How to Request a Free Website Migration

You don’t have to move your website yourself. Blue Arctic engineers copy it, test it and switch it over for you. Migration is free on Shared Web Hosting and Managed WordPress. VPS and Virtual Dedicated Servers get a free basic migration for standard cPanel or Plesk setups. Most sites move within 24 hours of us getting the access we need, and your current site stays online during the move.

Step 1: Gather what we need

1. Find the login for your current hosting account.
2. If you’d rather not use that login, ask your current host for a full backup of your site instead: one file with everything in it. Don’t attach it to a ticket; ask us how to send it.
3. Find the login for your domain registrar, the company where you bought your domain. We ask for registrar access when we schedule the switch, not at the start.
4. Note how your email works today: at your current host, or with a separate provider such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
5. Pick a preferred time for the switch, if you have one, such as a quiet evening.

Step 2: Ask for the migration

• If you’re already a customer: open a support ticket from the Client Portal at my.bluearctic.com (see how to open a support ticket). Say which site to move, the name of your current host, your domain names, how your email is set up and your preferred switch time.
• If you’re not a customer yet: click Get a Free Migration Assessment on the website migration page and fill in the form. No account or payment is needed to ask. You can also email sales@bluearctic.com with the name of your current host.

Step 3: While we copy your site

1. Avoid big changes on your old site, such as new pages or plugin updates. Changes made after we copy it may not come across.
2. Keep your own copy of any email or files you can’t afford to lose, as you would before any big change.
3. Watch for our reply. Our engineers test your website, email, SSL and forms on our servers before anything changes.
4. Agree the switch time with us.

Step 4: The switch

At the agreed time, our engineers point your domain at the tested copy. If your domain is registered somewhere we can’t reach, we tell you exactly what to change, or make the change with you on a call. A DNS change can take time to reach everyone, usually within 48 hours and sometimes up to 72, so some visitors may see the old host for a while. See how long DNS changes take.

Step 5: After the move

1. Visit your site and check its main pages and forms.
2. On Shared Web Hosting, send and receive a test email.
3. If we tell you to, update your email apps with the settings we give you (see how to find your email settings).
4. Cancel your old hosting when you’re happy.

Managed WordPress doesn’t include email. If your email is with a separate provider, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, it keeps running there.

How to tell it worked

Your site loads normally with a padlock in the address bar, your forms send, and, on Shared Web Hosting, your mailboxes send and receive. If anything looks wrong, reply in your migration ticket.

Troubleshooting

• Your old host won’t give you a login: ask them for a full backup of your site instead.
• You can’t sign in to your registrar: recover that login first. The switch needs it.
• The move is taking longer than 24 hours: very large sites, and hosts that limit how fast data can be exported, take longer. Reply to your ticket for an update.
• Something looks wrong after the switch: reply to your migration ticket straight away with the page address and a screenshot.

Still need help?

Open a support ticket from the Client Portal at my.bluearctic.com. Include your domain, your current host’s name, the exact error text, a screenshot and what you already tried. Never put a password in a ticket.