Website Migration Checklist: Before and After

A smooth migration is mostly about preparation. Whether our team moves your site for you or you do it yourself, working through a proper checklist – before, during, and after the switch – is what keeps a move from turning into a scramble. Run through the points below in order and you won’t leave a page, a mailbox, or a redirect behind.

Before you migrate

Preparation is where most of the risk disappears. Tick these off before anything moves:

Take a full backup of your current site – files and database – and keep a copy somewhere safe, separate from both hosts.
List everything you’re moving – every domain and subdomain, and every email account with its folders – so nothing is forgotten.
Gather your access details – your current hosting/control-panel login (or a backup file) and the login where you manage your domain’s DNS.
Note your current setup – PHP version, cron jobs, custom redirects, and any SSL certificates – so you can recreate them on JetHost.
Check your domain’s expiry and lock status so a renewal or registrar lock doesn’t surprise you mid-move.
Lower your DNS TTL to 300 seconds about a day ahead, so the final cutover propagates in minutes, not hours.
Pause big changes on the old site – new posts, orders, or uploads – while the move is in progress, so the copy stays in sync.

During the move

Nothing goes dark while you migrate – your old site stays live until you choose to switch. If our team is handling it, these steps are done for you; if you’re doing it yourself, follow the WordPress and email guides.

Copy the site files and databases to your JetHost account.
Recreate your email accounts with the same addresses before switching anything public.
Test the copy on JetHost using a temporary URL or your computer’s hosts file, while the old site is still live.
Keep the old site running the whole time – it only stops serving visitors once you move the domain.

After you switch

Once the domain points to JetHost, confirm everything works before you relax:

Browse the live site on JetHost – homepage, key pages, forms, checkout, and the admin login.
Confirm your SSL is active so the site loads over https:// with no browser warnings.
Send and receive a test email on each migrated mailbox, and confirm your devices are updated to JetHost’s mail servers.
Check redirects and internal links work and that no important page returns a 404.
Recreate cron jobs and confirm the correct PHP version is set for the site.
Test a purchase or form submission end to end if you run a store or rely on contact forms.

A few days later

Confirm DNS has fully propagated and that both the site and email reliably use JetHost.
Check no new mail reached the old mailboxes before you stop using them.
Cancel your old hosting once everything is confirmed working – but not a moment before.

JetHost Experts Tip

Test the migrated site using a temporary URL or your computer’s hosts file before you change DNS. Catching a broken link or missing plugin while the old site is still live means your visitors never see the problem.

Need more help?

Want to skip the checklist entirely? Our team runs through all of this for you with a free managed migration – just open a ticket through Client Area → Support, or email us.

Website Migration Checklist: What to Check Before and After