to a low value. Google suggests a few hours, at least a week ahead; many DNS hosts allow 300 seconds (five minutes), which is Cloudflare's Auto TTL.
Copy files and database to the new host
Use the new host's migration tool or plugin, or upload files and import the database yourself. Match the PHP version to the old server.
Test on a temporary address
Use the host's temporary URL or a test subdomain. Check pages, images, forms, logins, checkout and downloads. Add a noindex rule so the test copy isn't indexed.
Freeze changes on the old site
Stop content edits and, for shops, schedule the switch for a quiet hour. Take one last database export so recent orders or comments are included.
Change only the website DNS records
Point the A record (and www CNAME) to the new server. Leave MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and verification records exactly as they are.
Issue SSL on the new host
Most hosts issue a free Let's Encrypt certificate once the domain points to them. Check the padlock as soon as DNS updates, and force HTTPS.
Remove test blocks and check Search Console
Remove any noindex or robots.txt blocks from the new copy. Google warns these are easy to forget. Use URL Inspection in Search Console to confirm Googlebot can reach the site.
Keep email working: the records you must not touch
The single most common hosting-move failure is losing email. It happens when someone changes the domain's nameservers to the new host, which replaces the entire DNS zone, instead of changing one A record.
| Record | Purpose | During the move |
|---|---|---|
| A / AAAA (@) | Points the domain to the web server | Change to the new host's IP |
| CNAME (www) | Points www to the main site | Change if the new host says so |
| MX | Delivers your email | Do not change |
| TXT (SPF, DMARC, verification) | Email authentication and service verification | Do not change |
| CNAME or TXT (DKIM) | Email signing | Do not change |
| Nameservers | Decide which company hosts all DNS | Avoid changing during a hosting move |
If you must move nameservers too, recreate every existing record at the new DNS host first, then switch. Our guide to nameservers vs DNS records explains the difference. If email does stop after a move, see not receiving emails.
After the switch: monitoring and when to cancel the old host
DNS changes don't reach everyone at the same moment. Some visitors keep reaching the old server until their cached record expires; our guide on how long DNS propagation takes explains why.
- First hour: check the site from mobile data and a different network. Submit a contact form and, for shops, place a test order.
- First day: check that form emails, order notifications and payment webhooks reach you.
- First week: watch the old server's access logs. Google says to shut down the old hosting once traffic to it reaches zero.
- Crawl rate: Google notes a temporary drop in Googlebot's crawl rate right after a hosting change is normal.
- Before cancelling: download one final full backup from the old host and keep it.
Do it yourself or get help?
A small WordPress site with a host that offers a free migration plugin is a reasonable do-it-yourself job, if you are careful with DNS. Shops with live orders, sites with custom code, or moves where email also lives on the old host are where mistakes cost real money.
Move complete when
Our Website Migration (S$490) moves your site to a new host with the same URLs, keeps email records intact, sets up SSL and checks forms and payments. For what hosting itself should cost, see web hosting costs in Singapore.
Frequently asked questions
Not if you copy and test the site on the new host first, then change DNS. Both servers serve the same site while DNS updates, so visitors see no gap. Downtime happens when the old hosting is cancelled before the new copy is live, or when DNS is changed before the new copy works.
Only if you change the email records or the email lives on the old host. Change just the website's A or CNAME record and leave MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC alone. Avoid switching nameservers during the move, because that replaces every DNS record, including the ones that deliver your email.
The copy and testing take a few hours to a couple of days for a typical small business site. After the DNS switch, most visitors reach the new server within the record's TTL, often minutes if you lowered it in advance. Keep the old hosting for at least a week while traffic drains.
Not if the URLs stay the same and the new server is fast and reachable. Google's hosting move guide says a temporary dip in crawl rate after the switch is normal. Remove any test noindex or robots.txt blocks, keep Search Console verification working, and check pages with the URL Inspection tool.
When the old server's logs show no more visits, which is usually within a week if you lowered the TTL beforehand. Download a final full backup first. If your email or other services run on the old host, move them before cancelling, because cancelling usually deletes everything on that account.