The full picture.
WHAT MOVES
Your website files Your databases Your email accounts and their contents Your DNS records Scheduled tasks
WHAT PEOPLE FORGET
Email contents, which do not travel with a website backup Cron jobs DNS records for third-party services SSL, which must be reissued
WHAT DOES NOT MOVE AUTOMATICALLY
Your domain registration, unless you transfer it separately.
Registration and hosting are different things.
THE THREE STAGES
- Prepare: gather access, record everything, take backups
- Move: transfer files, databases, email, configuration
- Switch: change DNS and verify
HOW LONG IT TAKES
A simple site: an hour or two of work, plus DNS propagation.
A shop or a complex site: longer, and it should be tested thoroughly.
THE PART THAT CAUSES MOST PROBLEMS
Email. Plan for it specifically.
WHERE TO START
Establish what you have and what access you hold.
