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Website Migration: How to Move a Site Without Breaking It

By Jeremy Kenerson, Founder and CEO at DeskTeam360

Last updated . Outside sources were checked October 1, 2026, and DeskTeam360 case details on September 25, 2026.

A website migration is a move of a site to a new host, platform, domain, or page structure, including a switch from HTTP to HTTPS. To move a site without breaking it, back it up, list every page, point each old address to its new one with a permanent 301 or 308 redirect, test on a copy, and keep the redirects for at least a year. Before any of that, make sure the domain, hosting, and logins are in your name.

This page is a plain reading of the rules. It isn't legal or tax advice.

What is website migration?

Website migration is any big move that changes where a site lives or how its pages are addressed. The common kinds:

Kind of move What changes Do page addresses change?
New host The server or hosting company No, unless the structure changes too
New platform The system the site runs on, for example a move to WordPress Often
New domain The web address itself Yes, every page
HTTP to HTTPS The secure version of the address Yes. Google treats it as a site move with URL changes
New structure Page addresses, often during a redesign Yes, for the pages that move

When addresses change, Google recommends a permanent server-side redirect, such as a 301 or 308, from each old address to its new one.

What do website migration services do?

A migration service plans the move, copies the site and its data, sets up redirects and DNS, and checks that nothing broke. A good one works through these steps:

  1. Back up everything. WordPress.org says to back up the database regularly, and always before an upgrade. A move needs the same care.
  2. Crawl the old site to get a full list of page addresses. That list is the start of the redirect map.
  3. Map each old address to its new one. One old page, one new page.
  4. Set permanent redirects. Use 301 or 308 redirects, pointed straight at the final page. Googlebot follows up to 10 hops, but Google advises going direct.
  5. Update internal links so pages link to the new addresses, not through redirects.
  6. Check the DNS TTL before a host move. A DNS record's TTL sets how long it's cached. A shorter TTL lets your change reach visitors sooner.
  7. Move to HTTPS if the site isn't on it yet. Google treats that switch as a site move too.
  8. Move and test on a copy. Check forms, logins, links, and phone layouts before the switch.
  9. Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console after the move.
  10. For a new domain, use Google's Change of Address tool. It's for moving to a new domain or subdomain, not for an HTTP to HTTPS move.
  11. Keep the redirects and the old domain. Keep redirects as long as possible, generally at least 1 year. Google's Change of Address help also says to keep paying for the old domain for at least a year, so no one else buys it.

For the full website migration SEO checklist, see the website migration checklist.

Should you hire a website migration agency?

Hire one if no one on your side has run a move with redirects before, or if the site brings in leads you can't afford to lose. A small host move with no address changes may be one you can handle yourself.

Whoever does it, put who owns the work in writing before it starts. The step-by-step guide's section on who owns the work explains the rule. And keep the domain, hosting, and every login in your name. The story below shows why.

Moving a site is one of many web jobs an agency can hand off. To list yours, DeskTeam360's Ultimate Task Delegation Template comes with a video walkthrough.

Get the Task Delegation Template

The button opens the template page on DeskTeam360's site.

How much does it cost to migrate a website?

There's no reliable published price for a website migration. The only price pages found came from agencies selling migrations, so this guide doesn't quote a range. Codeable and Devox Software both describe three ways outside web help is priced: one fixed price for the job, an hourly rate, or a dedicated team.

What moves the price:

  • How many pages need new addresses and redirects
  • Whether the platform changes, or only the host
  • Custom features, stores, and forms that need rebuilding or testing
  • How much data, like posts, products, and users, has to move

Ask each provider for a written quote that names the redirect map, the testing, and what happens if something breaks after launch.

What can go wrong in a website migration?

Problems to plan for include missing redirects, lost access to accounts, broken forms, and no way back if the launch fails. Plan for each one:

  • Missing redirects. Pages that move without a redirect lose their visitors. Google says 301 and other permanent redirects don't cause a loss in PageRank, so redirect every moved page.
  • Redirect chains. Point each old address straight at its final page.
  • Lost logins and hosting. If someone else holds the accounts, you can lose control of your own site.
  • Broken forms and checkout. Test every form and payment step after launch.
  • No rollback plan. Keep the old site and its backup until the new one is checked.
  • A slow switch. Google says a move isn't done until Googlebot has visited every old and new address at least once, and there's no fixed crawl speed.

Lemonade Legend, a platform for sharing stories through video, media, and publishing, ran into the logins problem. Its marketer had put the website on the marketer's own hosting, with total control of it. When the marketer stopped cooperating, 10% of a critical, unfinished task was held back. DeskTeam360's team came in during the crisis, kept things polite with the former marketer, and found a way around what was missing.

"I Can Be Sure That I Will Get What I Need When I Need It!"

Lemonade Legend

For a move during a redesign, see website redesign SEO.

More on redesign and migration

A migration usually comes with a pile of other web jobs. The template helps you decide which ones to keep and which ones to hand off, and it includes a video walkthrough.

Get the Task Delegation Template

The button opens the template page on DeskTeam360's site.

Sources

All checked September 25 or October 1, 2026.

What changed

  • October 1, 2026: First version of this page.
  • October 1, 2026: Added the kinds of moves, DNS, HTTPS, sitemap and Change of Address steps, and "what can go wrong." The SEO detail moved to the checklist.