How to Migrate Legacy WordPress Sites to High-Performance Hosting (Without Downtime)

Migration isn't just about moving files. It's about ensuring data integrity and improving performance in the process. Over the last year, I've managed end-to-end migrations for clients ranging from NGOs to multinational corporations.

Pre-Migration Audit (What I Check First)

Before I move anything, I run a complete migration audit to avoid surprises later. This includes: Reviewing active plugins and theme dependencies Checking database size and cleanup opportunities Identifying plugin conflicts, PHP version issues, and server limitations In many cases, cleaning and optimising the database before migration reduces the total transfer size by up to 40%, which speeds up the move and lowers the chance of errors.

DNS and SSL Setup (Avoid Downtime and “Not Secure” Warnings)

The most stressful stage of any website migration is the DNS switch. To make it smooth, I reduce the DNS TTL (Time To Live) about 24 hours before launch so changes propagate faster. I also prepare SSL early by installing certificates on the staging environment first. This prevents the common “Not Secure” browser warning and ensures the site launches with HTTPS from day one.

Post-Migration QA (Fix Issues Before Users Find Them)

Once the site is live, quality assurance starts immediately. My post-migration checks typically include: Automated crawl tests to detect broken links and missing pages Reviewing server and WordPress error logs Monitoring for PHP warnings and performance changes in the new environment This final QA step is what turns a “site moved” migration into a reliable, production-ready launch.