New host or server
Same site and domain, moving from one server to another
- What's at risk
- A different PHP version, a missing extension or a cache serving stale pages, found by your customers after launch instead of by me before it.
A WordPress migration service for a new host, a new domain or a rebuilt site. I map every URL and rehearse the move before DNS changes, so downtime stays at zero to near-zero. When nothing is moving, I run the server side of WordPress.
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Moving a site and fixing a server are different jobs. Find the one that sounds like yours.
Same site and domain, moving from one server to another
A rebrand, a merger, or consolidating several domains
A redesign, or a move from Wix, Squarespace, Shopify or custom code to WordPress
Moving to HTTPS, permalink changes, subdomain to subfolder, language versions
Copying the files is the easy part. Rankings are lost in the details nobody checked, and they show up in Search Console a week after launch.
A plugin exports the site, DNS changes that afternoon, the homepage loads, and someone calls the job done. Google and your customers find the 404s, broken forms and missing redirects later.
Before anything changes, I record how Google sees the site. Then I rehearse the full move on the new server and only switch DNS once it passes. After launch, I check the live site against that record.
| Detail missed | What you see after launch | How I prevent it |
|---|---|---|
| URLs that changed without a redirect | 404s in Search Console and pages dropping out of results | A full crawl of the old site, with every changed URL mapped 1:1 using 301 redirects |
| Launching with a staging robots.txt that blocks Google | Pages slowly disappearing from Google over the following weeks | I check robots.txt and the noindex setting on the live server the moment DNS switches, not the next morning |
| The old domain left in the database | Mixed-content warnings, and images and links still loading from the old address | I run a search-replace that handles serialized data, so theme and plugin settings survive, then scan for leftovers |
| Mail records dropped during the DNS change | Email stops arriving, often noticed days later | I export the full DNS zone before touching anything and carry over the MX record and every other mail record |
Three client sites moved from one server to another, with visitors barely noticing.
Server hardening and compliance software
What moved: The company site. I also built its custom WordPress theme.
Management consulting firm
What moved: The company site, alongside custom theme and performance work.
Cloud infrastructure startup
What moved: The company site.
Medical negligence litigation firm
What moved: 301 articles into a new theme, verified word by word, 0 words lost. Read the rebuild.
His WordPress and SEO expertise saved hours and ensured a seamless, zero-downtime migration.
Roy LudmirBusiness Development Manager, CalComMoving soon? Send me the URL and your target date.
Start on WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp)Most of the work happens before launch day, so the switch itself is short and uneventful. The schedule comes with the fixed quote.
I crawl the old site and export rankings, Search Console and analytics data, so launch is measured against how the site performed before.
PHP matched or upgraded, caching, firewall, SSL and backups, all running before the site arrives. The old server keeps serving visitors, untouched.
Every changed URL gets one 301 to its final address. No chains, and no dumping pages on the homepage.
I run the whole move on the new server and test forms, checkout, logins, email and tracking. You can click through it before the DNS switch.
In your quietest hours: a final sync, the DNS switch and a cache purge, then SSL, redirects and indexing checked on the live server. The old server stays ready for rollback.
For a month, I compare Google Search Console, rankings and server logs against the baseline, and fix any URL that didn't map.
You get a handover document: what the server runs, where backups go, who has access, and how the site compares with the baseline.
The rehearsal is where issues show up, so I can fix them before launch day.
Book the assessment (opens WhatsApp)I also run the server side for sites that are staying where they are: new servers, upgrades, speed issues, incidents, and the setup nobody on the team wants to own.
New WordPress servers built from scratch, or yours audited: file permissions, PHP settings, login protection and security headers, plus staging and a Git deploy workflow. An infected site is malware removal, a different job.
When Time to First Byte (TTFB) is slow, image compression won't fix it. I check PHP workers, object caching, slow database queries and the page cache, including LiteSpeed Cache configuration on LiteSpeed servers.
I move sites off unsupported PHP or database versions. I test on a copy first and fix plugin conflicts before the live site sees them.
Clean DNS records, SSL certificates with automatic renewal, and MX records that point to where your mail actually lives, plus SPF, DKIM and DMARC so your email stays out of spam folders.
Automated off-site backups you can actually restore, plus alerts for uptime, disk space and SSL expiry.
500 errors, database connection errors, white screens and sites hitting resource limits. I find the cause in the logs, fix it, and explain what happened.
Two migrations that look alike from the outside can be very different jobs. I review yours first, then quote one fixed price for the agreed scope.
If a move isn't worth doing, or your new host's included migration will do the job, I'll tell you.
For a small site changing hosts with no domain or URL change, DIY is realistic, and I've written up every step. If you get stuck, send me where.
Downtime, rankings, cost, email, and what I need from you.
Not on the list? Ask me directly. A short question gets a short, straight answer.
Ask on WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp)Usually not in a way visitors notice. The new server is built and tested while the old one keeps serving the site, and I lower the DNS TTL in advance, so the switch spreads in minutes. Stores and membership sites may need a short write freeze at cutover, which is why I say near-zero and not zero. If something goes wrong, DNS goes back to the untouched old server.
Some movement for a few weeks is normal, even when the move is done right. Google has to recrawl the old URLs, follow the redirects and move its signals over to the new domain. A drop that keeps going is not normal. I file the Change of Address in Search Console, submit the new sitemaps, watch the redirect and 404 reports, and fix anything that didn't map. Keep the 301s for as long as you can: Google's advice is at least a year.
It depends on the site, so there's no price list. The main factors are the size of the site and database, whether it takes orders, whether the domain or URLs change, and whether the new server has to be built from scratch. The assessment is free, and I send a fixed quote in writing before any work starts. When you compare it with a host's included migration, keep in mind that it's usually a copy of the files and database, without a redirect map or an SEO check.
It depends on the site. A host move with no URL changes needs the least preparation, while a domain change or a replatform takes longer because of the redirect map and the rehearsal. You get the schedule together with the fixed quote. The cutover itself is a short window in your quietest hours, and I watch the site for a month after it.
Yes. Orders, customers and stock keep changing while the move is prepared, so at cutover I either pause checkout for a short, scheduled window or run a final sync of everything written since the last copy. After the switch I check recent orders, stock levels, payment webhooks and order emails on the new server.
Moving the website doesn't have to move your email. Mail follows the MX records in DNS, not the web server, so the real risk is a DNS change that drops those records. I export the whole DNS zone before touching it, carry every mail record over, and send test messages after the switch. If your email is hosted on the old server itself, we plan that part as its own step.
That depends on the workload: traffic, WooCommerce, how many sites, where your visitors are, and how much server access you want. I work with whichever host you choose and tell you if it's a poor fit. Managed WordPress hosts lock parts of the server, so I also tell you up front what yours lets me change. I also host a small number of client sites myself, for owners who'd rather not deal with a host at all. You don't have to host with me to work with me.
I can. Some clients want a one-off move with a clean handover document. Others want someone looking after updates, backups and the server from then on, and that's what my WordPress maintenance plan is for. It covers the site and the server.
No form and no discovery call. Send the URL, what's changing and when. If nothing is moving, tell me what's wrong with the server.
I usually reply within an hour, including evenings and weekends.