Knowledge base
Moving an existing site to us
What we need from you, what we do, and how to switch over without downtime.
We move the site for you. What follows is what actually happens, so you know what to expect.
What we need
Either access to your current host (a control-panel login, or SFTP plus database details), or a full backup file. For WordPress, an export from most migration plugins works too.
What we do
We copy the files and the database, stand the site up here on a temporary address, and check it renders. Nothing at your current host is changed and nothing is deleted.
Checking it before you switch
You get the temporary address and can click through the site — pages, forms, checkout, the admin area. Do this before the switch, not after. Anything wrong is fixed here while the live site is still being served by your old host.
The switch
You change the domain's DNS to point here. Visitors move over as their DNS caches expire.
⭐ The trick for zero downtime: lower your domain's TTL to five minutes a day before the switch. Then the changeover takes minutes rather than hours, and if anything is wrong you can point it back just as quickly.
Afterwards
Keep the old hosting for a couple of weeks. It costs one more month and it is the difference between "we can point it back" and "we cannot".
Still stuck?
Support is included on every plan and answers in your own language.
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