How to Migrate a WordPress Website Away From GoDaddy

Introduction

People leave GoDaddy for all sorts of reasons. Some want faster page loads. Some want a host that allows the plugins they need. Some simply found a better price elsewhere.

Whatever the reason, the worry is the same. Nobody wants their site to vanish halfway through the move.

The good news is that a WordPress site is only two things. It is a set of files and a database. Move both to the new host, point your domain at it, and the job is done.

This guide covers the whole move in order. You will set up the new host first. You will copy the site across, either with a plugin or by hand. You will test it privately before anyone else sees it. Only then will you switch the domain.

Done in that order, your visitors never see a broken page. Done out of order, they might see nothing at all for a day.

What to Do Before You Migrate a WordPress Website Away From GoDaddy

Most failed migrations fail before anything is copied. The preparation below removes almost every common problem.

Set aside an hour for this part. None of it is difficult, but skipping it is costly.

Choose the New Host and Set It Up First

Buy and set up your new hosting before you touch the old site. You need somewhere ready to receive the files.

Check three things on the new plan. Does it run a PHP version that matches or beats your current one? Is there enough disk space for your whole site? Does it allow the plugins GoDaddy blocked, if that is why you are leaving?

Your current PHP version is easy to find. Open your WordPress dashboard, go to the site health screen, and look under server information. Moving to an older PHP version will break things, so aim level or higher.

Most hosts give you a temporary address for testing, or let you edit your computer’s hosts file. Ask about this now, because you will need it later.

Collect Your GoDaddy Access Details

You will need two sets of credentials from GoDaddy. Gather them now rather than hunting mid-move.

The first is SFTP. On Managed Hosting for WordPress, open the settings screen for your site. Find the SSH and SFTP login area under your production site and choose to change it. Copy the hostname, then create a new login to get a username and password.

The second is database access. From the same settings screen you can open phpMyAdmin. That is where your database export will come from.

If you are on cPanel hosting instead, both live inside cPanel under the files and databases sections.

Write all of this down somewhere safe. You will use it more than once.

Take a Full Backup You Control

GoDaddy keeps thirty days of backups on Managed Hosting for WordPress. That protects you while the plan is active. It stops protecting you the moment you cancel.

So make your own copy before you start, and keep it off the server. Download the files and export the database, using the two routes described later in this guide.

If you would rather use a plugin for this, our guide to backing up WordPress with UpdraftPlus covers the process. Check the plugin rules below first, though, because GoDaddy blocks many backup plugins on managed plans.

If you would rather roll back than move forward, our guide to restoring a WordPress backup in GoDaddy explains that side.

Lower Your DNS TTL a Day Early

This one step saves more grief than any other, and almost everyone skips it.

TTL means time to live. It tells the internet how long to remember where your domain points. A common setting is one hour, but some records sit at a day or more.

A day before you migrate, open your DNS settings and lower the TTL on your A record to the smallest value allowed. Five minutes or ten minutes is typical.

Then wait. The old, longer value has to expire on its own before the short one takes over. That is why you do this a day ahead.

The payoff comes at switchover. Visitors move to the new server in minutes instead of hours. If something goes wrong, you can switch back just as fast.

How to Migrate a WordPress Website Away From GoDaddy With a Plugin

A migration plugin handles the copying for you. For most sites, this is the easier route.

Step 1: Check the Plugin Is Allowed on Your Plan

Do this before you install anything. GoDaddy maintains a list of blocked plugins on Managed Hosting for WordPress. Blocked plugins cannot be installed, and GoDaddy removes them if it finds them running.

Backup plugins are heavily represented on that list. GoDaddy’s stated reason is that the plan already includes backups, so these plugins repeat the work and slow the site down.

The list is specific rather than blanket. UpdraftPlus, for instance, is listed only for versions 1.23.2 and older, which had a known security issue. The entries change over time as developers fix problems.

So read the current GoDaddy blocklisted plugins page before you choose. GoDaddy also states plainly that the list is not exhaustive, and that any plugin causing problems may be added at any time. Check on the day you migrate rather than trusting a list you read last month.

If your preferred plugin is blocked, do not try to work around it. Use the manual method further down instead. It copies exactly the same things.

Step 2: Export the Whole Site

Install your chosen migration plugin on the GoDaddy site and run its export.

The plugin bundles your files and your database into a single archive. On a small blog this takes a minute. On a store with thousands of images it can take much longer.

Download that archive to your computer when it finishes. Do not leave it sitting on the server as your only copy.

