Website Hosting Migration Checklist
Move a website between hosts while controlling DNS, SSL, files, forms, redirects and rollback risk.
Confirm hosting capabilities
Check whether the destination supports the file types, redirects, mail scripts, SSL and error handling the new site requires. A static site needs less, but it still has environmental assumptions.
Upload cleanly
If the new package intentionally removed web.config, .htaccess, PHP or other legacy files, remember that uploading new files may not delete old server files. Clear the document root or remove obsolete leftovers deliberately.
Verify SSL before changing canonicals
Do not assume HTTPS is working because a certificate has been requested. Test the live certificate and redirect behaviour first, then align canonical tags, sitemap URLs and internal links.
Check forms from production
Mail functions and anti-spam rules often behave differently on live hosting. Submit real test messages and confirm both success and error handling.
Crawl after cutover
Run a fresh crawl against the production hostname to catch case sensitivity, missing assets, redirect loops and server-only failures.
Plan the document root deliberately
Confirm which folder the public hostname actually serves. Shared hosting accounts often contain several domains, old staging folders or inherited application roots. Uploading a clean static package into the wrong directory can leave the old application active or create a confusing mixture of both sites. A good migration either cleans the intended document root first or deploys to a new root that can be switched atomically.
Watch caching during validation
Browser, proxy and CDN caches can make a migration appear inconsistent. When testing the cutover, use fresh requests, inspect response headers and purge caches where necessary. Do not diagnose a missing file only from one browser tab that may still be showing the pre-migration response.