The following outlines what you can expect for the site migration process. The Migration Team at Liquid Web is dedicated to working with you for an efficient and smooth migration.¹ While we will do our best to provide an expedient migration, timeframes will vary based on several variables, some outside of our control.

For more information about the types of migrations that we support, see Understanding Migration Types.

Minimize potential delays

Your partnership is the key to a fast and seamless migration. To avoid delays, we encourage you to monitor the migration request closely.

The testing phase is especially critical. Many of our clients find success by dedicating a point person from their team to thoroughly test the site’s functionality. Depending on your business, you may also want to notify your own clients of the testing requirements to help us ensure everything works perfectly for them before we go live.

Information Collection

Liquid Web will…

Respond to your Migration Request via case/email, send you a Migration Form, and review the case for all pertinent information.

Completing the Migration form is extremely important so that we have all the information needed. Some of the information we will need is:

Source server hostname and IP address.
Destination server hostname and IP address.
Domain needing a transfer.
DNS information and if you are able to modify DNS records.

DNS Propagation

There is the potential of a 20 – 50 minute downtime during the DNS propagation at the end of the migration process. In many cases, downtime can be minimized by lowering TTL values, but each migration is unique and may carry with it additional downtime to address issues as they arise.

For External Migrations we will need additional information, such as:

SSH username and password.
Control Panel (cPanel / Plesk) username and password.

What we need from you…

Complete any system or website updates on your source server prior to the migration process. Common updates are:
- WordPress. (Install the most recent version.)
- Plugins. (Delete any unused plugins.)
Visit the Migration Center.
Click the Create a migrations case button and complete the Migration Form.

More information on our Migration form found here.

Data Migration

Liquid Web will…

We will begin the Initial Sync, the first of three migration stages. During this step, we connect to your source server to download and restore your content, databases, and configurations onto your new destination server. Our goal is to replicate your site’s functionality exactly as it exists on the source. ¹

Errors will be migrated

Because this is a direct copy, if your site has existing errors on the source server, those same errors will appear on the destination server.

What we need from you…

To minimize errors during this copy process:

Do not add new websites to the source server.
Avoid making functional changes (installing plugins, changing code) until the migration is complete.

Validation

Liquid Web will…

During this step in the site migration process, we will do all the work. We will log into your site on the destination server and make sure that we are able to access all of your information. We will compare versions of software to make sure that your site functions the same way in the new environment as it did on the source server. ¹

What we need from you…

As soon as validation is over, we will notify you to start testing.

Testing

To avoid delay…

This is the part of the process which can cause the most delays – please keep an eye on your email for the notification for you to begin testing.

Liquid Web will…

We will review any errors you report and assist with configuration issues. We stand ready to help troubleshoot, though some third-party software issues may require your specific expertise.^{1 2}

What we need from you…

You need to preview the site on the new server before we make it live. To do this without affecting your live customers, you must edit your computer’s Hosts File.

What is a Hosts File? It is a file on your computer that maps hostnames to IP addresses. By editing it, you can “trick” your computer into thinking your domain is already hosted on the new server’s IP address.
Why do this? This allows you to browse, log in, and test your migrated site as if it were live, while the rest of the internet still sees your old site.

Testing Checklist:

Edit your local hosts file to point to the new server IP.
Test all pages, forms, and shopping carts.
Verify back-end access (wp-admin, control panels).
Report any issues to your Migration Specialist immediately.

Don’t panic if you see errors!

Errors may occur when there are differences in the server environment and completely normal during the site migration process. Document how to replicate the issue, sending details to your Migration Specialist in your open case. ^{1 2}

For more information on testing, see our article Testing Best Practices for Migrations.

Final Sync

Liquid Web will…

Once you approve the testing, we perform the Final Sync. This is the last transfer of data designed to capture any changes (such as new emails, orders, or blog posts) that occurred while you were testing. ¹

Code Freeze

To ensure data integrity, we may temporarily stop services (like Apache or Mail) on the source server during this sync. This prevents new data from being written to the old server while we copy the files, ensuring nothing is left behind.

What we need from you…

Code Freeze: Do not make any changes to your website content or code during this phase.
Approval: We need your explicit confirmation to proceed with this final step.

DNS Update

The final step in the site migration process. This is where your site will go live on Liquid Web or Nexcess hardware after a DNS Update or IP Swap.

Liquid Web will…

If you use our nameservers, we will update your records for you. If not, we will provide you with the correct IP address to update at your registrar.

DNS Propagation: Once the update is made, the changes must “propagate” (spread) across the internet. This usually takes 20–50 minutes. During this time, some visitors may still see the old server while others see the new one.
IP Swap: If your migration qualifies, we’ll move your old IP address to the new server.¹ You won’t need to do anything with your DNS.

What we need from you…

If your DNS is hosted externally (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare), you must update your Authoritative DNS Records to point to the new Liquid Web or Nexcess IP address.

A Records: The primary record linking your domain to an IP address.
Nameservers: If you are switching to our DNS management, you will update your nameservers to ours (e.g., ns1.liquidweb.com).

If you are coming from an external host, you will need to update your DNS. We will notify you when it is time to make these changes and work with you through this process to keep you update on any issues to minimize downtime as best we can.

3rd Party DNS updates

Review the DNS Update Information for external hosts if you are not sure how to update your DNS.

¹ Service provided ‘as is’ without any warranties or guarantees, express or implied.
² Please be aware that while we investigate all reported issues, a resolution isn’t always possible. If the problem is downstream, we will engage our vendors.

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