WordPress Migration Checklist: Move Sites Safely

Published April 21, 2026

WordPress Migration Checklist

Migrating WordPress to a new host is straightforward when done methodically. This checklist ensures nothing is missed and your site goes live on the new host with zero data loss and minimal downtime.

Before You Start

• Take a complete backup: all files + database export
• Note your current PHP version, memory limit, and max upload size
• List all active plugins and their versions
• Document any custom wp-config.php settings
• Check if your old host uses any proprietary caching that needs reconfiguration

Set Up the New Host

• Create the new hosting account on SiteICO or your target host
• Match PHP version to your current host (or upgrade to PHP 8.3)
• Create a temporary test URL to work on before DNS cutover

Transfer Files

• Export database via phpMyAdmin or wp db export backup.sql
• Download all files via SFTP or use a migration plugin (All-in-One WP Migration, Duplicator, or WP Migrate)
• Upload files to the new host
• Import the database
• Update wp-config.php with new database credentials

Fix URLs and Test

• Run search-replace for the old domain: wp search-replace 'old-domain.com' 'new-domain.com' --all-tables
• Test the site using the temporary URL or by editing your hosts file
• Verify all pages, images, forms, and payment gateways work
• Check that SSL is active and HTTPS redirects work correctly
• Test admin login and user accounts

DNS Cutover

• Lower DNS TTL to 300 seconds 24 hours before migration
• Update DNS A record or nameservers to point to the new host
• Monitor both old and new host for traffic (propagation takes 1-24 hours)
• Restore DNS TTL to 3600 after propagation completes

Post-Migration Checks

• Verify Google Search Console — no crawl errors introduced
• Check that all redirects still work correctly
• Purge all caches on the new host
• Run a speed test to confirm performance is equal or better
• Set up fresh backup schedule on the new host

SiteICO's migration service handles the technical steps automatically — upload your existing site backup and the platform imports, configures, and tests the migration for you.