Website migration to new hosting is needed when the old provider is slow, disk is full, traffic grew, or a contractor took the keys. The goal is to change servers without losing leads, search positions, or corporate email. It sounds simple — half of post-migration problems come from rushing without a checklist.
NUGU in Sochi supports launch and post-launch site care across Russia. Below is the workflow we use for WordPress, static sites, Next.js, and custom CMS. Basics of hosting and domain — in a separate article.
Plan migration when traffic is lowest for your niche. For Sochi hospitality, late autumn or winter weekdays often beat peak summer weekends — fewer lost bookings if something goes wrong during DNS propagation.
Why Change Hosting
| Reason | What to verify on the new host |
|---|---|
| Slow load | TTFB, CDN, speed |
| Frequent outages | SLA, reviews, monitoring |
| No SSL or backups | Auto Let's Encrypt, backup schedule |
| Different stack needed | PHP/Node versions, Docker, SSH |
| Contractor conflict | Who owns domain and account |
Sometimes it is cheaper and safer not to drag an old site but order a new one: landing from 30,000 ₽, service site from 50,000 ₽, Quick Start — 35,000 ₽ in 7 days with SEO at launch.
Preparation
- Full backup — files, database, .htaccess or nginx config, crontab.
- Inventory — forms, CRM integrations, widgets, third-party scripts.
- Access — domain registrar, DNS, old and new hosting, FTP/SSH.
- TTL — 24 hours before migration, lower A record TTL to 300–600 seconds.
- Window — night or weekend for local business; for national — still minimize peak impact.
Export DB via phpMyAdmin or mysqldump; for large sites — panel archive or rsync.
Migration Steps
Step 1. Deploy the site on new hosting on a temp domain or IP.
Step 2. Import DB, update config (URL, DB credentials).
Step 3. Test: home, inner pages, forms, admin, media uploads.
Step 4. Issue SSL on new host; configure http → https redirect.
Step 5. Switch A/CNAME to new IP at the registrar.
Step 6. Monitor 48 hours: 5xx errors, forms, MX mail.
Step 7. Shut down old hosting only after traffic confirms on the new server.
For WordPress, migration plugins help — manual permalink and widget checks remain mandatory.
SEO and Analytics After Migration
- Do not change URLs without 301 redirects.
- robots.txt and sitemap.xml present and current.
- Yandex Webmaster and Google Search Console — crawl check, submit sitemap.
- Yandex Metrica — goals and tag work on live domain.
- Canonical and hreflang — reproduce exactly if they existed.
A sudden speed drop after migration hits SEO and conversion — run PageSpeed and fix cache.
Email and Third-Party Services
When only web hosting changes, MX records often stay — mail remains at Google, Yandex, or another provider. If MX pointed to old hosting — move mailboxes before changing A records.
Check payment API keys, maps, CRM callback URLs — they may have been tied to old IP or staging domain.
Common Mistakes
- DNS switched without form testing — leads go to /dev/null.
- Forgot to update cron on new server — reports and backups stop.
- Two sites with same content on old and new URL — index duplicates.
- SSL expired on new host — browser scares clients.
- Deleted old host in a day — no rollback.
Post-DNS Switch Checklist
- https://yourdomain.ru opens without warnings.
- www and non-www resolve to one URL with 301.
- Lead form sends email and Telegram (if configured).
- Admin panel accessible, passwords work.
- Images and PDFs load, no mixed content.
- robots.txt returns 200, sitemap updated in Webmaster.
- Old hosting still active at least 72 hours.
Migration and GEO
During migration, do not change price and terms copy on key pages unless needed — AI search may temporarily show stale cached data. If URLs change, set 301 and update internal links in articles and footer. After migration, re-query AI about your company and compare with the site — method from GEO optimization.
NUGU Support Pricing
One-off migration is quoted after audit: CMS, volume, integrations. Retainer support includes monitoring and small fixes after migration. New site — from 50,000 ₽ for services format, corporate from 80,000 ₽, store from 140,000 ₽.
WordPress, Bitrix, and Static Sites
WordPress is the most common case: migration via Duplicator, All-in-One WP Migration, or rsync + SQL. Check PHP version on new host, upload_max_filesize limits, wp-content permissions. Bitrix needs a license and often separate cron setup. Static and Next.js are simpler: files + env vars; do not forget API routes and serverless functions if present.
For e-commerce after migration, run a test order in the payment sandbox — callback URLs are often tied to the old domain or IP.
When to Reach Out
No access to old hosting, legacy PHP site, need migration with SEO and leads preserved — describe the situation via contacts. Based in Sochi, serving clients across Russia.
After migration, plan post-launch support: the first month on new hosting is when minor PHP version, file path, and cron mismatches surface most often.