Watch the file size. Free versions of these plugins often cap how much you can import at the other end. If your archive is larger than the cap, either buy the extension or switch to the manual method.

Step 3: Install WordPress at the New Host

At your new host, install a clean copy of WordPress on the domain you are moving.

Almost every host has a one-click installer for this. Use it. You are not trying to build anything here. You only need an empty WordPress for the import to overwrite.

Sign in to that fresh site and install the same migration plugin you used on GoDaddy. The export and import halves have to match.

Step 4: Import the File and Fix the Permalinks

Open the plugin on the new site and import your archive. It will warn you that your current site will be overwritten. That is exactly what you want, because the current site is empty.

The import replaces everything, including your login details. So after it finishes, sign in using your old GoDaddy site’s username and password, not the temporary ones you just made.

Then open your permalink settings and save them once, without changing anything. This rewrites the rules that turn your post titles into web addresses. Skip it and your posts may return 404 errors. Our guide to setting up and fixing permalinks in WordPress explains why.

How to Move the Site by Hand Without a Plugin

The manual route works on every host and has no size limits. Use it for large sites, or when your plugin of choice is blocked.

It sounds harder than it is. You are moving two things and then telling them about each other. The official WordPress guide to migrating WordPress follows the same shape.

Download Your Files Over SFTP

Connect to GoDaddy with an SFTP program such as FileZilla, using the details you gathered earlier.

You will land in your site’s root folder. Download everything in it. That includes the wp-content folder holding your themes, plugins and uploads, and the wp-config.php file holding your database settings.

This takes a while on image-heavy sites. Leave it running and check it afterwards. Some SFTP programs quietly skip files on a poor connection, so compare the file count at both ends before moving on.

Export the Database From phpMyAdmin

Open phpMyAdmin from your GoDaddy settings screen.

Pick the correct database from the list on the left. If several are listed, open the wp-config.php file you just downloaded and look for the database name inside it. Match that exactly.

Choose the export option and take the quick export in SQL format. Save the file to the same place as your downloaded site files.

You now hold a complete copy of your website. Keep it even after the move succeeds.

Upload Everything to the New Host

Create an empty database at the new host and note its name, username and password.

Import your .sql file into that new empty database using the new host’s phpMyAdmin. If the file is too large to upload, most hosts offer a command line import or will run it for you on request.

Then upload your site files over SFTP to the new server’s web root. This is usually a folder called public_html or www, though names differ between hosts.

Edit wp-config.php With the New Database Details

Your files still contain GoDaddy’s database settings. Until you fix that, the new site cannot find its content.

Open wp-config.php on the new server and find the four lines holding the database name, username, password and host. Replace the first three with your new details.

The database host line is the one that catches people. It is often localhost, but not on every host. Check your new host’s documentation rather than guessing.

Save the file. Your site should now load from the new server, though you cannot see it yet at its real address.

How to Test the New Site Before You Switch the Domain

Never move your domain to an untested site. Test first, switch second.

Most hosts give you a temporary address to preview the site. If yours does, use it. Some themes and links behave oddly on a temporary domain, so do not panic at small layout quirks.

The more accurate method is to edit the hosts file on your own computer. That points your machine alone at the new server while the rest of the world still sees the old one. Your new host can give you the IP address and the exact line to add.

Once you can see the new site, check these things. Does the homepage load? Do several inner pages load? Do your images appear? Can you sign in to the dashboard? Does your contact form send? On a store, does the checkout reach the payment step?

Fix anything broken now. It is far easier while nobody is watching.

How to Point Your Domain at the New Host

Your site works on the new server. Now you tell the world.

Your new host will give you either an IP address or a pair of nameservers. Which one you use decides where you make the change.

If you are given an IP address, keep your DNS at GoDaddy and edit the A record for your domain. Change its value to the new IP address and save.

If you are given nameservers, change the nameservers on your domain instead. That hands all DNS control to the new host.

There is a trap in the nameserver route. Switching nameservers moves every record, not just your website. If your email runs through GoDaddy, its MX records live in that same zone. Move the nameservers without copying those records across and your email stops arriving.

So before you switch, write down every existing DNS record. Recreate them at the new host first. Then switch.

Because you lowered the TTL a day ago, the change should take effect within minutes. Check from your phone on mobile data for a second opinion.

Should You Move the Domain Name Away From GoDaddy Too?

Moving your hosting and moving your domain registration are separate jobs. You can do one without the other.

Many people leave the domain at GoDaddy and only move the hosting. That is perfectly workable. Others prefer everything under one roof.

