How to Move WordPress Site to HostGator (Zero Downtime)

Moving WordPress site from one hosting to another isn’t a simple job if you don’t have technical skills. The GOOD news is, HostGator makes it insanely easy!
Just fill out HostGator Transfer type and they’ll take care of the remainder.
HostGator has a dedicated migration team which will move your WordPress site to HostGator for complimentary with zero period of time.



HostGator is the host with which I started my blogging journey. At that time, they were very standard for technical supports. After obtaining nonheritable by EIG, they lacked on tech supports and I faced  many downtimes. Then I decided to maneuver to Bluehost that is additionally in hand by EIG.

I was pleased with Bluehost until I faced  many huge downtimes at intervals a month. At that time, I came to know that HostGator launched Optimized WordPress Hosting (OWP) with some nice options like Automatic WordPress Updates, Daily Backup, Auto Malware Removals etc.

HostGator OWP seemed promising to ME and I set to maneuver my WordPress sites to HostGator. In this post, I will be sharing the piecemeal method. Here area unit the steps we tend to are going to take.

  1. Sign Up for HostGator Without Canceling recent Host
  2. Take a Backup of Your WordPress Site
  3. Fill Out HostGator Transfer Form
  4. Preview Your Site
  5. Change Your Domain Name Servers (DNS)

The whole process would possibly take some times to complete. But you won’t face any downtimes throughout the method.


Step #1 – Sign Up for HostGator Without Canceling recent Host


The first step is to hitch HostGator.

You can start with HostGator Shared Hosting or Managed WordPress Hosting. Shared Hosting is a sensible choice if your blog is new and generating less traffic. If your blog has a sensible quantity of traffic and you're generating cash out of it, I’d suggest to go with Managed WordPress Hosting.

For the sake of this tutorial, I am assuming that you simply area unit getting to obtain Shared Hosting. You can start with Shared Hosting for simply $0.01!.

Just go to HostGator.com and click on “Get Started Now” button. On the next page, you need to decide on a concept. It offers 3 plans – offspring, Baby, and Business. If you are a blogger, I’d suggest you to select offspring or Baby arrange.

The basic difference between offspring or Baby is, Baby arrange permits you to host unlimited web sites wherever you will host only 1 website in offspring plan. If I were you, I’d go with Baby plan.

Once you’ve chosen the plan, click on “Sign Up Now” under the arrange.



Then you’ll be landed to the “HostGator Order Form”. Enter your domain name, billing information and uncheck the all extra services.

If you are getting to obtain hosting for one month, use the coupon code RTB1CENTHOSTING to get your first month hosting just for one cent. Otherwise, you don’t need to modification the coupon as you're obtaining half-hour off on your total purchase.



Just complete the payment. You will get a confirmation email.

Now you have associate account on HostGator. You are one step nearer to maneuver your web site to HostGator. Just keep this a secret from your recent host and don’t cancel the recent hosting account.

Note: You have to transfer your site at intervals thirty days of signup to urge free transfer from HostGator.


Step #2 – Take a Backup of Your WordPress Site


Before doing anything else, it is recommended to require a backup of your WordPress web site.

There are many tools and plugins accessible to backup your WordPress diary. I prefer victimization ManageWP. You can take a full backup (Files + Database) on your server and pc by victimization it at intervals couple of minutes.

Note: The backup is only accessible on ManageWP Premium version. However, it offers 14 day trial of premium version with its Free arrange. So I’d recommend you to take the backup at intervals fourteen days if you don’t wish to shop for the premium arrange.

Now go to ManageWP.com and click on “LET’S GET STARTED” button. Then enter your email address and click on “TRY IT FOR FREE”.

On the next page, you will be asked to feature your WordPress web site to ManageWP through ManageWP employee Plugin. You need to enter your admin word if you would like automatic installation. However, you can install and active the plugin from your WordPress dashboard. On that case, you don’t have to enter admin password to ManageWP.

Once you’ve added the web site to ManageWP with success, click on “Backup Now” from the left sidebar.



A box will be popped up. Select Backup kind as ‘Full’ and click on “Next”.

