- Table of Contents
- 1) Who should switch (and who should pause)
- 2) The “site inventory” you must capture first
- 3) Pre-switch checklist (step-by-step)
- Step A — Define your “success metrics” (5 minutes)
- Step B — Confirm email and sending (don’t skip)
- Step C — Lower your DNS TTL (24–48 hours before cutover)
- Step D — Run compatibility checks (plugins + PHP)
- Step E — Backups and rollback (non-negotiable)
- Step F — Prepare a staging validation script
- Step G — Decide your migration method (Kinsta-managed vs DIY)
- 4) Go-live plan (DNS + validation)
- 5) Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
- 6) After switching: performance + stability tuning
- 7) Kinsta vs typical shared hosting (quick comparison)
- 8) FAQs
- 9) References
Switching hosts can be painless—or it can quietly break email, analytics, checkout, and SEO while “the site looks fine.”
This guide is a practical, pre-switch checklist you can run in under an hour to reduce risk and avoid the most common migration mistakes.
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- Do a full inventory first: DNS, email, CDN, plugins, integrations, and critical pages.
- Lower DNS TTL, confirm email provider, and plan SSL/redirects before you touch nameservers.
- Use staging for validation and a “go-live” checklist for production cutover.
- Most downtime is caused by DNS mistakes, email assumptions, and skipped testing—not the host itself.
- If you’re switching to Kinsta, you get strong platform tooling (migrations, MyKinsta, staging, security), but you still own DNS, email hosting, and third-party integrations.
1) Who should switch (and who should pause)
Kinsta is designed for people who want managed WordPress hosting: performance, security hardening, proactive tooling, and expert support.
Switching makes sense when hosting is now a business dependency—not just a monthly bill.
Quick reality checks before you commit
- Email hosting: Kinsta focuses on hosting and does not provide traditional email hosting. If your current host provides mailboxes, plan a separate email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, etc.).
- Transactional email: Most WordPress sites still need reliable transactional emails (forms, password resets, order updates). Confirm your sending method (SMTP/API) before switching.
- DNS decisions: Decide whether you’ll keep DNS where it is or use a managed DNS option. DNS mistakes are a top cause of “it worked yesterday” problems.
For conversion-focused site improvements, see:
2) The “site inventory” you must capture first
The easiest way to prevent migration surprises is to write down what your website actually depends on.
Most site owners know plugins and themes—but forget DNS records, email routing, background jobs, and third-party integrations.
Inventory checklist (capture this before you touch anything)
- Access: Admin logins for WordPress, current host, domain registrar, DNS provider, CDN/WAF (if any).
- DNS records: A/AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), and any verification records (Google, Microsoft, etc.).
- Email: Where mailboxes live, where transactional email is sent from, SMTP/API provider, and “From” addresses used on the site.
- Critical user paths: Homepage, top 5 posts, search, contact form, checkout/cart (if ecom), login/reset password.
- SEO assets: Robots.txt, XML sitemaps, canonical behavior, redirects, and indexation status.
- Performance baseline: Current Core Web Vitals snapshot (mobile + desktop), plus a simple “time to first byte” measurement.
- Integrations: GA4, Search Console, Tag Manager, ads pixels, affiliate link plugins, caching/CDN plugins.
| Dependency | What to capture | Why it matters during a host switch |
|---|---|---|
| MX/TXT records, mailbox provider, transactional email method | Wrong MX/TXT can break mailbox delivery and password resets. | |
| DNS | TTL values, current A/CNAME targets, nameservers | TTL controls propagation speed; mistakes can cause long outages. |
| SSL | HTTPS enforcement, HSTS, wildcard needs, subdomains | Bad SSL cutovers cause browser warnings and lost conversions. |
| SEO | Redirect rules, sitemap URLs, canonicals | Migration is when rankings are easiest to accidentally damage. |
| Commerce/membership | Peak traffic windows, order flow, cron jobs, webhooks | Dynamic sites often need a freeze window and careful sequencing. |
3) Pre-switch checklist (step-by-step)
Use this checklist as your “flight plan.” If you’re moving to Kinsta, you can request a migration and schedule it,
but success still depends on preparation: DNS, email, and testing.
Tip: Open Kinsta in a new tab so you can follow the checklist below without losing your place.
