Your website is where leads come in, so the fear with switching hosts is simple: a day with the site down is a day of lost calls. A migration done in the right order avoids that. Your old site stays live until you’ve checked the new copy.
Below are the steps in order, with who does what when you move a WordPress site to Stagecoach.
What a Migration Moves
A WordPress site has two parts, and both come over.
- Files: your theme, your plugins, and every image and document you’ve uploaded.
- Database: your pages, posts, settings and form entries.
Two things stay where they are. Your domain name stays registered wherever you bought it. You change where it points, and you keep owning it. Email is the other one, and owners forget it. If your mailboxes run through your current host, a website move can affect them, so tell us where your email lives before anyone touches your domain settings.
The Six Steps
1. Pick a plan
Choose Scout ($35/mo), Guard ($50/mo) or Outrider ($69/mo) and create your account. Migration is free on all three. Pricing shows what each plan includes.
2. Tell us where your site lives
In your account, click Request a migration and fill in the form. It asks for your current host and the access we need. If your site uses a page builder or custom plugins, note it on the form and we check them before the move.
3. We copy your site
We bring over your files and database, then match the PHP version and server settings your site expects. Your old site keeps running for visitors the whole time.
4. You review the copy
Check the new copy with us before anything changes for your visitors. A short list covers most sites:
- Forms submit and reach the right inbox
- Pages and images load
- SSL shows as active
- Booking or checkout works from start to finish
- Analytics and Google Search Console are still connected
5. Switch the domain
Once you approve, we walk you through pointing your domain to Stagecoach. A domain change takes time to reach everyone, sometimes up to 48 hours, and during that window some visitors see the old server while others see the new one. That’s why the old site stays up until the switch finishes. Hold off on editing content during the window, because a change made on the old copy won’t carry over.
6. Cancel your old host
This step is yours. Wait until your domain points to Stagecoach and you’ve checked the site, then cancel the old plan.
Who Does What
| Task | You | Us |
|---|---|---|
| Give access to your current host | ✓ | |
| Copy files and database | ✓ | |
| Match PHP and server settings | ✓ | |
| Review the new copy | ✓ | ✓ |
| Update your domain settings | ✓ | We walk you through it |
| Cancel the old hosting plan | ✓ |
How Long It Takes
Two things set the pace: the size of your site and how soon we get access to your current host. We don’t promise a fixed timeline. We tell you where things stand at each step.
After the Move
Your site is hosted and maintained on Stagecoach from day one. Daily backups and WordPress core updates come with every plan, and Guard adds daily malware scans and managed theme and plugin updates. WordPress maintenance included with your hosting lists the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my site go down during the move?
Your current site stays live on your old host while we copy and test. Your domain moves only after you’ve checked the new copy.
Do I need to be technical?
No. You need two logins: one for your current host and one for the company where you bought your domain. We walk you through the rest.
Is there a limit on migrations?
No. Migrations are free and unlimited on every plan.
What should I do before I start?
Clean up outdated plugins and find your logins. What happens when you migrate to managed WordPress hosting covers the prep.
Ready to move? Start on the free WordPress migration page, pick a plan on Pricing, or Ring the Stagecoach and tell us where your site lives now.