If you do want to move the domain, there are rules. ICANN blocks transfers within sixty days of a new registration or a previous transfer. A recent change to your contact details can trigger the same sixty day lock, if the registrant applied one when approving the change. Check your dates before you plan around a transfer.

When the domain is eligible, two things have to happen. First, unlock it. In your domain settings, find the transfer section and switch the lock toggle off.

Second, get the authorization code, sometimes called an auth code or EPP code. Open your domain portfolio, select the domain, choose the option to transfer to another registrar, and reveal the code. GoDaddy also sends it to the registrant email address on file.

Give that code to your new registrar and approve the transfer. GoDaddy states transfers usually take five to seven days, and that approving it yourself speeds things along. The full process is set out on the GoDaddy transfer away help page.

One reassurance. Your website stays online throughout a domain transfer. The transfer changes who bills you for the name, not where the name points.

What to Check Before You Cancel Your GoDaddy Plan

Do not cancel on the day you switch. Leave the old plan running for at least a week.

The reason is simple. The moment you cancel, GoDaddy’s thirty days of backups stop being available to you. If a problem surfaces on day three, you want that safety net still there.

During that week, work through this list.

Visit your site from a device that has never seen it before. Click through your main pages and posts. Check your images load, including ones inside older posts. If some are missing, our guide to WordPress media library images not showing will help.

Send yourself a message through every form on the site. Forms often break in a move because the sending method changed.

Check that your SSL certificate is active at the new host. Your address should show https with no browser warning. New hosts usually issue a free certificate, but it is not always automatic.

Look at your site speed now that you have moved. If it has not improved, our guide to fixing page speed issues in WordPress covers what else to tune.

Finally, confirm your email still works. Send one message in and one message out.

Only when all of that passes should you cancel. Download your final backup first.

Frequently Asked Questions About Leaving GoDaddy

Will my website go offline during the migration?

It should not, if you follow the order in this guide. The old site keeps serving visitors the entire time you build the new one. Nothing changes for the public until you edit the DNS. Because you lowered the TTL first, that final switch takes minutes rather than hours. The risk comes from switching DNS before testing, which is exactly what the preparation steps prevent.

How long does it take to move a WordPress site off GoDaddy?

The copying is usually the short part. A small blog can be moved in under an hour. A large store with many images takes a few hours, mostly spent waiting on uploads. The full project takes longer because of the deliberate pauses. You lower the TTL a day early, and you keep the old plan running for a week afterwards. Plan for about ten days from start to cancellation.

Do I lose my SEO rankings by changing hosts?

Not if your web addresses stay the same. Search engines care about your URLs, not about which company runs the server. Keep the same domain and the same permalink structure and your rankings carry over. Two things can hurt you. One is broken pages after the move, so test properly. The other is a slow new host, since speed does affect rankings.

Can I move my site if GoDaddy blocked my migration plugin?

Yes. The manual method works regardless, because it uses SFTP and phpMyAdmin rather than a plugin. GoDaddy documents and supports both on Managed Hosting for WordPress. You download your files, export your database, and upload both to the new host. It takes longer than a plugin but has no size limits and nothing to block.

What happens to my email when I move hosting?

That depends on where your email lives. If it runs through GoDaddy, it stays there as long as your MX records are untouched. Editing only the A record for your website leaves email alone. Switching nameservers to a new host is different, because it moves the whole DNS zone. In that case, copy every existing record across before switching, or your email will stop.

Should I move to a new host or just get better support?

It depends what is actually wrong. Migrating fixes server problems such as slow response times or blocked plugins. It does not fix a bloated theme, a broken plugin, or a site that was never set up well. Those follow you to the new host. Our guide to why hosting support cannot fix every WordPress problem helps you tell the two apart.

Conclusion

Migrating a WordPress website away from GoDaddy is a copying job with a careful order. Files and database move first. Testing happens second. The domain switches last.

Prepare properly and the rest follows. Set up the new host before touching the old one. Collect your SFTP and database details in advance. Take a backup you control, because GoDaddy’s own backups disappear when the plan does. Lower your DNS TTL a day ahead.

Then pick your route. A migration plugin is simpler, as long as GoDaddy has not blocked it on your plan. The manual method through SFTP and phpMyAdmin works everywhere and handles any size.

Test the new site privately before the public sees it. Check your pages, images, forms, logins and checkout. Only then point the domain, and watch your DNS records so your email survives the move.

Keep the GoDaddy plan running for a week afterwards. It is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy. When everything checks out, take one last backup and close the account.