Step A — Define your “success metrics” (5 minutes)
- Performance: lower TTFB, faster pages, better Core Web Vitals.
- Reliability: fewer outages, smoother traffic spikes.
- Operational: staging, backups, easier debugging, faster support.
If you don’t define success, you’ll end up judging the switch by “it feels faster” instead of measurable impact.
Step B — Confirm email and sending (don’t skip)
- Mailbox email: If your current host provides email inboxes, set up a dedicated email provider before moving hosting.
- Transactional email: Test contact forms, password reset emails, WooCommerce order emails, and membership emails.
- Authentication records: Ensure SPF/DKIM/DMARC TXT records remain correct after DNS changes.
Step C — Lower your DNS TTL (24–48 hours before cutover)
TTL controls how long ISPs and resolvers cache your records.
Lowering TTL ahead of time makes propagation faster when you flip to the new host.
- Lower TTL for your main A/CNAME record (and www) to something like 300 seconds (5 minutes).
- Do this at least 24 hours before you plan to cut over, so the old TTL expires globally.
Step D — Run compatibility checks (plugins + PHP)
- Update WordPress core, theme, and plugins (ideally on staging first).
- Identify plugins that conflict with managed hosting (especially redundant caching/security plugins).
- Confirm your site supports modern PHP versions; incompatibilities are a frequent cause of “random” errors after migration.
Step E — Backups and rollback (non-negotiable)
- Create a full backup (files + database) you can download and store offsite.
- Document how to revert DNS back to the old host if something goes wrong.
- Record current versions (WP + theme + plugin versions) so you can reproduce issues if needed.
Step F — Prepare a staging validation script
When the migrated site is available on a temporary domain/staging environment, run the same tests every time.
This prevents “we checked a few pages” and missing a critical workflow.
- Load homepage, a category page, and 3 high-traffic posts.
- Site search and navigation menus.
- Forms: contact/newsletter/signup.
- Login + password reset.
- Checkout/order flow (if applicable).
- Confirm robots.txt and sitemap behavior.
- Check images, CSS/JS loading, and console errors.
| Test Area | What to test | Pass criteria |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Canonicals, noindex tags, sitemap URLs, redirects | No accidental “noindex”; canonicals point to the correct domain |
| Form emails + password reset + order emails | Emails deliver within minutes; no SPF/DKIM failures | |
| Speed | Top pages + heavy pages | TTFB improves or stays stable; no new render-blocking issues |
| Tracking | GA4 events, tags, pixels | Hits appear in realtime reports |
Step G — Decide your migration method (Kinsta-managed vs DIY)
If you want the lowest risk path, use managed migration and schedule it during a low-traffic window.
For complex/dynamic sites (WooCommerce/membership), plan a short “content freeze” window to avoid data loss.
4) Go-live plan (DNS + validation)
A “go-live” plan prevents the classic problem: you switch DNS, something breaks, and you don’t know what changed.
Use a simple phased approach.
| Phase | What you do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| T-48 to T-24 hours | Lower TTL, confirm email provider, take backups, schedule migration/testing | Speeds up propagation and ensures rollback capability |
| T-2 hours | Freeze content if needed (dynamic sites), pause major edits, ensure team availability | Prevents missing updates during cutover |
| Cutover | Update A/CNAME (or nameservers) to point to the new host | Moves real traffic to the new infrastructure |
| T+0 to T+2 hours | Run validation script, check SSL/redirects, verify analytics + email | Catches issues while TTL is low and rollback is easy |
| T+24 hours | Restore normal TTL, monitor logs/errors, confirm SEO signals | Stabilizes operations and confirms no delayed breakage |
If you skip this, you’re debugging on production traffic.
5) Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
These are the issues that repeatedly cause “migrations gone wrong.” The fixes are usually simple—but only if you know to check them.
| Mistake | What it looks like | How to prevent it |
|---|---|---|
| Assuming email “moves with hosting” | No emails, broken password resets, missed leads | Separate mailbox email provider; verify MX/TXT records before cutover |
| Not lowering TTL in advance | Some visitors see old site for hours/day | Lower TTL 24–48 hours early, then cut over during low-traffic |
| Skipping staging validation | Checkout breaks, forms fail, random 500 errors | Use a repeatable test script; validate critical flows end-to-end |
| Keeping redundant caching/security plugins | Strange cache behavior, mixed content, admin slowdowns | Review plugin stack; avoid duplicate caching layers and conflicting security rules |
| Forgetting redirects and canonicals | Traffic drop, duplicate pages indexed | Audit redirects, confirm canonicals and sitemap output after cutover |
| Changing too many things at once | Hard to isolate the cause of issues | Migrate first; optimize later (separate “move” from “refactor”) |
| Not planning a rollback | Panic during outage | Document how to revert DNS and keep the old host active temporarily |
- Migration project: Move safely and keep everything working.
