Moving a website is scary because it feels like open-heart surgery: if something goes wrong, the website and email disappear. In reality, a well-prepared move happens with the old website running until the very last moment, and visitors don't even notice the change.
In short
- Don't cancel your old hosting until the move and DNS propagation are complete.
- Make a full copy: files, database, emails.
- Test the website on the new server before you change the DNS.
- Change the DNS at a quiet time and wait for propagation: usually a few hours, sometimes up to 48 hours.
1. Preparation
Before anything else, write down what you have now:
- where the domain is registered (the registrar) and where the DNS is hosted — they can be with different companies;
- which email addresses exist on the domain and where the messages are stored;
- which PHP version the website uses;
- which scheduled tasks (cron) are running;
- whether the website sends email via SMTP, and with what settings.
Also check the expiry date of your old hosting. Ideally, you should have at least a few days of overlap between the two.
2. The full copy
A WordPress website has two parts: the files and the database. Both need to be copied at the same moment, so they match each other. For a store, pick a time with few orders, so you don't lose anything between the copy and the move.
The concrete steps for WordPress — with the files and the database, or with a migration plugin — are in the guide moving a WordPress website.
3. Testing on the new server
This is where a move without interruption is won. The website is put on the new server and checked there, before the domain points to it. A common method is the hosts file on your computer: you tell only your own computer that the domain is at the new IP address, while the rest of the world still sees the old website.
Check the home page, the forms, logging in to the admin panel, the cart and checkout (for stores), the images and the important pages.
4. The DNS TTL
Every DNS record has a TTL: how long computers and internet providers can remember the answer. If the TTL is one day, some visitors may see the old server for a day after the change. If the DNS stays with your current provider, lower the TTL to a few minutes one day before the move; after the move, you can raise it again.
If you change the nameservers (for example to ns1.nbt-host.ro and ns2.nbt-host.ro), propagation also depends on the domain registry, and you can no longer shorten the TTL yourself.
5. Email
Email is the part many people forget. If your addresses are moving to the new hosting too:
- create the same addresses on the new server, with new passwords;
- copy the old messages over IMAP from the old server to the new one (the message migration guide);
- after the DNS change, copy once more, for messages that reached the old server during propagation;
- update the settings on your phone and in Outlook, if the mail server changes.
If your email stays with another provider (for example Google Workspace or Microsoft 365), make sure the MX, SPF and DKIM records are copied exactly into the new DNS zone.
6. Switching the DNS
Pick a time with little traffic. Change the nameservers at your registrar, or point the A record to the new IP address. The steps, for the usual registrars and for Cloudflare, are in the guide changing your nameservers to NBT Host.
During propagation, some visitors see the old server and others the new one. That's normal — which is why the old website stays up. On a store, it's worth temporarily pausing orders on the old website or checking both, so that none get lost.
7. After the move
- the SSL certificate: on the new server it's issued once the domain points to it, usually within a few minutes (the SSL guide);
- forms and order emails: send a test;
- cron: recreate the scheduled tasks on the new server;
- Google Search Console: check for new errors;
- the old hosting: cancel it only after a few days, once you're sure everything has been moved, including email.
Or we do it for you
On any NBT Host hosting plan, moving your website is free, once, at the start of the contract: from cPanel, DirectAdmin or Plesk, or from a full copy of the files and the database. We test the website on the new server before the DNS change. You choose the plan and send us the access details or the copy — but don't send us passwords over WhatsApp or email. The conditions and steps are on the Free migration page.