By Richcom Technology · Updated 19 October 2026 · 4 minute read
An online store migration checklist helps you plan the move before changing where customers reach your website. The important question is not just whether files can be copied. It is whether the new environment can serve the right content, accept orders and support the connected services your business needs.
| Stage | Key question | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Before copying | What is included? | System inventory and agreed scope |
| Before switching | How are new orders handled? | Cutover and reconciliation plan |
| After switching | Can customers complete a purchase? | Recorded journey checks |
| Before closing old hosting | Can the move be signed off? | Completed validation and retention period |
Inventory the current setup
Record the website platform, hosting account, domain registrar and where DNS is managed. List connected services such as email, payment processing, shipping tools and scheduled imports. Establish who controls each account and who is authorised to approve the move.
Check the catalogue size, media library and current storage usage. Include product variations, customer records and order history in the scope discussion. A migration price based on product count does not by itself define email migration, redesign, platform conversion or every integration. Write down what is included and what needs separate assessment.
Prepare the destination and a recovery point
Confirm that the destination supports the application’s requirements before scheduling the move. Take an appropriate backup of the current files and database and identify how recovery would work. WordPress documentation explains why both parts matter to a complete recovery plan.
Keep the original environment available for the agreed validation period. Cancelling the old hosting immediately removes an important fallback. Agree who can authorise a rollback and how newly created orders would be reconciled if the old system has to be used again.
For the next part of this decision, read Website Maintenance Checklist for Small Business Owners.
Plan the order cutover
An active store can change while a copy is being transferred. Decide how new orders, stock updates and customer registrations will be handled during the final move. Agree a maintenance or order-pause window if needed, and explain it to staff.
Choose a suitable time and define the final synchronisation step. Keep a record of the last confirmed order before the switch and the first verified order afterward. These checks help the team identify gaps or duplicates. Do not assume that copying the website once captures all transactions made during the transfer.
Separate website DNS from email
Before changing records, document the existing DNS configuration and identify which records support the website and which support email or other services. A hosting move does not automatically require moving every service. Confirm the intended changes with the people responsible for those accounts.
Plan for a period in which visitors may reach different environments while changes are cached. Avoid promising an exact universal switch time. Review the certificate, domain variants and redirects on the destination. Keep staff informed about which environment is authoritative for new work.
Check the customer journey after the move
Open important product and category pages, inspect images and test search. Check a variation, cart changes and checkout validation. Arrange appropriate payment testing and verify order notifications. Test contact forms and the administration tasks staff use every day.
Compare key URLs with the previous site and investigate missing pages or unexpected redirects. Check that the live site is not left with a maintenance message or staging-only search settings. Record the results rather than relying on a visual check of the homepage.
A cutover worksheet your team can actually use
Create a short worksheet with the planned start time, the person authorising the switch and the contact responsible for each system. Add the backup reference, old and new hosting details, the order-pause arrangement and the list of checks that must pass before normal activity resumes.
Give the order reconciliation task to a named business role. That person should compare recent order references, amounts and statuses between the systems where necessary. A developer can verify that a checkout loads, while the business team can confirm whether the records match operational reality.
Agree a rollback decision point. If a critical function fails, the team needs a clear choice between continuing diagnosis and returning to the known environment. That choice must consider orders already created after the switch; rolling files back does not automatically reconcile transaction history.
After the move, retain the worksheet with the completion notes. Record what changed and any follow-up work. When a question arises later about email routing, a missing image or an old redirect, this record provides a useful starting point instead of forcing everyone to reconstruct the migration from messages.
Agree completion and follow-up
Define what successful completion means: the agreed website is available on the destination, critical checks have passed and the business knows where to manage it. Confirm who monitors early orders and who responds to issues found after the move.
Richcom’s current migration offer starts at $150 USD for stores with 0–499 products, with larger catalogue bands listed on the service page. The listed delivery period is three days, subject to the required access and agreed scope. Confirm email work, DNS responsibilities, backup arrangements and any unusual integrations before purchasing.
Frequently asked questions
Will a hosting move change my website URLs?
A hosting-only move can preserve the domain and page paths. If the domain or structure changes, agree a separate URL and redirect plan.
Can migration be guaranteed to have zero downtime?
Do not assume that. Agree the cutover process and any expected interruption based on the actual website and hosting setup.
When can I cancel the old hosting?
After the agreed checks, recovery arrangements and retention period are complete, and the responsible person has confirmed cancellation is safe.
Further reading: WordPress backup documentation.
Turn the plan into a practical next step.
Compare the current scope, requirements and delivery terms before choosing your package.