How to change hosting without losing SEO, step by step

By Romulo Felizola · Updated · 4 min read · Leer en español

Changing hosting doesn't have to cost you rankings if your pages' addresses don't change: copy the site to the new server, test it there, lower the DNS TTL in advance, point the DNS to the new server, watch both servers and shut down the old one only when its traffic reaches zero. It is Google's procedure; the only thing to expect is a temporary dip in crawling right after the change.

In this guide
  1. 1. Prepare the new server (before touching anything)
  2. 2. Make the change
  3. 3. Watch for a few days
  4. 4. Shut down the old server, but not too early
  5. What breaks most in a migration
  6. Frequently asked questions

This guide covers the most common case: you change provider but your addresses (URLs) stay the same. If you also change domain or structure, it is a different operation, with 301 redirects and Search Console's change-of-address tool, and it is not what is explained here.

1. Prepare the new server (before touching anything)

  1. 1Copy your site to the new host: files, database and configuration.
  2. 2Test it at a temporary address. Check pages, forms, downloads. Put `noindex` on the test pages so Google doesn't index them, and remove it before the real change.
  3. 3Check that Googlebot can reach the new server with Search Console's URL inspection tool, and that no firewall or attack protection blocks it.
  4. 4Lower the DNS TTL to a low, cautious value (Google suggests a few hours) at least a week before, so the change spreads fast. Before changing it, see the current TTL with our free DNS lookup.
  5. 5Don't lose Search Console verification: include in the new copy your verification file, your meta tag or your analytics code.

2. Make the change

  1. 1Remove from the new copy any temporary block: robots.txt rules or `noindex` you put in to test.
  2. 2Change your domain's DNS records to point to the new provider.

After the change, check with SEOClave's DNS lookup that your domain's records now point to the new server. It is free and needs no account.

3. Watch for a few days

  • Look at the logs of both servers: traffic on the old one should fall as the new one's rises.
  • Check with a public DNS tool that providers worldwide already see the new address.
  • Review index coverage and crawl stats in Search Console.
  • It is normal for Googlebot's crawling to drop temporarily right after the change. Google explains it usually recovers gradually over the following days, and can even exceed the previous level, as long as it doesn't hit serious slowness.

To know whether the change moved you, note your most important searches beforehand. SEOClave's rank tracking checks your keywords' positions every week and shows them on a chart.

4. Shut down the old server, but not too early

Google says it plainly: when traffic to the old provider reaches zero, you can shut it down. Until then, leave it running; cancelling too early is the most frequent mistake and the one that causes outages.

What breaks most in a migration

  • The test copy gets indexed

    Why
    It was left without `noindex`, or forgotten after
    How to avoid it
    Put `noindex` only on the copy and remove it before the change

  • Search Console loses verification

    Why
    The file or tag didn't travel in the copy
    How to avoid it
    Include them before changing the DNS

  • Email stops arriving

    Why
    MX records were changed by accident
    How to avoid it
    Change only the website record, not the email ones, unless you also move email

  • Googlebot gets errors

    Why
    A new firewall blocks it
    How to avoid it
    Test it with URL inspection before the change

  • The addresses change

    Why
    The CMS generates other paths
    How to avoid it
    Compare the sitemap's addresses before and after

Before and after the change, check with our free redirect checker that the four ways of writing your site (with and without www, http and https) still lead to the same place.

For the technical part of copying the site and testing it before changing the DNS, we have a separate guide: how to migrate a website to another host without downtime.

Frequently asked questions

Does changing hosting lose rankings?

Not if the addresses don't change and you follow the procedure: copy and test first, lower the TTL, change the DNS and keep the old server until it gets no traffic. A temporary dip in crawling right after is normal.

How long until crawling returns?

Google says it rises gradually over the following days, as long as Googlebot doesn't meet serious slowness. It gives no exact period.

How far ahead should I lower the TTL?

Google recommends at least a week ahead, to a low, cautious value of a few hours.

What about my email?

If your email is on the old host, move the mailboxes before changing the MX records. If you use a separate service, changing the website doesn't affect it.

Do I need to tell Google?

For a hosting change with the same addresses, you don't use the change-of-address tool. Do watch Search Console those days.

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