- Switching providers is perfectly doable if you plan it properly. It’s not as scary as it looks.
- There’s an order of steps that keeps risk to a minimum. Skipping one can cost you.
- Preparation matters more than execution. Rushing is the most common mistake.
The fear of switching
“We want to change agencies, but we’re afraid of losing everything we’ve built”. We hear it almost every week, and it’s a legitimate concern: your website is a critical asset.
The good news is that switching providers is a routine operation for any serious agency. Planned properly, the risk is low and downtime comes down to minutes, or even zero.
First, be clear about what you’re changing: the agency (who maintains the site), the hosting (where it lives) or both at once, which is the trickiest case and the one this guide covers. If you’re still on the fence, you may want to read how to tell whether your current agency is serving you well first. If you’ve already decided, here are the 15 steps to a safe transition.
Phase 1: Preparation (before announcing the change)
1. Take a full inventory of your assets
Before you lift a finger, ask yourself: what exactly do you have?
- Every login: hosting, domain, CMS, FTP, email, database and DNS.
- A full copy of the current site (files and database).
- The list of email accounts, aliases and forwards.
- Your integrations: CRM, email marketing, analytics and payment gateway.
- Licenses for paid plugins and services, and whose name they’re in.
- The list of admin users.
Licenses are a classic: many premium plugins are registered to the outgoing agency, and when they leave, the updates stop.
2. Check who owns the domain
The domain must be registered in your name. If it’s in the previous provider’s name, request a change of registrant before anything else. This is non-negotiable.
If you’re also moving registrar, you’ll need the domain unlocked and the authorization code (authcode), and the process can take several days. Also check that the registrant’s contact email is yours: it receives the renewal notices.
3. Make a full backup and verify it
Copy files, database, email and settings. Then restore it in a local or staging environment. If you haven’t tested it, it doesn’t exist.
4. Choose the new provider and finalize the brief
Signed contract, defined scope and agreed timelines. Include what happens to the code, access and data if the relationship ever ends; we explain how in technical clauses your development contract should include.
How to ask the outgoing provider for what you need
Ideally, you’ll have access and backups before you announce the change. If that’s not possible, ask for everything in writing, in a single email: admin access (hosting, CMS, database and DNS), the domain authorization code if they manage it, a full and recent backup, access to the code repository if there is one and credentials for external services.
Respect the notice period in your contract, settle any outstanding invoices and keep things professional. Most cooperate without trouble when the request is clear and in writing.
Phase 2: Pre-migration (with the new provider)
5. Set up the environment on the new hosting
The new provider prepares the server: compatible PHP and database versions, SSL certificate and automatic backups.
6. Migrate the content in a test phase
The site is copied to the new server without making it public yet, for example on a staging subdomain. Time to check: do the pages look right? Do the forms send? Does checkout go all the way through?
If the URL structure is going to change, set up 301 redirects from the old addresses to the new ones now. Without them, you’ll lose Google rankings.
7. Set up email and forwards
Create the email accounts on the new server and, if needed, migrate the mail history. Watch out: if your email runs on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, it doesn’t move with the website. You just need to copy its DNS records (MX, SPF and DKIM) exactly.
8. Have the DNS switch plan ready
Define which records change, what they point to and how long they’ll take to propagate. A simple trick: 24 to 48 hours beforehand, lower the TTL on those records to 300 seconds (5 minutes). That way, on the day, propagation will be much faster.
Phase 3: The switch (migration day)
9. Freeze changes on the old site
Tell the team: no publishing content and no touching settings during the migration. Pick a low-traffic window.
10. Final copy and definitive migration
Take one last copy and bring the most recent changes (orders, form submissions, new users) over to the new server. Final check: everything has to work.
11. DNS switch
This is the point of no return, or nearly: update the domain’s DNS so it points to the new server. As long as the old one is still running you have a plan B, because if something goes badly wrong you can point back to it.
12. Close monitoring
For the first 24 to 48 hours, make sure everything works, that email arrives and that the site loads properly from different networks.
Phase 4: After the migration
13. Full verification
Check forms, bookings, payments, email, analytics and integrations. Keep an eye on Google Search Console over the following weeks too, in case crawl errors or not-found pages show up.
A common slip: going live with WordPress’s “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” box still ticked from staging. It takes 1 second to untick, but forgetting it can cost you weeks of visibility.
14. Cancel the old services (calmly)
Don’t cancel anything straight away. Wait 1 or 2 weeks and confirm everything is stable. Before closing the old hosting account, save one last full copy.
15. Update documentation and access
Store the new logins somewhere safe, document the setup and take the chance to change any passwords the previous provider knew and remove their admin users.
Migration checklist
- Full inventory of assets and access
- Backup verified and working
- Domain in the client’s name
- Plugin and service licenses in your name
- New provider ready
- Site migrated and tested on the new server
- 301 redirects ready if URLs change
- Email set up and tested
- DNS switch plan ready and TTL lowered
- Migration date agreed (low-traffic window)
- Post-migration monitoring planned
- Rollback plan in case something fails
Conclusion
Switching web providers doesn’t have to be traumatic. It’s a routine technical operation.
The key is preparation: knowing what you have, having verified backups and following a logical order. Get Phase 1 right and the rest is almost mechanical.
At Baqueiro we plan migrations with a verified backup, a staging environment and a rollback plan, so your customers don’t even notice the switch. If you’re thinking about changing providers and want help with the planning, tell us about your case.