Switching hosts feels risky because most people do it backwards: they cancel first and migrate second. Our engineers have moved thousands of sites with visitors noticing nothing. Here is the exact order we follow — and yes, we will do it for you free.
Step 1: Copy, don't move
Leave the old site running. Take a full backup — files, databases, email forwarders — and restore it on the new server. Your live site never blinks because nothing about it changed yet.
Step 2: Test on a temporary address
Before touching DNS, preview the copy on a staging URL. Click through checkout, forms and login. Fix anything odd now, while the old site still serves visitors.
- Verify forms actually send (check spam folders too).
- Confirm SSL is issued on the new server first.
- Note any hard-coded URLs pointing at the old host.
Step 3: Time the DNS switch
Lower your DNS TTL to five minutes a day before the move, then flip the records during your quietest hour. Because both servers hold identical sites, visitors landing on either one see the same thing — that overlap is what makes downtime mathematically zero.
Step 4: Watch, then cancel
Keep the old plan for 48 hours while propagation finishes and logs confirm traffic has moved. Only then cancel. This waiting period is the whole trick — and the step most DIY moves skip.
Moving to Vaultline? Choose free migration on the contact form and include your current host. Most moves finish within 24 hours, and you approve every step before DNS changes.