ManageWP Backup Now

Once the backup has completed, check “Recent Backups” and download the backup to your pc. (Follow screenshot)



Keep the backup safely to your computer.

Step# 3 – Install WordPress on HostGator


On this step, you need to put in WordPress on your new hosting account.

Installing WordPress on HostGator cPanel is terribly straightforward. Just login to your cPanel and click on “QuickInstall” beneath “Software/Services”. Then install WordPress by providing necessary information. Check this step by step tutorial on installing WordPress on HostGator.

If you’ve signed up for HostGator Optimized WordPress Hosting, the process may be a bit completely different. But it’s straightforward.  Just login to HostGator client Portal and click on “Hosting” from the header. Then click on “Create Blog”. (Follow screenshot)

HostGator Customer Portal

On the next page, enter your WordPress URL and diary Title. And click on “Add Blog”.

HostGator Optimized WordPress Installation

That’s it. You are done.

Step#4 – Fill Out HostGator Transfer Form


Now you would like to produce your HostGator information and recent host information to HostGator Migration team.

At first, go to HostGator Transfer Page and choose the kind of account you've got with HostGator.

HostGator hosting type

On the next page, enter your HostGator account information thus that they'll transfer the info to your new host.

HostGator account information

Then provide recent hosting account data from wherever the knowledge are going to be transferred.

Old host account data

It will say “Transfer In Progress”. It might take 24-72 to transfer your web site to HostGator.

Transfer in Progress

Then HostGator Migration Team will send you associate email asking your WordPress Dashboard URL, Username, and Password. Read the email properly. If everything seems OK to you, provide your data and offer them the permission to proceed.

Once they’ve started the migration, they will keep you updated on the standing of your migration. And if you have any question, feel free to ask them.

Sometimes they might raise you to produce your FTP data. If you have FTP access to the source server, just give the data. If you do not have FTP access, let them know. They will use alternative strategies.

Step #5 – Preview of the Site


Once they have finished migrating your WordPress site content, they will raise you to preview your web site to confirm everything has been affected properly.

Now you would like to edit your personal computer’s hosts file to preview your web site while not dynamical the DNS. Here’s how to modification hosts file.

HostGator will send you the line that you simply got to raise your hosts file. It will be one thing like 108.122.XXX.XX roadtoblogging.com www.roadtoblogging.com.

Once you’ve edited the hosts file, go to your site and check if everything is OK. If there is any issue, contact with HostGator Migration team.

Step #6 – Change Your DNS


If everything is working properly, it’s time to update your DNS.

Just go to your name supplier and edit nameservers. I am getting to show you ways to try and do it on Namecheap.

At first, login to your Namecheap account and go to “Domain List” from the left-hand side. Then click on “MANAGE” beside the domain name.

Manage Namecheap Domain

Then edit nameservers to point your domain to new hosting. You can get HostGator nameservers from the last email they sent you whereas migrating. You can conjointly tumble from your hosting account.

Click on “Tick” sign to save the new nameservers.

Namecheap nameservers

That’s it.

As you have WordPress site put in on each hosting accounts, you will not face any period of time. DNS changes may take 24-48 hours to totally propagate to new account’s server. In the meantime, your site can be loaded from recent hosting.

I’d suggest you not to build any changes to your web site or update any posts throughout DNS propagation. It won’t be reflected on your new account.

However, if you are victimization CloudFlare, you don’t need to modification your DNS. All you have to try and do is, change your “points to information processing Address” on CloudFlare.

Just login to your CloudFlare account and choose the location. Then click on “DNS” from header and change the information processing Address. This is constant IP Address that you’ve raise your hosts file to preview your web site. You can conjointly tumble from your hosting account.

CloudFlare DNS change

You don’t have to click on any save button. Just paste the new information processing Address.

If you want to transfer your domain to HostGator for complimentary, read this.


Over to You


I hope this step-by-step tutorial helps you to move your WordPress web site to HostGator. If you face any difficulties while migrating, take help from HostGator Live Chat. They are terribly useful.

If you have any confusions in any steps, let me recognize via comment.

Don’t forget to share your experience with North American country.
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