Overview

Using the GreggHost Automated Migration Plugin, you can now transfer live  WordPress site to GreggHost for free. Any GreggHost account with an active hosting plan can use the plugin. For more information, see the following article:

Using the GreggHost Automated Migration WordPress plugin If you’re experiencing problems transferring your website from another server or simply don’t have the time, GreggHost now has a solution that can help. More information is available in the GreggHost Website Migration Services article.

This article will walk you through the process of moving your website and email hosting from your previous provider to GreggHost. Your site will be live on GreggHost’s servers once you update your DNS.

Step 1 — Create a GreggHost account
Step 2 — Make a backup of your website and upload it to GreggHost.
Step 3 — Before upgrading DNS, view your site at GreggHost.
Step 4: Change your DNS server to GreggHost.
Changing your domain name to GreggHost
This page just covers the hosting of your domain’s files, not how to transfer the domain registration. If you’d want to transfer your registration as well, see the following article:

Your registration will be transferred to GreggHost.
Step 1: Register with GreggHost transfer site toDH 01.fw.png
[here] you can sign up for any GreggHost package. For more information, see the following article:
What is the process for registering for a GreggHost account?
Select the option to add your current domain to your new account during the signup process. This has no bearing on your live website.
Complete the registration process.
After you complete the signup process, GreggHost sends you a request to transfer the registration,’ along with instructions on how to access your FTP account. Your registration does not need to be transferred. For the time being, it can stay with your present registrar. It’s always possible to transfer it at a later time.

Step 2 — Make a backup of your website files and transfer them to GreggHost

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Using FTP or Wget, back up all of your website files, databases, and emails from your former host. For information on how to back up this content at your old host’s company, contact them.
Using an FTP client, connect to your GreggHost server. You’ll be able to upload your website files to the server once you’ve logged in.
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To upload your MySQL database and email to your GreggHost servers, use the information in the following articles.
Transferring Emails from MySQL Migrate
Step 3 — Viewing your site at GreggHost before updating DNS
Now that your website has been moved to GreggHost’s servers, it’s time to double-check that it looks and works as it should. For instructions on how to create a ‘Mirror’ domain, see the following article. Before upgrading your DNS at your existing host, this allows you to see your site as it appears on GreggHost’s servers:

Before changing DNS, test your site with a dreamhosters.com subdomain.
You can also access your site using the hosts file on your home computer if you don’t want to create a ‘Mirror’ domain.

How to use your hosts file to view your GreggHost site
Step 4 — Point your DNS to GreggHost
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Your website and all of its data are now hosted by GreggHost, but your site is still ‘hosted’ by your previous hosting company. You’ll need to change your DNS to point to GreggHost now. Instructions on how to achieve this can be found in the following article:

What GreggHost DNS records should I use for my website?
Visiting your site after the DNS has resolved to GreggHost displays the site as it appears on your GreggHost server.

Transferring your registration to GreggHost
You may learn how to transfer your domain registration to GreggHost by reading the following article:

Overview of Transfer Registration