Guides · updated 2026-07-05
How to migrate a website without downtime
The staging-copy method professionals use: replicate, verify, then switch DNS — so visitors never see an outage.
The one rule
Never move and switch at the same time. Downtime happens when DNS points at a new server before the site is proven to work there. The fix is sequencing: copy first, verify second, switch last.
Step 1 — replicate to a staging copy
Copy files, databases and mailboxes to the new host while the old site keeps serving traffic. Nothing user-facing changes during this step, so it can take as long as it needs.
Step 2 — verify against the copy
Test the staged site on the new server directly (hosts-file override or a staging URL). Check forms, logins, payments and email delivery — the things that break quietly.
Step 3 — lower TTL, then switch DNS
Drop the DNS TTL to 300 seconds a day before. Then update the A/AAAA records. Traffic drains to the new server within minutes; the old host keeps answering stragglers until TTLs expire.
Step 4 — keep the rollback alive
Leave the old hosting untouched for at least a week. If anything surfaces, reverting DNS restores the old world in minutes. Cancel the old plan only after a full billing-and-email cycle passes cleanly.
Or let us do it
Securiace migrations follow exactly this sequence, run by engineers, free on Premium and Business plans — including databases and mailboxes, with your sign-off before the switch.