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On my blog, I frequently mention SiteGround because it is a high-performance and reliable hosting provider for WordPress and WooCommerce.
One of their standout features is their support team; they are knowledgeable experts who provide genuine human assistance, not AI or chatbots. When you reach out, you speak with a real person who can resolve issues quickly and confidently.
As a developer, I highly recommend SiteGround for your next project or as a migration destination to improve performance. You can also select a data center close to your target audience, ensuring your visitors experience the fastest possible load times.
Today, I migrated my client’s websites to SiteGround. Since they weren’t WordPress multisite installs, the migration was easy using a free, reliable plugin. However, if your site is a WP multisite, you can follow the guide on my blog here.
Requirements for Website Migration (My Method)
- Review the current hosting server and data specifications, including the PHP version, allocated PHP resources, database version, and database collation. You want to ensure the new hosting set the same.
- UpDraftPlus plugin, I use this free plugin for WordPress migration. In case it doesn’t work for you, try this.
- Migrate the website to your staging environment to check for any PHP warnings or errors. Sometimes, plugins throw errors that are hidden because the hosting provider has disabled error reporting.
- Once you’ve confirmed there are no issues on your staging site, use UpdraftPlus to migrate to SiteGround as described below.
How to Migrate a WordPress Site Using the UpdraftPlus Plugin
- To migrate using the UpdraftPlus plugin, create a backup and select all components (database, plugins, themes, mu-plugins, uploads, and others) in your current website (source).
- On the destination website, install this plugin and upload the backup files to the Existing backups section. The files will then appear with a Restore button.
- Click the Restore button. The plugin will compare the URL of the current site with the one in the backup file. If they do not match, you will be asked to confirm a search and replace for the URLs. Simply leave the settings as they are and continue until the process is complete.
- Once complete, a ‘Return to Configuration’ button will appear. If any issues occur, you will be prompted to follow the log file link to investigate the error.
Purchase a new SiteGround WordPress or WooCommerce plan
First, pick the plan that fits your needs. If you are unsure, talk to the SiteGround Sales team. They will suggest the best plan for you and may provide a discount code.
While purchasing your plan, you will be asked to provide a domain (new or existing) and select a data center. You can change the data center if you wish. Please note that this setting does not apply to the website’s live location yet.
Create a new WordPress website
Once the plan is set, log in to SiteGround, navigate to the ‘Websites’ tab, and click the ‘New Website’ button.
For this migration, I will use a temporary domain. This allows me to verify the migrated site before it goes live, which is particularly useful when moving to a new hosting provider. See the screen below.
Next, follow the numbers on the screen.
- Select a data center for your new website. You can change it later for a $5 fee.
- Select Start New Website
- Select WordPress
- Enter your email and password to log in to your WordPress dashboard.
There is no need to add any extra features if you prefer not to. If they appear, simply click the ‘No Thank You’ button.
Once you click the Finish button, SiteGround will start creating your new WordPress website. This process usually takes about 2 minutes. Once it is done, you will screen below.
Now, click ‘Access WordPress Admin.’ You will be directed to the Setup Wizard; simply exit the wizard to access the standard WordPress dashboard.
Next, you will migrate using UpdraftPlus, as I provided the steps above.
Post-Migration Check
After migration, verify the site’s display, functionality, and check for any errors in the console log via the browser’s inspection tool.
Change from Temporary Domain to Primary Domain
When you are ready to launch, change the temporary domain to your live domain. Go to the Websites tab, click the three dots next to your website, and choose ‘Change Primary Domain’. Then enter your real domain.
Update the nameservers and other DNS records
- Migrate all existing DNS records that do not require modification, including email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC), Microsoft domain verification (TXT records), MX records, and any relevant CNAME entries.
- After migrating the existing DNS records, you may now update the nameservers to SiteGround.
- DNS propagation is underway (24-48 hours). To ensure consistency, please do not make any changes to the website content until the process is finished.
Final Step
After DNS propagation finishes, ensure you clear the cache and re-verify the site for any remaining issues.
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