Moving hosts sounds risky – one wrong DNS change and your store is down on a busy day. Done in the right order, migration has zero visible downtime. Here is the exact routine we use at DeskBees for moving WordPress sites to Hostinger, the mistakes that break mail and payments, and a downloadable-style checklist you can hand any developer.
Part of our hosting series: managed Hostinger hosting explained and hosting service.
How do you move a website without downtime?
You move a website without downtime by building the full copy on the new host first, testing it privately, and only then pointing visitors to it. The order is: audit and backup the old site, set up the new Hostinger account with SSL, copy files and database, test on a temporary URL (forms, checkout, mail), then switch DNS at low-traffic hours and monitor for 48 hours. Visitors never see a half-moved site because the old one serves traffic until the new one is proven.
What should you check before migration day?
- Where is email? If mailboxes live on the old server, migrate mail first or point MX records deliberately – most “migration broke our email” disasters are MX records nobody mapped.
- What is the real size? Old backups, staging copies and 4 GB of phone-upload originals inflate moves. Clean first.
- Which PHP and plugin versions? Note them; mismatches cause the white screen after copying.
- Payment and booking testing plan: who places a live test order after the switch, and who refunds it?
- DNS access: confirm who holds the domain login now, not on migration evening.
What is the step-by-step migration order?
One, full backup of files plus database export, stored off-server. Two, new Hostinger setup with SSL and matching PHP. Three, copy and import; update wp-config. Four, private testing: home, service pages, form submission to email and WhatsApp, a live UPI test payment, login and admin. Five, lower DNS TTL a day early, switch A records at night, keep the old account live for 7 days. Six, 48-hour watch: Search Console, uptime monitor, order flow, mail deliverability. Seven, cancel old hosting only after a clean week.
What breaks most often during moves?
Email (MX/SPF/DKIM records missed), hardcoded old URLs in page builders (run a search-replace on the database), SSL mixed-content warnings (http assets loading on https pages), and contact forms sending from an unauthorised address (SPF fail – mails vanish). Each is a 10-minute fix when expected, a lost weekend when not.
FAQs
Will Google rankings drop? Not if URLs stay identical and the new server is faster. Submit the sitemap in Search Console after the switch and watch coverage for two weeks.
How long does it take? A brochure site: a day of work spread over a week. A store with mail: plan two weeks with testing buffers. Never migrate on festival-eve.
Can DeskBees migrate my site? Yes – contact us with your current host, where email lives, and festival blackout dates. We will scope it fixed-price.
Last updated: 20 September 2026.