Migrating WordPress website hosting is a logistics problem: copy the PHP application files, copy MySQL, prove the site on preview HTTPS, then cut DNS and align home/siteurl. WPHost gives you PHP 8.4, MySQL, deploys, and certificates — not a Softaculous button, not auto plugin updates, not email, not a CDN, and not a forever-free parking lot.

This procedure uses a personal blog home page as the worked example. Related reading: best place to host WordPress, how to move WordPress to new hosting, how to transfer WordPress to a new host.

1. Inventory what “the website” actually is

List:

  • Document root path and whether anything lives outside wp-content that you customized.
  • Database size and table prefix.
  • Cron jobs or server crons beyond wp-cron.
  • Object cache, Redis, or host-specific must-use plugins that will not exist on WPHost.
  • Media offload to S3 — credentials and rewrite rules.
  • SMTP plugin settings (you will re-authenticate).

Migration fails most often from invisible dependencies, not from FTP speed.

2. Produce a complete export

Take a full backup: files + database. Prefer a known plugin package (UpdraftPlus et al.) and a raw SQL dump if you can. Verify the archive opens and the dump is non-empty.

Partial exports that omit wp_posts or uploads are how empty blogs are born. Destination deploy history cannot reconstruct missing rows.

3. Stand up the target environment

Create a PHP site on a plan that fits ($9 one site; $30 for staging/cron and more slots; $65 / $130 for larger footprints). Create MySQL. Upload files so the document root is correct — no accidental nested directory.

There is no one-click “migrate to us” installer. You are installing WordPress by restoring it.

4. Import database, reconnect config, boot on preview

Import SQL. Point wp-config.php at the new database. Load the preview HTTPS URL. Temporarily align siteurl/home with preview if redirects still chase the old domain.

Run a serialization-safe search-replace from old URL to preview URL. Confirm the personal blog home page renders: latest posts, featured images, menus, widgets.

5. Worked example: personal blog home page

Checks specific to a blog home:

  • Reading settings still show latest posts (or the static front page you intended).
  • Featured images are not 404 (uploads directory present and paths rewritten).
  • Sticky post still sticky.
  • Navigation menus assigned to theme locations.
  • Comment settings match your moderation preferences.
  • Caching plugin (if any) emptied and reconfigured for the new host — no leftover Redis drop-in from the old host.

Install/confirm a backup plugin and store a fresh full backup off-box. WPHost will not auto-update your SEO or cache plugins; after migration, update deliberately.

Pro+ staging: clone files, then copy the database if you want real posts on staging before you experiment with a new theme.

6. Domain cutover and post-migrate hygiene

Attach the custom domain. Wait for the certificate. Set both WordPress URLs to https://your-domain. Retest home, single post, wp-admin, XML sitemap if you use one.

Keep the old host paid for a short overlap. Leave MX records alone — WPHost does not provide email hosting. If you use WooCommerce on the blog’s merch page, re-test checkout; there is no PCI/checkout SLA here.

What to skip

Skip migrating unused themes and abandoned plugins. Skip changing URLs before preview works. Skip assuming “managed” means plugins patch themselves. Skip CDN cutovers you never configured (there is no built-in CDN to migrate). Skip celebrating before UpdraftPlus completes on the new side.

What “done” looks like

Done: public domain serves the blog over HTTPS, home page content matches the pre-migrate snapshot, forms/mail work via your real SMTP, backups exist, and you know who will click Update next month.

Failure: skipping a database dump on a WordPress move

Copying only themes, plugins, and uploads feels productive because you can watch megabytes move. Without the database dump, WordPress on the new host has no posts, no pages, no users (except what a fresh install might create), and no options. The home page becomes Hello Dolly territory even though wp-content/uploads is full of orphaned images.

Always export MySQL before you cancel the old host. Import it before you announce the new URL. If someone already deleted the old database, no amount of file deploy history on WPHost will resurrect wp_posts. Treat the dump as the migration’s source of truth; files are the costume it wears.

FAQ

How long should DNS overlap last?

Often 48–72 hours after you confirm the new host, longer if editors are slow to test. Keep the old host until comments, forms, and analytics look right.

Does WPHost auto-migrate plugins to new versions during the move?

No. Versions you export are versions you import. You update later in wp-admin.

Can staging replace a migration rehearsal?

Staging on Pro+ helps after you are on WPHost. For the migration itself, rehearse on the preview URL with a DB import. Staging still needs a DB copy for real content.

Are plans free while I migrate?

No forever-free tier. Use a paid plan (from $9) as the destination; preview HTTPS is for building and verifying, not eternal freeloading.