HostingHarbor Guide
Website Migration Guide
A website migration moves a site between hosting environments or domains and should be planned to minimize downtime, data loss, and SEO disruption.
Migration Checklist
Back up the site, inventory DNS/email dependencies, copy files and databases, test before switching DNS, preserve URLs where possible, and monitor after cutover.
Provider Help
Some hosts include migration tools or assistance. Bluehost currently lists a free site migration tool on its web-hosting plans.
Inventory Before You Move
Document the domain, DNS records, email, files, databases, cron jobs, SSL, redirects, analytics, CDN, and third-party integrations. Many migration problems happen because something outside the website files was forgotten.
Copy and Test First
Build the destination copy before changing DNS. Test important pages, forms, logins, checkout, media, redirects, and administration using a temporary URL or hosts-file method where appropriate.
Switch DNS Carefully
Lowering DNS TTL in advance can make a planned change propagate more quickly. Keep the old environment available during the transition and avoid simultaneous content changes if the database can diverge.
After Cutover
Check status codes, HTTPS, canonical URLs, forms, email delivery, analytics, Search Console, and logs. Keep the old backup until you are confident the new environment is complete.