To move a website to new hosting without downtime, build and test a full copy on the new server while the old one keeps running, and only then point the domain’s DNS records at the new server. Visitors reach one working copy or the other during the switch, so nobody sees an error page. The two things that usually go wrong are email, which stops when DNS records are replaced carelessly, and orders or enquiries that land on the old server after the copy was taken.

This guide covers a move where the domain name and page addresses stay the same, in the order we do it for UAE business sites. If the page addresses are changing as well, see our guide on how to redesign a website without losing Google rankings.

What causes downtime during a hosting move

A hosting move has two separate parts: copying the website, and telling the internet where the website now lives. Downtime comes from mixing them up.

• Switching DNS before the new copy is ready. Visitors are sent to a server with a half-finished site, a missing database or no SSL certificate.
• Cancelling the old hosting too early. DNS changes do not reach every visitor at the same moment. For a while some people are still sent to the old server. If it is already switched off, they get an error.
• Replacing all DNS records instead of one. If you change nameservers to the new host without copying the existing records, the mail records disappear and company email stops arriving.
• Different server settings. The site worked on the old PHP version and breaks on the new one, or a required PHP extension is missing.

Before you start: access and a list of what you have

Collect these before booking a date for the move:

• Login to the domain registrar or DNS provider. This is where the switch happens. If a previous developer registered the domain and you do not have the login, sort that out first. Our guide to .ae domain registration explains who holds a .ae domain and how registrars fit in.
• Login to the old hosting account, including file access and the database.
• A copy of every current DNS record. Take a screenshot or export of the full DNS zone: A, CNAME, MX and TXT records. This is your reference if anything is lost.
• Where email is hosted. Check whether mailboxes sit on the old web hosting or with a separate service such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. This decides how much work the email part is.
• Anything that runs outside the website files: scheduled tasks, payment gateway callbacks that are locked to a server IP address, and other sites or subdomains on the same account.

Then take a full backup of the files and the database and store it somewhere other than the old server. The WordPress documentation says the same before any move: back up the WordPress directory, images, plugins and other files as well as the database.

Lower the DNS TTL in advance

Every DNS record has a TTL (time to live). It tells internet providers how long they may remember the record before checking again. With a long TTL, some visitors keep being sent to the old server long after you have changed the record.

Google’s guide to changing your hosting recommends lowering the TTL to a conservative low value, for example a few hours, and doing it at least a week before the move. The lower TTL has to be in place before the switch for it to help, so this is the first practical step, not the last.

Copy the site to the new server and test it

Set up the new hosting account with the same PHP version and extensions the site uses now, then copy the files and import the database.

For WordPress, the documentation on migrating WordPress says that if the database and URL stay the same, you can move by copying your files and database, with no need to reinstall. If the database name or user is different on the new server, edit wp-config.php with the new values. Keep a backup copy of that file before you edit it.

How to test before the domain points to the new server

You need to see the new copy while the public still sees the old one. There are two common ways:

• A temporary hostname supplied by the new host or set up as a subdomain. Google’s guide suggests this and adds that a test copy should carry a noindex directive so it is not indexed by accident. Remove that block before the switch.
• The hosts file on your own computer. One line makes your computer load the real domain from the new server’s IP address, while everyone else still gets the old server. This tests the site with its real address, which avoids changing any site settings.

What to check

• The home page, main service pages and a few blog posts load with images and styling.
• Contact forms send, and the email arrives.
• For a shop: add to cart, checkout and a test payment in the gateway’s test mode.
• Admin login works and you can save a page.
• An SSL certificate is installed or ready to issue as soon as the domain points to the new server.
• PDFs and other downloads open.

Keep email working through the move

Email is the part business owners notice first when it breaks, and it breaks for one reason: the mail records in DNS were changed along with the website record.

If your email is with a separate provider, the safest move is to leave the nameservers alone and change only the A record (and the www record) for the website. The MX and TXT records stay exactly as they are and email is not affected.

If the new host asks you to change nameservers, recreate every record from your saved copy in the new DNS zone before you switch, including MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Our guide to business email records on your own domain explains what each of those records does and how to check them.

If mailboxes live on the old web hosting, they do not move by themselves. Create the same mailboxes on the new host or on a mail service, copy the old messages across, and plan this as its own task. Also remember that the website now sends from a new server: if your SPF record lists the old server’s IP address, update it so contact form and order emails keep arriving.

Switch DNS and handle orders made during the change

Pick a quiet time for your business, such as late evening UAE time on a weekday. Then:

1. Pause changes on the old site. Stop publishing and editing. For a shop or booking site, either put the old site into a short maintenance mode or accept that you will copy late orders across by hand.
2. Take a final copy of the database (and any new uploads) and import it on the new server, so nothing added since the first copy is lost.
3. Remove test blocks such as noindex tags or password protection on the new copy.
4. Update the DNS records to the new server.
5. Check the live site from a phone on mobile data and from an office connection, and confirm the SSL certificate is active.

For a brochure site that does not change every hour, steps 1 and 2 are quick. For a busy shop, the gap between the final copy and the DNS switch is the only window where an order could land on the old server, so keep it short and check the old site’s orders once more the next day.

After the switch: what to watch and when to cancel the old hosting

Keep the old hosting account active. Google’s guide advises watching the server logs on both sides: traffic to the old server should fall as traffic to the new one rises, and the old hosting can be shut down once traffic to it reaches zero.

In the first days, also check:

• Form and order emails are arriving, and not in spam.
• Google Search Console still shows the site as verified and reports no new crawl errors. Google notes that a temporary drop in crawl rate straight after a hosting change is normal and that it usually rises again over the following days.
• Scheduled tasks, backups and payment callbacks run on the new server.
• Page speed is the same or better than before.

Once everything is stable, raise the TTL back to its earlier value and download one last backup from the old account before you cancel it.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to move a website to new hosting?

It depends on the size of the site and how much runs on the old account. Copying and testing is the short part. The full move takes longer on the calendar, because Google’s guide recommends lowering the TTL at least a week ahead and the old hosting stays on until its traffic stops.

Will moving hosting affect my Google rankings?

A move that keeps the same domain and page addresses is not a change Google needs to be told about. Google’s own guide treats it as an infrastructure change and expects crawling to settle within days, provided Googlebot is not blocked by a firewall on the new server.

Should I change nameservers or only the A record?

Changing only the A record is the smaller change and leaves email records untouched. Change nameservers only if you want the new host to manage DNS, and copy every existing record across first.

Can I move hosting without access to the old hosting account?

It is harder. You need a copy of the files and database from somewhere: a recent backup, or an export made from inside the site’s admin area. Access to the domain’s DNS is the part you cannot work around.

If you would rather have the move planned and carried out for you, it is part of our web development service. Send us the site address and your current host through our contact page and we will reply with a fixed quote.