Moving WordPress to another host means taking your whole website — the words, pictures, and settings — and placing them on a new server where people can still see your site on the internet. Think of it like changing houses: your house (the website) stays the same, but its address (the host) changes. Many people decide to move their WordPress site to a new host to get faster loading, better support, or lower costs. In this guide, you will learn how to move your WordPress site safely without losing anything important.
Why You Might Want to Move WordPress to a New Host
Sometimes your website outgrows its current host. Maybe it feels slow, or you want more space. Or perhaps the support from your hosting company isn’t helpful. When you move WordPress to another host, you are simply changing where your site lives online, just like moving a home to a better neighborhood. You keep all your content exactly as it was before, but the new host might make your site run smoother and faster.
What Happens When You Move WordPress
Before we start, it helps to know what parts make up a WordPress site. There are two main pieces: the files and the database. The files include your images, themes, and plugins. The database holds all your posts, pages, comments, and settings. When you move WordPress to another host, you need to take both of these with you so your site looks and works just like before.
Preparing to Move — What You Should Do First
Before touching anything, it’s important to make a complete backup of your WordPress site. This means saving a copy of all your site’s files and its database in a safe place on your computer. If something goes wrong while moving, this backup lets you restart without losing your work.
Once your backup is done, update WordPress and all your plugins. This makes the site healthier and less likely to break during the move. You should also make a note of your current DNS settings — these are like instructions that help your web address find the right host.
Ways to Move Your WordPress Site to a New Host
There are a few simple ways to move WordPress. Here are the most common ones:
1. Use a Migration Plugin
A migration plugin is like a helper tool that moves your files and database automatically. Plugins such as Migrate Guru, Duplicator, or All-in-One WP Migration can make the process much easier. They bundle everything into a package that you can then upload on the new host. Some plugins can even move large sites without you doing much work.
The good part about using a plugin is that it does most of the heavy lifting for you. The tricky part can be size limits — some free versions only work up to a certain file size. But for many sites, plugins are the easiest way to move.
Step-by-Step: Manual Way to Move Your WordPress
If you want to understand more about how WordPress works or your site is too big for a free plugin, you can move your site manually. This means you do each step yourself. Here’s an easy breakdown:
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Download Your Site Files: Use a tool like FileZilla to connect to your server and download all WordPress files to your computer. You will save your themes, plugins, images, and everything in the site folder.
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Export Your Database: The database stores your posts and all settings. You export it using a tool like phpMyAdmin so that it becomes a file you can import later.
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Upload to the New Host: Once you have your files and database, connect to the new host and upload everything into the correct folder so the site will open there.
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Create a Database on the New Host: You need a place for your database on the new host. After creating it, remember the name and password because you will use them in the next step.
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Update wp-config.php: This file tells WordPress how to connect to the database. You open it and replace the old database name, user, and password with the new ones.
By doing these steps, you put all your website content onto the new host in the right place.
What Happens Next?
Once you have moved your files and database, you still need to tell the internet that your site now lives at the new host. That part — changing DNS settings — will be covered in the second half of the article, along with important tips to keep your site working well and looking the same after the move.
SEO Considerations When You Move WordPress
Once your files and database are safely on the new host, it’s time to think about keeping your site visible to search engines like Google. When a site moves, Google and other search tools need to understand that your pages didn’t disappear — they just live in a new place now.
Keep Your URLs the Same (When Possible)
Your URLs are the addresses where people find your pages. If these stay the same after moving WordPress to another host, Google will know the pages didn’t change. If something changes and Google can’t find the old address, it might stop showing your pages in search results.
If you must change URLs (for example, because the domain name changes), make sure you tell search engines what happened with redirects.
Use 301 Redirects to Tell Google Where Pages Went
A 301 redirect tells the world that a page’s old address now lives somewhere new. It works like a sign on a door: “Look over here instead.” Setting these up stops visitors from seeing errors, and helps keep the search rankings you worked hard for.
