WordPress migration
We move your site to a new server without downtime, and the old addresses send visitors on to the new ones.
client.noPreparingSwitching DNSMoved- TTL lowered to 5 minutes
- Staging site signed off
- DNS pointed to the new server
- 1,284 redirects live
- Email (MX) left alone
- Search Console notified
- Downtime
- 0 s
- Errors (5xx)
- 0
- Old server off
- in 48 h
When your supplier stops answering,you can move your site
A common reason to change supplier is that the current one has stopped replying. Small text changes sit untouched for weeks, and the plugin updates don't get done. Changing supplier usually also means moving the site to a new server, and that takes more planning than most people expect.
client.noMappingMapped- Change our Christmas opening hoursSent 23 Nov47 days
- Invoice 4471: what was "maintenance 6 h"?Sent 2 Dec38 days
- Could you update the plugins?Sent 18 Dec22 days
- Domain
- CheckingYou own it
- WordPress admin
- CheckingLogin works
- Hosting account
- CheckingNo login
- CheckingSame account
Sites like these often have several things that need sorting out before they can be moved. There might be 37 plugins, half of them deactivated for reasons nobody remembers, a custom-made theme that doesn't work with today's WordPress editor, or a hosting account you can't log in to. It may also be unclear what the maintenance hours on the invoices were spent on.
Sometimes the agency has closed, or the freelancer has taken a permanent job. The business is then left with a website nobody can log in to, on a server nobody in the company knows anything about. The content can usually be recovered, and because WordPress is open source, you aren't tied to one supplier. The move still involves the server, domain and email as well, so it takes more than copying files.
- Steps in our process
- 6 steps
- Downtime during the DNS switch
- 0s
- Of the addresses Google knows about get redirected to a new address
- 100%
- Response time on the new servers
- <200 ms
What a WordPress migration involves
There are plugins for "one-click migration", and for a hobby blog they usually work fine. A business site with payments through Vipps, Norway's mobile payment app, a CRM connection, content in several languages and a few thousand pages in Google needs more. Below are the six parts of a move, and what can go wrong in each of them.
The database
Posts, pages, settings, users and WooCommerce orders are all stored in the database. We take a copy of the database, replace every old address in it, and load it onto the new server. If any old addresses are left behind, you get missing pages (404s) and broken internal links.
Files and media
The site's files are the themes, the plugins and every image anyone has ever uploaded. A couple of thousand media files can easily add up to several gigabytes. All of it has to arrive intact, with the right access settings.
DNS and domain
DNS is the lookup that tells browsers which server your domain lives on. A change takes anywhere from an hour to a day to reach everyone, and during that time some visitors reach the old server and others reach the new one. Both servers therefore have to respond correctly until the switch is complete.
Email
If your email is with the same hosting provider as the website, one wrong DNS change can stop all incoming mail. That's why we need to know where your email is delivered (the MX records in DNS) before we change anything on the domain.
Rankings in Google
Google knows hundreds or thousands of addresses on your site, and many of them have links and rankings built up over years. If the old addresses don't redirect to the new ones, those pages lose their rankings.
Configuration and integrations
Contact forms, checkout, Vipps, BankID and connections to the CRM and accounting system all have to be tested in the new environment. Mistakes here are harder to spot than downtime, because the site looks fine while payments or form submissions go to the wrong place.
Before you change supplier, we can do a health check of your current site and tell you what a move would involve.
Common WordPress migration mistakes
- There's no redirect plan, so the old addresses don't point to the new ones. Google finds pages that no longer exist, and rankings can drop within a few weeks. Getting them back often takes months.
- DNS is switched on a Friday afternoon. Faults that appear over the weekend aren't found until Monday, because nobody is keeping an eye on it.
- The test environment is skipped, and the site goes live without testing. Faults in the checkout, the contact form or the Vipps connection are then only found when a customer reports them.
- Everything is moved as it is, including deactivated plugins and a database full of spam comments. The old problems follow the site to the new server.
