Moving your website to Liberation from another host (Bluehost, GoDaddy, Hostinger, DreamHost, SiteGround, etc.) is straightforward if things happen in the right order. This guide explains your options, what we need from you, and how to switch over without downtime.
Choose how you want to move
| Option | Best for |
|---|---|
| We do it for you: order a Website Migration + Hosting bundle (Small $250, Medium $500, Large $1,000) | WordPress sites where you want it handled end to end: files, database, installing on your Liberation hosting, and help with DNS or the domain transfer. |
| You (or your developer) do it with a WordPress migration plugin | Comfortable WordPress users. Free plugins like UpdraftPlus, All-in-One WP Migration or Duplicator make a copy you restore on the new hosting. |
| Rebuild in Site Builder | Sites made in a closed builder (GoDaddy Website Builder, Wix, Squarespace), which can’t be moved as files. Site Builder’s clone tool gives you a head start. |
Important: Migrations are an as-is copy. We move your site exactly as it is; fixing old plugins, themes or code afterwards isn’t included, though we can quote for it. Make sure the site works properly at the old host before you move it.
What we need from you (for a done-for-you migration)
- The website address.
- Access to your old hosting: the control panel (cPanel/Plesk) login from your old host, or a full backup of the site files and database. A WordPress admin login alone is often not enough.
- Where your domain is registered, and whether you want to transfer it to us too.
- Where your email is today (Google, Microsoft 365, your old host). This matters when DNS changes. See below.
Tip: Instead of emailing passwords, add us as a user or create a temporary login at your old host, and send the details through your ticket. Change or remove the login once the migration is done.
The switch-over, step by step
- Order hosting (or the migration bundle) and open a ticket in the Website Migrations department with the details above.
- We copy the site to your Liberation hosting. Your live site stays at the old host during this time.
- Check the copy. We’ll give you a way to preview it. Click through the main pages and forms.
- Point your domain to Liberation. Change the nameservers or A record (see Which nameservers should my domain use?). Visitors move to the new server over the next few hours.
- Keep email working. If your email is somewhere else (Google, Microsoft 365), its MX records must be copied into your new DNS before you switch nameservers. Tell us where your email is and we’ll add them. If you’re moving to Liberation Email as well, see How to move your existing email to Liberation.
- Set up website email: point your contact forms at our SMTP service (see Website contact form not sending email?).
- Wait a week, then cancel the old host. Keep the old account until you’re sure everything (site, forms, email, SSL) works on Liberation.
Doing it yourself with WordPress
- At the old host, install your migration plugin and create a full backup (files + database). Download it.
- On Liberation, open your hosting in the Client Area > Log in to cPanel > WordPress Management, install WordPress, and log in to the new WordPress admin from there.
- Install the same migration plugin on the new WordPress, upload your backup and restore it.
- Check the site, then switch DNS as in step 4 above.
Common problems after a migration
- I see a blank WordPress "sample page": DNS is still pointing at the fresh install, or the restore didn’t finish. Open a ticket and we’ll check the restore.
- Can’t log in to wp-admin after restoring: the restore replaces the WordPress users with those from your old site. Use your old site’s login, or log in through cPanel > WordPress Management.
- Critical error or 503 after moving: often a PHP version difference. See WordPress "There has been a critical error".
- Email stopped when I changed nameservers: the MX records weren’t copied. Add your email provider’s MX records in your new DNS.
Still need help?
Choose the Website Migrations department. Open a support ticket and include the details listed above so we can resolve it on the first reply.