There are two simple ways to add 301 redirects:
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Plugin method: Use a tool like Redirection or Yoast SEO (from within WordPress) to tell your site how to send people from old addresses to new ones.
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.htaccess method: If your host uses Apache servers, you can add redirect lines directly into a small file called
.htaccess. This approach works well but needs exact spelling and format so nothing breaks.
Redirects are especially important if you ever change your domain name (your web address). Without them, people and search tools might think your site disappeared.
Submit a New Sitemap to Search Engines
A sitemap is like an index for your website. It lists all your pages so search tools can find them faster. After your site is live on the new host, you should send Google your updated sitemap using Google Search Console. This tells Google where to find every page as quickly as possible.
If you use an SEO plugin such as Yoast, it will create a sitemap for you automatically.
Common Migration Problems & How to Fix Them
Even if everything seems perfect, you might still see things that don’t look right. Here are a few common problems and how to fix them:
Broken Links:
If inside your content there are links that still point to the old host or domain, visitors might get errors when they click them. You can search your content for old addresses and replace them with the new ones. Many migration plugins do this for you or you can use a plugin like “Better Search Replace.”
Missing Images:
Sometimes images don’t show up after the move because paths to those images changed. Double-check your image folders and correct any links that still look at the old host.
Site Looks Different:
If your layout or design looks odd after moving, make sure all your themes and plugins are installed and updated on the new host. Also check that your theme settings saved correctly during the move.
DNS Delay:
When you change where your site lives, the world doesn’t learn about it right away. It can take up to 24–48 hours for the change to spread around the internet. During that time, some visitors might see the old site while others see the new one. This is normal, and it will settle soon.
Testing After Migration
Before you consider the move done, take a few minutes to click through your site like a visitor would:
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Visit several pages and make sure they load.
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Try submitting a form or making a comment.
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Check images and videos.
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Make sure your menus lead to the right pages.
If you find any problems, fix them now before lots of people start using the site. Testing like this helps ensure your visitors have a smooth experience, and search engines can still read your content easily.
Conclusion
Moving WordPress to another host can seem big at first, but breaking it into clear steps helps make the whole job much easier. First, you back everything up. Then you move both the files and the database. Finally, you make sure search engines understand where your site went.
If you followed this guide and the first half of this article — and especially if you backed up your site — you will still have your content, design, and settings intact. With the SEO tips here, Google will continue to show your site in search results after the move.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Can I move WordPress to another host without losing my website data?
Yes, you can. When you move WordPress to another host the right way, all your posts, pages, images, and settings stay safe. The most important step is taking a full backup before starting. If you move both the files and the database correctly, nothing will be lost.
2. Will moving WordPress to a new host affect SEO?
If done carefully, moving WordPress to another host does not harm SEO. Keep the same URLs, avoid deleting pages, and make sure your site stays online during the move. If the domain changes, using proper redirects helps search engines understand where your pages moved.
3. Which is the easiest way to move WordPress to another host?
For beginners, using a WordPress migration plugin is the easiest method. These tools move your site automatically with very little effort. Manual migration gives more control, but it takes more time and attention.
4. How long does it take to move WordPress to another host?
The actual move can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on your site size. After changing DNS settings, it may take up to 24–48 hours for the change to fully spread across the internet. During this time, the site usually stays accessible.
5. Do I need technical skills to move WordPress to a new host?
Basic steps can be followed without deep technical knowledge, especially if you use a plugin or hosting support. Manual migration requires more care, but it is still possible if you follow instructions step by step.
6. Should I move my WordPress site during low traffic hours?
Yes, this is a good idea. Moving WordPress when fewer visitors are online reduces the chance of users seeing errors. Late night or early morning is often the best time to migrate a site.
7. What should I check after moving WordPress to another host?
After the move, check your pages, images, menus, and contact forms. Make sure everything loads correctly. Also, test your site speed and confirm that search engines can still access your pages.