- Email isn't included in the plan. The DNS records for email still point to the old server after the switch, and customer enquiries can disappear without any error message.
How we migratewithout downtime
The sites we move come from very different setups. Some sit on outdated hosting accounts. Others are on closed platforms where the previous supplier wouldn't hand over a copy of the database, and in one case the passwords left with an employee in 2022. The method is the same whatever the starting point.
client.noSortingReady for staging- 19 active plugins
- Custom theme
- 2,340 media files, 3.8 GB
- 1,284 URLs with redirects
- Vipps and the CRM integration
- 18 deactivated plugins
- 3 themes unused since 2021
- 41,200 spam comments
- 12,600 revisions
First, we map the site. Plugins, themes, code customisations, integrations, database size and PHP version are documented before we change anything. We list every address on the site as the basis for the redirect plan, and we make a separate list of what shouldn't come along: deactivated plugins, themes nobody has used since 2021, spam comments and revisions that make the database needlessly large. A move is a good opportunity to tidy up.
The rest of the process is described step by step below. Two things matter most for you. You approve the new site in a test environment before the switch, and the old server keeps running until all traffic has moved to the new one.
The migration process, step by step
- 01 / 06
Assessment
We go through the plugins, themes, customisations, integrations and database size. Every address on the site is listed and documented for the redirect plan. At the same time, we note what should be deleted rather than moved.
- 02 / 06
Plan
You get a written migration plan with the date, time, who does what, and how we go back to the old site if something goes wrong. It also shows what must be ready before the DNS switch and who needs to be told when. That way, everyone in the company knows what happens on the day.
- 03 / 06
Test environment
We set up the whole site in a test environment on a temporary domain. There we test forms, checkout, Vipps, BankID, outgoing email and internal links. You get your own access and approve it before we go further.
- 04 / 06
Preparing for Google
Every page Google knows about gets a redirect to its new address. We build a new list of the pages for Google (the sitemap) and check that Google can read the new pages and knows which address is the right one. Before the switch, we notify Google through Search Console.
- 05 / 06
The switch itself
Beforehand, we shorten how long internet providers cache the DNS answer, so the change reaches everyone quickly. The switch happens early on a working day, never on a Friday. The old server keeps running until all traffic goes to the new one, so visitors don't notice the switch.
- 06 / 06
Follow-up
For 48 hours we keep an eye on traffic, error logs, email delivery and indexing. We check that Google is reading the site normally and that every redirect leads to the right page. Finally, you get a written report.
- Tuesday at 07:00Early on a weekday, never on a Friday
- TTL lowered a day aheadSo the DNS change spreads quickly
- Managing director and customer service toldThe evening before, and again once it's done
- Back in 5 minutesThe old server runs until all traffic has moved
- 48 hours of monitoringTraffic, error logs, email and indexing
You get the plan in writing before anything changes.
Google rankings after the move
When every old address redirects, and the technical groundwork for Google is at least as good as before, you shouldn't lose rankings. Google takes a few weeks to register the change, so some movement in Search Console at the start is normal.
- 01 / 04
Redirects for every address
Every address Google knows about gets a permanent redirect (301). That includes image files, PDFs, paginated listings and old blog posts, which are easy to miss when the list is made by hand. Missing redirects are the most common single reason rankings drop after a move.
- 02 / 04
Submitting the sitemap
We submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console as soon as the switch is done, and remove the old one. It's the clearest way to tell Google about the new addresses.
- 03 / 04
The right main address
A canonical tag tells Google which address is the main version of a page. Every page should have one pointing to the new structure. A wrong canonical does more harm than a missing one, so we check every page after the switch.
- 04 / 04
Follow-up in Search Console
We verify the new domain, and if you change domain, we report the change of address directly to Google. For the first few weeks we keep track of which pages Google can and can't find, and fix problems as they come up.
client.noTestingAll redirected/?p=412/blog/accounting-tips404301/category/news/page/2//blog/page/2404301/services/payroll-2//services/payroll404301/wp-content/uploads/price-list.pdf/price-list.pdf404301/?attachment_id=88/about404301The same site on new servers
Many of the sites we take over run on older servers and old PHP versions. The move is the cheapest time to put that right, because the site has to be set up again anyway. With us, the site runs on FrankenPHP and PHP 8.4 with Redis caching [1].
