Many businesses stay with an unsatisfactory hosting provider out of fear of the migration process: losing data, suffering downtime, or Google penalising the site during the switch. But with proper planning, migrating is much simpler than it sounds.
Steps to a successful migration
1. Full inventory of what you have
Before moving anything, document what you have on your current host: websites, databases, email accounts, subdomains, SSL certificates, cron jobs and any special configuration. This inventory prevents surprises when you arrive at the new server.
2. Complete backup before you start
Never move anything without a complete, verified backup of your source. Even if the migration goes perfectly, the backup is your safety net.
3. Migrate with a low TTL to minimise DNS impact
DNS takes time to propagate across the internet (up to 24–48 hours in the worst case). Lowering your domain's TTL before the migration speeds up propagation and minimises the window where some users see the old site while others see the new one.
What about SEO during a migration?
If your website's URL doesn't change (you're only changing provider, not domain or structure), Google does not penalise the migration. The only potential impact is a slightly different response time during the first few hours. A well-executed migration is transparent to search engines.
Conclusion
Migrating hosting providers doesn't have to be a headache. With the right planning and technical support from the Hosting Andorra team, the process can be completed without interruptions and without any impact on your rankings.
Ready to make the switch? Contact our team and we'll help you plan your migration.