Website Migration Checklist: Move Hosts Without Going Dark

Most sites go dark during a move for one boring reason: somebody switched the domain before the copy was tested. The old host still had a working site. The new one did not.

Short answer: A good website migration checklist has three parts: copy everything, test the copy, then switch the domain at a quiet time. Skip the order and the site breaks while customers are looking. Managed Website Hosting & Care includes moving one standard site, from $99 a month.

What goes on a website migration checklist?#

Four things: a full copy of the files and content, a record of your domain and email settings, a test of the copy before anyone sees it, and a quiet-time switch. Keep the old site running until the new one is confirmed working.

Here is the list I would hand any owner:

1. Find out where things live. Who hosts the site, who holds the domain, where email is set up. The free who hosts my website lookup shows the host, registrar, DNS, email provider and domain expiry date.
2. Get a complete copy. Pages, photos, posts, forms, everything. If you cannot find a backup, you do not have one yet.
3. Note anything unusual. Contact forms, bookings, a store, a login area. These break first.
4. Leave the old site alone. Do not cancel the old hosting until the move is finished and checked.
5. Test the copy. Click through it before the domain points anywhere near it.
6. Switch the domain at a quiet time. Early morning or a slow day, not the Friday before a sale.
7. Check again after the switch. Pages, forms, the padlock, email.

Why do site moves go dark?#

Usually the switch happens before testing, or the old hosting gets cancelled too early. The new site then shows errors, missing images or a security warning, and there is nothing to fall back to.

Say you run a bakery and your host has stopped answering support tickets. You sign up somewhere new, a friend moves the files over a weekend, and the domain gets pointed on Monday morning. Orders come in through a form nobody tested. The form is broken. You find out from a customer.

Nothing in that story was exotic. It was just the steps in the wrong order.

You can do a lot of this yourself. If you are comfortable with it, the checklist above works. The risk is not skill so much as time: a bad move is stressful, and it usually happens when you are already unhappy with your host.

How does Managed Website Hosting & Care handle the move?#

I copy your standard site, test the copy, then switch the domain at a quiet time. Moving one standard site in is included in every plan. Large online stores and custom apps get a fixed quote before any work starts.

The details of how I do it on a plan:

• Copied, then tested. The copy is checked before the domain changes.
• Switched at a quiet time. The domain moves when it will hurt least.
• Included, not an add-on. One standard site, no separate moving fee.
• You keep ownership. You keep your domain and content, and you can ask for a complete copy of the site any time.
• Daily backups stored separately start once you are on a plan, so there is always a copy.

The page for this is website migration. If you want to see how a move differs from just swapping hosts, my post on how to change web hosting goes through it from the other side.

You do not have to move at all. Clients can keep their current hosting at the same plans and price. I look after the site on your existing account, and your host keeps billing you for hosting.

Which plan fits after the move?#

Pick by how often you change the site and how much an outage would cost you. Essentials suits a site that rarely changes, Business suits a site you edit regularly, and Priority suits a site that cannot be down.

Every plan has hosting and SSL, daily backups stored separately from the site, core, plugin and theme updates, uptime monitoring around the clock, security hardening and fixes when something breaks. See all of it at the plans.

Plan	Price	Fits the owner who…
Essentials	$99/mo	Rarely changes the site. 30 minutes of changes a month, response within 2 business days. Malware cleanup is $125/hr.
Business (most popular)	$249/mo	Edits the site now and then. 1 hour of changes a month, updates tested on a staging copy first, malware cleanup included.
Priority	$499/mo	Cannot afford downtime. 3 hours of changes a month, a dedicated server, 24/7 response if the site goes down.

Changes are requested by email to michael@michaelheredia.com. A link or screenshot helps. Small changes use the monthly time first, then $125/hr, and I tell you before going over. Unused time does not roll over.

When this isn’t the right fit#

If the site needs a redesign, a new store or new features, a move will not fix that. Those are quoted as a fixed price before any work starts, and they are a different job from hosting.

Moving a site that is slow, outdated or broken just gives you the same site at a new address. If that is where you are, start with web development and move afterward.

It is also not the right fit if you already have a developer on staff who handles migrations and monitoring. Keep them. And if you would rather not take a monthly plan at all, a one-off move is not what this is.

What is the next step?#

Look at the plans, or send me the site’s address and what worries you about moving. I will answer by email.

See the plans if you are ready, or send a question first. An email with your current host and what you want to change is enough to start.