What does a WordPress migration cost?
The price depends on how complex the site is. A ten-page brochure site and a WooCommerce shop with 5,000 products and Vipps are two very different projects. After the assessment, you get a fixed price for the whole job.
Small business website (5–20 pages)
FromNOK 8,000
Assessment, test environment, planned switch and 48 hours of follow-up
Mid-sized site with integrations
FromNOK 15,000
+ CRM connection, more redirects, email separated from hosting
WooCommerce shop
FromNOK 25,000
+ Payment integrations, order history, the full product catalogue
Enterprise
FromNOK 60,000
+ Setups for several countries (multisite), heavier integrations, high traffic
When a move is worth it
If the site works, the hosting is fast, you have all the logins and the supplier answers when you call, there's no reason to move. A migration without a specific need costs money and gives you nothing back.
It's different when the supplier has stopped replying, or when the site is slow and tied to a platform you can't get out of. The problems then get more expensive to fix the longer you wait, and a WordPress site without updates keeps collecting known security holes.
Do the switch itself at a quiet time, well away from campaigns and seasonal peaks, and start the work two to four weeks ahead. The exception is when the supplier has already disappeared and nobody is updating the site. Then you should start straight away.
- The supplier has gone quietAnd nobody updates the siteMove now
- The site is slow and locked inTo a platform you can't leaveMove
- Everything worksAnd you have every loginStay
- Campaign in two weeksOr peak season coming upWait
Start the work two to four weeks before the switch.
If you've decided to move, we can write the plan and carry out the switch.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose Google rankings when I migrate?
Not if the groundwork is done. When every old address redirects, the sitemap is updated and Google has been notified in Search Console, Google understands that the rankings should move to the new addresses. Some movement in the reports during the first weeks is normal and usually settles quickly. The most important thing is that every page Google knows about redirects to its new address.
How long does a WordPress migration take?
A typical business website takes 1–2 weeks. WooCommerce shops with payment integrations and a lot of custom functionality more often take 3–6 weeks, because each connection has to be tested. The DNS switch itself only takes minutes. The time goes on the assessment, testing and approval, and it depends a lot on access to the old site. If the previous supplier replies quickly, it goes faster.
Can I change agency without downtime?
Yes. The new site is set up and checked in a test environment before anything changes on the live site, and the switch itself is a planned DNS switch. The old and new servers both respond while the switch is under way, so visitors don't notice any interruption. The old agency doesn't have to be involved. If you own the domain, we can move it without their help, and if we can't get access to the database, we can rebuild the site from what we can get hold of.
What does a WordPress migration cost?
Smaller business websites start at NOK 8,000, while large WooCommerce shops with heavy integrations can cost more than NOK 60,000. You get a fixed price after the assessment, so you pay what you approved. The price depends on the number of integrations, the size of the database and how much tidying the old site needs. A tidy site with few plugins is affordable to move. A setup nobody has maintained for years takes more work, and you'll see that in the quote.
What happens to our email during the migration?
Nothing, if the job is done properly. We map your email setup at the start and handle the email records (MX) separately from the rest of the DNS. If email and hosting are in the same package with your current supplier, we separate them well before the switch. We don't move the website's DNS until we've checked that email goes where it should.
Can I migrate if I don't have access to the hosting or server?
Yes, but it takes longer. The site can be restored from backups or export files, and in the worst case we copy the content from the live site and rebuild it. We've done this for sites where the previous supplier never replied. The domain can be moved independently of the hosting account. It's often registered with a separate domain registrar, and you usually still have access there even when everything else is locked.
Does your WordPress site need to move?
Tell us briefly about your current setup, and we'll tell you whether we think a migration is worth it for you.