Two migration methods explained — from the one-click migration plugin to manual SFTP, covering complete workflows for migrating from SiteGround, Bluehost, Hostinger, and other major hosts.
Start Free Trial First →Switching hosts sounds like a hassle, but with the right approach — it can be done in 30 minutes. Cloudways provides a free migration plugin that makes the entire process nearly "one-click." Even manual migration is simpler than you'd expect.
This guide covers both migration methods, plus specific steps for migrating from three popular hosts (SiteGround, Bluehost, Hostinger). Whether you're a total beginner or an experienced developer, you'll find the right approach here.
Don't have a Cloudways account yet? We recommend starting a 3-day free trial first, test the migration in the trial environment, and switch officially once everything checks out.
Before you begin, spend 10 minutes on the following prep work — it prevents 90% of migration problems:
Create a complete backup (files + database) on your old host. Most hosting control panels (cPanel, etc.) offer one-click backup. This is your safety net — if something goes wrong, you can restore at any time.
Gather the following: FTP/SFTP login credentials, database name/username/password, PHP version, list of installed plugins and themes.
If you use email hosted on your old host, migrate it to a third party first (Google Workspace, Zoho Mail, etc.) — Cloudways does not offer email hosting. Record your current MX records.
Sign up for a Cloudways account, create a server, and install a WordPress application. Note the SFTP info and database credentials (found in Application Management → Access Details).
Temporarily deactivate caching plugins (W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache) and security plugins (Wordfence, Sucuri) on your old site — they can interfere with the migration process.
Make sure you have DNS management access for your domain. The final migration step requires updating DNS records. If the domain was registered through your old host, ensure you can manage DNS independently (or transfer the domain out first).
This is the recommended approach — the Cloudways WordPress Migrator is a free WordPress plugin with a fully graphical interface that requires no technical knowledge. The entire process takes approximately 15–30 minutes (depending on site size).
Log into the Cloudways dashboard and navigate to your WordPress application. In the Access Details page, note:
Log into the WordPress dashboard on your old host, go to Plugins → Add New, search for "Cloudways WordPress Migrator", install and activate it. After activation, a "Cloudways Migrate" menu item will appear in the sidebar.
Open the plugin page and fill in the following:
Click "Migrate". The plugin will automatically package all files and the database, then transfer them to your Cloudways server. This may take 10–60 minutes depending on site size. Don't close your browser — let it run in the background.
After migration completes, visit your new site using the Cloudways temporary URL (format: wordpress-xxxxx.cloudwaysapps.com). Check that the homepage, key pages, images, plugins, and admin login all work correctly.
Once everything checks out, go to your domain registrar (e.g., Cloudflare) and point the domain's A record to the Cloudways Public IP. DNS propagation typically takes 1–2 hours.
If your site isn't WordPress, or the migration plugin runs into issues, you can migrate manually. This method is suited for users with some technical background.
Log into phpMyAdmin on your old host, select the WordPress database, click "Export", choose Quick mode, format SQL, and download the .sql file.
Connect to your old host via FileZilla FTP/SFTP, locate the WordPress directory (usually public_html), and download the entire directory locally. Ensure the wp-content folder is complete.
In the Cloudways dashboard, go to Database Manager (Adminer), select the target database, run Import, and upload the .sql file.
Connect to Cloudways SFTP via FileZilla (credentials in Access Details), then upload wp-content to /applications/your-app/public_html/wp-content/.
Update the wp-config.php on Cloudways, ensuring the database name, username, and password match what's shown in Cloudways Access Details.
Use the Better Search Replace plugin or WP-CLI's wp search-replace command to replace the old domain with the new one.
SiteGround is many webmasters' starting point, but as sites grow, Cloudways' cloud VPS performance and elastic scaling become compelling.
The Cloudways Migrator plugin is recommended — typically completes in 15–20 minutes. Post-migration TTFB usually drops from 300–500ms to 150–200ms. See our speed test for data. Want to compare before deciding? See Cloudways vs SiteGround.
Bluehost shared hosting is affordable for new sites, but its performance ceiling is obvious. Migrating to Cloudways is a significant performance upgrade.
The Cloudways Migrator plugin is recommended. Bluehost's WordPress environment is standard, so migration is usually smooth — typically done in 20–30 minutes. For more comparison details, see Cloudways vs Bluehost.
