Introduction
Moving a website means copying it from your current host to us, then pointing your domain at the copy. We call this a migration.
We do the migration for you, for free, on every plan. You do not need to copy anything yourself.
This guide explains what moves, what you need to send us, and the order things happen in. Your site stays online the whole time.
What Moves
We copy everything your site and email need:
- Files. Your website’s pages, images, uploads, themes and plugins.
- Databases. A database is where your site keeps its content, users and settings. For a shop, this includes your products, customers and WooCommerce orders.
- Mailboxes and messages. Every email address on your domain, with the mail already in it.
- Email passwords. Each mailbox keeps its current password, so your mail apps keep working with the same login.
- DNS records. DNS records are the settings that tell the internet where your website and email live. We bring them over too.
Where We Can Move From
We move sites from any host that uses cPanel or Plesk. These are the control panels most hosts use.
If your host uses a different panel, send us a full backup of your site instead. A backup is a download of your files and databases, usually as .zip, .tar.gz or .sql files.
What You Need to Send Us
Open a ticket at client.getlitehost.com/support and include:
- The domain you want moved, for example
yourdomain.com. - Your current host’s control panel login: the address, username and password. If you prefer, send a backup instead.
- Whether your email should move too.
- Anything special about the site, such as a shop that takes orders or an app that runs in the background.
Note: Send login details only inside the ticket. Change that password at your old host once the move is finished.
How the Move Works
The move happens in three steps:
- We copy everything. Your old host stays live and keeps serving your visitors.
- You check the copy on a preview URL. A preview URL is a private address that opens the copy on our servers, while the public still sees your old host. Click around, log in to your admin, and send a test email.
- We switch your domain. Only after you approve the preview, we update DNS so visitors reach the new copy.
Your old host stays untouched until you cancel it yourself.
Note: Do not cancel your old hosting until you have approved the preview and the switch is done.
How Long It Takes
Most sites are ready to preview within 24 hours. Very large sites, or accounts with many mailboxes, take longer, and we tell you upfront.
Laravel and Other Apps
Laravel plans include free app and database migration. We move your app’s code and its database the same way.
On a Laravel plan, we also set up your app for you. This includes the document root, PHP version, queue worker and scheduler. The Laravel guide explains what each of these does.
Checking the Preview
Loading the homepage proves very little. Before you approve, check:
- that you can log in to your site’s admin,
- that a contact form sends,
- that a test checkout completes, if you sell anything,
- that images and uploads load.
The WordPress move guide explains each of these checks and why they matter.
If something is wrong on the preview, reply on the ticket. We fix it before anything changes for your visitors. If it cannot be made to work, you pay nothing and nothing changes.
Moving It Yourself
You can also import a site from cPanel or Plesk yourself, from the control panel. You do not have to. The managed migration above costs nothing.
If you start an import yourself and it stops partway, open a ticket and we will finish it with you.
