Free hosting migration
Moving hosts sounds like a weekend of stress. It doesn't need to be. We copy your website, databases and email across, check it all works on our servers, and only then point your domain at us. Your old host keeps running the whole time, so customers never see a gap. The move is free when you host with us.
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The short answer
WaTo Consulting moves cPanel accounts and WordPress sites to its Australian hosting for free. The team copies files, databases and mailboxes, tests the site on a temporary address, then changes DNS once you're happy. The old host stays live until the switch, so there's no downtime, and most single sites are done within one to two days.
What a hosting migration covers
A hosting migration copies everything your website and email need from one server to another, then points your domain at the new server. Done properly, the copy is tested before any visitor or email reaches it. Done badly, you find out about the missing mailbox or broken contact form a week later. The difference is in the checking, not the copying.
What comes across
Whole cPanel accounts
Website files, databases and their users, subdomains, addon domains, cron jobs and DNS zone records, moved as one account.
Email and mailboxes
Every mailbox with its messages, plus forwarders, autoresponders and filters, so staff open their mail app and nothing looks different.
WordPress from any host
Core, themes, plugins, the uploads library and the database, even if your current host doesn't use cPanel. WooCommerce orders and customers come too.
SSL and DNS
A free SSL certificate is ready on the new server, and we change the DNS records for you or give you the exact records to change.
Forms and logins checked
Contact forms, logins, carts and website emails tested on a temporary address before the switch. This is where most moves go wrong.
Backups from day one
Daily offsite backups start as soon as the account is live with us, so you're covered from the first night.
Sites we've moved and kept running
Ten at random from the websites we host today. Click one for the full gallery.
Who it's for
- Businesses on slow, overseas or overloaded hosting who want Australian servers and a local team.
- Anyone whose current host has stopped answering tickets, or whose old web designer has gone quiet.
- WordPress and WooCommerce sites that can't afford to lose orders or form enquiries during a move.
- Web designers moving a group of client sites across at once.
How the move works
- Tell us what you've got. Send us your domains (including any used only for email), your current host login and your WordPress admin login. If you're not sure where your DNS lives, we'll find it.
- We copy everything. A full copy of your sites, databases and mailboxes goes to your new account. We only read from the old host, so nothing there changes.
- We test it before the switch. The site runs on our servers at a temporary address. We check pages, forms, logins, carts and email, and you can look too.
- We switch the DNS. We lower the DNS cache time a day ahead, then point your domain at us. Both copies stay live while the change spreads, so visitors land on one or the other, never on an error.
- We check it afterwards. Once traffic arrives we confirm SSL, mail flow and backups. Keep the old hosting for about a week, then cancel it.
Why move with WaTo
- The migration is free with our hosting. You pay for the plan, not the move.
- We test on a temporary address first, so the switch is the last step, not a leap of faith.
- Email is part of the move, not an afterthought. It's usually the bit people notice first.
- Adelaide owned and operated since 2001. The people who move your site are the people you call afterwards.
- If the site needs repairs or a refresh, we can do that too, before or after the move.
Hosting plans available
Wordpress Starter
- 1 website
- 10 GB SSD storage
- Free SSL
- Daily backups
- cPanel included
- Email hosting
Wordpress
- Unlimited websites
- 50 GB SSD storage
- Free SSL
- Daily backups
- cPanel included
- Email hosting
- Priority support
WooCommerce
- WooCommerce optimised
- 100 GB SSD storage
- Free SSL
- Daily backups
- cPanel included
- Email hosting
- Priority support
Business Hosting
- Unlimited sites
- 200 GB SSD storage
- Free SSL
- Daily backups
- cPanel included
- Email hosting
- Dedicated resources
- Priority support
Sitejet Site
- Sitejet website builder
- SSD storage
- Free SSL
- Daily backups
- Email hosting
Hosting migration questions
Is the migration really free?
Yes. Moving a cPanel account or WordPress site is included when you host with us. You only pay for the hosting plan. Unusual setups, very large stores or other control panels are quoted first so there are no surprises.
How long does it take to move a website to a new host?
Most single sites are copied and checked within one to two days. Large WooCommerce stores, big mailboxes or many accounts at once take longer, and we'll give you a time after looking at what you have.
Will my website go offline during the move?
No. Your old host stays live until the DNS change, and both copies run while it spreads. There's no maintenance window to plan around.
Will my email come across?
Yes, for cPanel accounts: mailboxes and their messages, forwarders and autoresponders. If your email is on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, it stays where it is and we just make sure the DNS records keep pointing to it.
Who changes the DNS?
We can, if you give us access to wherever your DNS is managed. Or we send you the exact records and the time to change them, and stay on hand while you do it.
What if my current host doesn't use cPanel?
WordPress sites move from any host. Other sites are looked at one by one: tell us what the site is built with and we'll tell you what's involved.
What do I need to give you?
Your current hosting login, WordPress admin logins, a list of every domain and subdomain (including ones used only for email) and where your DNS is managed. If two-factor login is on, we'll arrange a time to approve it with you.
Related services
Guides on this topic
- How to move a WordPress site to a new host
- How to choose web hosting for a business website
- What is cPanel, and do you need it?
Ready to move your site?
Tell us where your site is now and we'll plan the move, test it and switch it over for you.
Mon to Fri, 8:30am to 5pm