- Optimization project: Improve speed, reduce plugins, tune caching, and clean up tech debt after stability.
6) After switching: performance + stability tuning
Once the site is live and stable, optimize in controlled steps. This is where managed hosting shines—because you can test changes safely and measure impact.
High-impact post-move improvements
- Remove duplicate caching layers: Use one coherent caching strategy and avoid plugin pileups.
- Fix slow plugins using monitoring: Identify which plugins/themes generate slow queries or heavy PHP work.
- Update PHP safely: Test newer PHP versions on staging first to prevent compatibility issues.
- Harden forms + email deliverability: Ensure SPF/DKIM/DMARC are correct and SMTP/API sending is stable.
- Re-check Core Web Vitals: Compare the same pages you measured before the move.
7) Kinsta vs typical shared hosting (quick comparison)
“Shared hosting” can work for small sites, but once your site earns money or drives leads, the hidden costs show up:
slow support, noisy neighbors, weaker security defaults, and limited tooling.
| Category | Typical shared hosting | Kinsta-style managed hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Variable; affected by other accounts on the same server | More consistent performance; platform-level caching/CDN options |
| Security | Basic; often DIY hardening | Stronger defaults + platform protections (plus backups) |
| Support | General hosting support (often slower) | WordPress-focused support and tooling |
| Staging | Sometimes missing or limited | Staging workflows and safer deployments |
| Migration help | Often DIY | Migration options + scheduling support |
8) FAQs
Will switching to Kinsta cause downtime?
Not necessarily. Most downtime comes from DNS and testing errors, not the move itself. If you validate on staging and switch DNS during a low-traffic window with lowered TTL, downtime is often minimal.
Do I need to move my email to Kinsta?
No. In fact, it’s usually better to keep email hosting separate from website hosting. If your current host provides mailboxes, set up a dedicated email provider and migrate mailboxes before your hosting cutover.
What should I test first after the site goes live?
Start with: homepage, top posts, search, menus, forms, login/password reset, and checkout (if applicable). Then verify SSL, redirects, analytics, and email sending.
What’s the #1 migration mistake people make?
Assuming email and DNS “just work.” Mailbox email depends on MX records; transactional email depends on sending configuration; DNS determines where the world points.
Should I change themes/plugins during the migration?
Avoid it. Change as little as possible until the site is stable on the new host. Migrate first, optimize later.
Do I still need a CDN on Kinsta?
Many sites benefit from a CDN. Whether you need additional CDN setup depends on your traffic geography and caching needs. Avoid stacking multiple CDNs/caching layers unless you know exactly why.
What about WooCommerce or membership sites?
Plan a freeze window and schedule the migration to avoid data loss. Validate the full purchase/login flows on staging before cutover.
How long should I keep my old hosting after switching?
Keep it for at least a few days (often 7–14) as a safety net, unless cost/constraints prevent it. This makes rollback and file comparisons far easier.
How do I verify SEO didn’t break?
Confirm robots/noindex settings, canonicals, and sitemap URLs. Monitor Search Console for coverage issues, and check that redirects still behave correctly.
Where should I start if I’m ready to switch?
Start by creating your plan and using a managed migration path if you want the lowest-risk option.
Try Kinsta here.
9) References
- Kinsta Docs: Migrating to Kinsta (migration options + notes)
- Kinsta: Cloudflare integration (security + CDN + edge caching overview)
- Kinsta Docs: Kinsta’s DNS
- Kinsta: Why keep email and hosting separate
- Kinsta Docs: Email tool (transactional email)
- Kinsta: APM tool (performance monitoring)
- WordPress documentation
- Google Search Central: Site move guidance
inventory → staging validation → DNS cutover → post-move tuning.
