Moving your WordPress website to Nuagerie means preparing a working copy, then directing visits and new data to it at an agreed time. Moving the website, transferring domain registration and moving email are separate operations. You can plan a website migration while keeping your domain and current email provider.
1. Define what needs to move
Start with a short migration brief:
- The current domain, subdomains and hosting provider, and the person authorized to change DNS.
- Available access to WordPress, files, the database and backups, without recording passwords in this brief.
- Essential features: forms, a store, bookings, member areas, subscriptions, languages and external integrations.
- Licences, scheduled tasks, payment services and email-sending services that need to continue working.
Flag a multisite network, custom development or any concern about the site's security. Agree on scope, responsibilities and an intervention window before cancelling a service or changing settings.
2. Keep an independent, complete copy
Prepare a backup of files and the database, with its date and a known restoration method. Keep a copy accessible independently of the old hosting account. A WordPress XML export transfers certain content; it does not replace a complete copy of plugins, the theme, files and their data.
Keep the old site and its access available during testing. A test copy made today will not contain orders or edits received afterwards: a final synchronization will be needed before switching over.
3. Prepare the destination without replacing the public site
Confirm the suitable Nuagerie hosting service, required space and PHP compatibility with the website. The transfer method depends on access and size: an assisted copy, an appropriate migration tool or an account transfer where applicable. Do not install a new WordPress site into a directory containing data you need to keep.
After importing, check the installation in WP Toolkit. This tool helps manage WordPress; its presence does not make a transfer between hosting providers automatic. Available features depend on the service configuration.
Protect access to the test copy and control its email, payments and automated tasks to avoid duplicate messages or processing. Our staging guide explains these precautions.
4. Test the destination with the right addresses
Ask for a preview method suited to the website. A local hosts file change can direct your computer to the new server without changing public DNS, as cPanel explains. It does not move other visitors or requests from external services. Remove the override before checking public DNS resolution after the switch.
Verify that HTTPS covers the names in use, including www where needed. Do not bypass a certificate warning and count the test as successful. See our HTTPS guide for certificates, redirects and renewal.
- Open important pages, images and documents; check navigation, search and links.
- Test sign-in and management features with an authorized account.
- Check forms and their delivery, plus the cart, taxes, shipping and payment using an appropriate test scenario.
If the domain or paths change, stored references and redirects need additional work. Avoid an improvised database-wide replacement: the WordPress migration documentation explains the constraints of serialized data.
5. Plan the final synchronization
Define when the old copy stops accepting changes and which copy becomes authoritative afterwards. For a store, coordinate orders, stock, accounts and payments; for other sites, include forms, bookings and uploads.
A maintenance page may not be sufficient: integrations, scheduled jobs or payment notifications can still write to the database. Agree how to handle them with the person responsible for the website. Take the final backup, transfer the latest data and verify it before reopening the affected features. Avoid running two independent copies that accept orders at the same time.
6. Switch the website while preserving email
Keep the previous DNS values and change only the entries needed for the website. Check published IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, www and any proxy/CDN. If changing nameservers, prepare the complete zone and also check DNSSEC with the person managing the domain.
MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records must remain consistent with the providers in use. Also check email routing on the hosting account, especially if email stays elsewhere. Follow our DNS and email guide; a WordPress migration does not automatically transfer your mailboxes.
DNS caches can retain the previous destination for some time. Plan for this overlap without promising an instant switch, and keep the old copy under control.
7. Validate before closing the old hosting account
After the switch, confirm that visits reach the intended destination and repeat important tests, including HTTPS, forms, a test order and email. For missing notifications, see our WordPress form email guide.
If you need to roll back, preserve new data first. Restoring the old DNS records does not merge orders between two databases. Coordinate their recovery before restoring anything. Cancel the previous hosting service only after validation, retaining backups and confirming that no other service still depends on it.
Plan your migration with Nuagerie
Tell us about your project, including the domain, essential features and your deadline. We can assess the required access, testing, switch and any costs. If the website also needs to evolve, our web development team can assess targeted improvements or a redesign under a separate scope.