Hostinger is known for ultra-low pricing, but as traffic grows, the shared hosting performance bottleneck becomes increasingly apparent. Upgrading to Cloudways gives you dedicated cloud VPS resources and more stable performance.
The Cloudways Migrator plugin is recommended. Hostinger's WordPress environment is standard, so migration goes smoothly. After migration, you'll immediately notice faster page loads — dedicated VPS resources mean no more competing with other sites for performance. Learn more at Cloudways vs Hostinger.
Migration complete doesn't mean you're done. Spend 15 minutes on the checklist below to ensure your new site is running perfectly:
Browse the homepage, important pages, posts, and category pages — confirm content and layout are correct. Pay particular attention to whether images load correctly.
Submit contact forms, test search, comments, e-commerce checkout flows, etc. Confirm all interactive features work.
In the Cloudways dashboard, go to Application Management → SSL Certificate and install Let's Encrypt SSL with one click. Confirm HTTPS is working and set up automatic HTTP-to-HTTPS redirect. See the setup guide for details.
Enable the Breeze caching plugin that comes pre-installed with Cloudways. In Breeze settings, enable Varnish cache, file compression, and browser caching.
Configure automatic backup frequency (daily recommended) and retention days in Server Management → Backups.
If you've changed IP addresses or DNS settings, Google Search Console typically doesn't need extra action (verification is domain-level). However, it's good practice to manually submit your sitemap to prompt re-crawling.
Watch your site closely for the first 48 hours after migration. Use Cloudways' built-in monitoring or a third-party tool (UptimeRobot) to track availability.
Clean up old host-specific plugins (SG Optimizer, Bluehost Plugin, LiteSpeed Cache, etc.) and install Cloudways ecosystem alternatives.
Cause: The database credentials in wp-config.php don't match the actual Cloudways database.
Solution: Edit wp-config.php via SFTP and replace DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST with the values shown in Cloudways Access Details. DB_HOST is typically localhost.
Cause: Image URLs still point to the old domain, or the wp-content/uploads folder wasn't fully migrated.
Solution: First confirm the uploads folder exists completely. Then use the Better Search Replace plugin to find the old domain and replace it with the new one.
Cause: Usually a PHP version incompatibility or plugin conflict.
Solution: Via SFTP, navigate to wp-content/plugins and rename the plugins folder to plugins_backup to deactivate all plugins. If the site recovers, re-enable plugins one by one to find the conflict. Also check that the PHP version on Cloudways matches your old host.
Cause: Nginx rewrite rules not configured correctly.
Solution: In WordPress admin → Settings → Permalinks, don't change any settings — just click "Save Changes". WordPress will automatically regenerate the rewrite rules.
Cause: Site files are too large or the server's PHP timed out.
Solution: Increase max_execution_time and upload_max_filesize on your old host's PHP settings. If it still fails, consider using manual SFTP migration. For sites over 2GB, manual migration is more reliable.
Cause: Cloudways servers' default PHP mail function may not be reliable enough.
Solution: Install the WP Mail SMTP plugin and configure a third-party email service (Mailgun, SendGrid, Amazon SES). Cloudways has a built-in integration with Elastic Email — configure it in Server Management → SMTP.
Yes. Cloudways provides a free WordPress Migrator plugin so you can handle the migration yourself. Additionally, Cloudways' professional team offers a complimentary first migration — just submit a ticket and the team will handle the entire migration for you.
No. Migration runs in the background, and your old host's site continues running normally throughout the entire process. Only during the final DNS switch will there be a brief propagation window (usually minutes to a few hours) where some visitors may alternately hit the old or new server — but there's no complete downtime.
If you use your old host's email (e.g., SiteGround's free mailbox), email will be affected when DNS is switched. We strongly recommend migrating email to a third-party service (Google Workspace or Zoho Mail) before migrating, since Cloudways does not provide email hosting.
The Cloudways Migrator plugin is WordPress-only. For other CMSes (Magento, Laravel, Drupal), use the manual SFTP migration method — export the database, download files, upload to Cloudways, and update configuration files. The process is similar but requires more technical steps.
Migration does not delete any data on your old host. We recommend confirming your new site is running completely correctly (at least one week) before canceling your old hosting subscription. The old site remains until you actively delete it or the subscription expires.
📖 More Resources: Setup Guide · Full Review · Coupon Code Guide · Free Trial Guide