Moving a WordPress site without losing Google rankings: the checklist

Anyone managing a WordPress site will eventually need to move it: changing hosts, changing providers, sometimes even changing the domain. There's only one question that matters: how to do it without Google forgetting weeks or months of ranking work. The answer isn't a trick—it's a sequence of steps that must be done in the right order, a couple of days before the actual cutover.

What to copy: files and database

A WordPress site is two things: the files (core, plugins, themes, wp-content/uploads folder) and the MySQL database containing content, users and settings. Both must be copied at the same time, and the site must be tested on the new hosting before touching DNS—via a temporary URL or by modifying the hosts file locally. A migration that skips this test before the DNS change is the most common way to discover an error when the site is already live at the new address and the old one no longer responds.

DNS: lower the TTL before, not after

The point most often forgotten is the TTL (time to live) of DNS records—how long resolvers worldwide keep the old IP address cached. Lowering the TTL to 300-600 seconds 24-48 hours before migration speeds up propagation from over 24 hours to 1-4 hours. If you don't, some visitors will continue seeing the old site for a day or two after the change.

Phase	TTL	When
Normal operation	3600-86400 s	Before planning
Pre-migration	300 s	At least 24-48 hours before cutover
After migration (stable)	3600 s or higher	When everything works

After the change, it's good practice to keep the old server accessible for at least 48 hours, ideally 72, so anyone still holding the old IP in cache doesn't encounter a dead site.

301 redirects: only if the URL changes

If the domain stays the same and only the server changes, redirects aren't needed. If URLs do change (new domain, permalink structure change, switch to HTTPS), you'll need a 301 redirect for each old page to its corresponding new page—not a generic redirect to the home page. According to Google's official documentation on the Address Change tool, the tool should be used after moving and redirecting the site, never before.

Search Console: when (and when not) to use Address Change

The tool is found in Search Console under Settings → Address Change and requires both old and new domains to be verified on the same account. However, cases must be distinguished: for migration from HTTP to HTTPS, don't use this tool; Google will notice the changes anyway. The same applies to moving pages internally or switching www/non-www—use canonical tags and/or redirects instead, without using the Address Change tool. The tool is only for complete site transfers from one domain or subdomain to another.

Operational checklist

1. Complete backup of files and database, tested before proceeding.
2. 24-48 hours before cutover: lower TTL of A/AAAA records (and MX if email is moving) to 300 seconds.
3. Copy files and database to new hosting, test via hosts file or temporary URL.
4. If URL changes: 301 redirect page by page, update XML sitemap.
5. Change DNS, keeping the old server active for 48-72 hours.
6. If domain changes: verify the new domain in Search Console, then use Address Change tool.
7. Monitor Search Console for coverage and crawl activity in the following weeks.