How to Change Web Hosting Without Breaking the Site
How to change web hosting when a move might break the site: copy it, test the copy, then switch the domain. I include that move from $99 a month.
In this article· 6 sections
People treat a host change like pulling a plug. The site they have is the only copy they trust, so a host they already dislike gets another year.
The break they picture happens when the domain points at a place that was never opened and checked. The order that avoids that is a second copy, a test, and a domain switch only after the test.
Short answer: How to change web hosting without breaking the live site is copy, test, then switch the domain at a quiet time. The current site stays up while the copy is checked. Moving one standard site is included on Managed Website Hosting & Care, from $99 a month. You keep the domain and the content.
How to change web hosting without breaking the site?
How to change web hosting is three steps: copy the site, test that copy while the old one stays live, then switch the domain at a quiet time. Visitors keep the current site until the copy checks out. I include that move for one standard site from $99 a month.
Say you run a flower shop. The host ticket sat for a week, the hours on the site are wrong, and renewal is the week you talk yourself out of leaving. You can picture the shop page going blank on a Saturday.
The files are copied first. The copy is opened: the pages, the form, and the certificate. The domain is switched only after that, at a quiet time. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote before any work starts.
That sequence is on the website migration page. You do not get a server login or a control panel to manage.
What is the move that actually breaks a site?
The site breaks when the domain is pointed at a copy nobody has opened. Pages, the form, and the certificate have to work on that copy first. Leave the old hosting in place until the check is done. Do not edit the domain while you are still guessing.
A domain record is a pointer. It does not bring the pages with it. Point the name at an empty account and the name resolves to an empty account. Take the old hosting down the same day and there is no live copy left to compare against.
Mail on the business name uses that same domain. An edit you are not sure about can stop the inbox even when the pages were fine. If you cannot tell which records are mail and which are the site, leave them until the copy is ready.
What can I check before anyone copies a file?
Find who hosts the site, who renews the domain, and whether you can still log in to both. A free lookup names the host, the registrar, DNS, email, and the expiry date. If the host will not answer, the registrar login is still what points the name.
Open the who hosts my website lookup and save the result. The host and the registrar are often two bills. You need the files, or a full copy of them, and you need the account that points the domain.
If you can log in, leave the settings alone. Note the expiry date so the name does not lapse during the move. If the receipt goes to an address you cannot open, recover that account before anyone talks about a switch.
Then email a link or a screenshot to michael@michaelheredia.com. Say whether you can log in at the host, whether you can log in at the registrar, and whether you want the site moved or looked after where it already is.
Can I get the care without leaving this host?
You can keep your current hosting. Same plans, same price. Your host keeps billing you, and I look after the site there with a daily backup stored separately. Moving one standard site is included when the host is the problem. Priority’s dedicated server applies only when I host.
If I host, hosting is part of the plan. If you stay, your host keeps billing you for hosting, and the daily backup is stored separately from that site.
Every plan includes hosting and SSL, daily backups stored separately, core, plugin, and theme updates, uptime monitoring around the clock, and security hardening: locked-down logins, firewall rules, and safe defaults. Fixing something that broke on my watch, or restoring a backup, is included.
On Essentials and Business, an outage goes to the front of the line during business hours. Priority gets a 24/7 response if the site goes down. A normal request on Essentials gets a reply within 2 business days.
Text, photos, hours, a new post, or a section use the monthly time first, then $125 an hour, and I tell you before going over. Unused time does not roll over. A link or a screenshot in the email helps.
Which plan fits an owner who is ready to leave?
Essentials is $99 a month with 30 minutes of changes and a reply within 2 business days. Business is $249 a month with 1 hour, staging, and malware cleanup included. Priority is $499 a month with 3 hours, a dedicated server, and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $99 a month | Hosting and SSL, separate daily backups, updates, monitoring, 30 minutes of changes, a reply within 2 business days. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour. Fixes, restores, and one standard move are included. |
| Business (most popular) | $249 a month | Everything in Essentials, 1 hour of changes, updates tested on a staging copy before they go live, malware cleanup included. |
| Priority | $499 a month | Everything in Business, 3 hours of changes, a dedicated server when I host, and 24/7 response if the site goes down. |
The price is the same if I host or if I look after the site on the host you already pay. “Most popular” is only the label on Business. See the plans.
When this isn’t the right fit
This is the wrong fit if a person on staff already moves sites and handles the small changes. It is the wrong fit if the pages need a redesign, a new feature, or an online store first. I quote that work as a fixed price before it starts.
A care plan looks after the site you have. If the pages themselves are the problem, start with web development. Redesigns, new features, online stores, and integrations are a fixed quote before any work starts.
On cancel, the plan runs to the end of the paid month. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host.
If the host is the problem and the pages are fine, see the plans or send the question through the hosting form. Checkout takes a couple of minutes. An email arrives within 1 business day to start onboarding.
FAQ
How do I change web hosting without breaking the site? +
Copy the site and test that copy while the current site stays live. Switch the domain only after the copy checks out, at a quiet time. Moving one standard site is included, from $99 a month. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote before any work starts. You keep the domain and the content.
What do the monthly plans cost? +
Essentials is $99 a month, Business is $249 a month, and Priority is $499 a month. You can cancel any time. Every plan includes hosting, SSL, daily backups stored separately, updates, monitoring around the clock, and a fix if something breaks on my watch. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour on Essentials and included on Business and Priority.
Do I have to leave my current host? +
No. You can keep your current hosting. Same plans, same price. Your host keeps billing you for hosting, and I look after the site on that account. I keep a daily backup stored separately from the site. Priority's dedicated server applies only when I host. You do not manage a server login or a control panel.
What do I get if I cancel after the move? +
The plan runs to the end of the paid month. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host. You keep full ownership of the domain and the content. You can ask for a complete copy of the site any time. You can cancel any time.
