Migrate WordPress To Cloudways From Any Host With Zero Downtimes

DigitalKube is powered by Cloudways!

Yes, we have recently migrated it from SiteGround to Cloudways. The process was a complete piece of cake. So, today I’m sharing how you can easily migrate your WordPress site to Cloudways from any host without any downtimes.

If you have read my SiteGround review, then you know that I totally loved their services. Even I still recommend them to every beginner looking for a reliable host to start a blog.

Everything requires to upgrade with time. That’s the reason we had to move DigitalKube from a managed shared hosting by SiteGround to managed cloud hosting by Cloudways.

Don’t forget to check our Cloudways discount coupon:

Cloudways Coupon: Flat 10% Off For 3 Months

So, without further ado, let’s get into the process.

Migrate WordPress To Cloudways With Zero Downtimes

Migration was smooth but the “zero downtime” factor was essential to take care of during the process. We had to make sure that the website stays live at any cost.

Though it is not always possible because the migration of any site includes migration of two different elements:

• Site Migration (Files & Database)
• Domain Pointing Migration

Site migration doesn’t cause downtimes, it’s the pointing of domain name that does. DNS propagation takes time and your website can experience downtimes during that. So, what to do?

Don’t worry; I have a way for that. Just follow the process given below:

STEP 0: Let Cloudflare Handle Your DNS

Yeah, you heard that right. I’m talking about Cloudflare and not Cloudways here. If you haven’t ever heard about Cloudflare then have a look here: What is Cloudflare?

Apart from all the features that Cloudflare offers, Cloudflare is a free DNS hosting provider. That means Cloudflare can manage and host your domain’s DNS for absolutely free!

Unlike your domain registrar, Cloudflare’s DNS records update every second, so it never lets your site go down due to any DNS changes.

How does Cloudflare get control of our DNS?

It is a very logical question. Nameservers give control to DNS of any site. As soon as you add Cloudflare’s nameservers to your domain registrar, it fetches your domain’s existing DNS records from the registrar and takes their control.

Now, whenever you update the DNS records like CNAME, TXT, A, MX records, etc. from your registrar’s DNS management console, it takes likes hours or even days to propagate the changes properly. With Cloudflare, it is a thing of the past and happens almost instantly.

So, first of all, create a free Cloudflare account and watch the video tutorial below to add your host your domain’s DNS on Cloudflare:

Once you have added your site to Cloudflare, you can proceed with further steps to migrate your WordPress website to Cloudways from any hosting provider with no downtimes.

STEP 1: Install Fresh WordPress On Cloudways

So, the first step is to install a fresh WordPress site on your Cloudways server.

You can do so by logging into your Cloudways dashboard and click on the Applications tab and finally click on Add Application.

Once your new application installation is finished, you can proceed to the next step.

STEP 2. Install Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin On Original Site

Cloudways WordPress Migrator plugin automates WordPress migration from any hosting provider to Cloudways. All you have to do is to configure the plugin with proper details on your original site. After that, it will automatically migrate it to your fresh WordPress installation on Cloudways.

Download Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin

Or, you can install it directly from your original site’s dashboard.

Just go to Dashboard >> Plugins >> Add New and look for Cloudways WordPress Migrator.

After that, Install and Activate the plugin.

STEP 3: Configure Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin

A configuration page will open on your existing site. This is how the Cloudways Migrator plugin’s configuration page looks like:

Fill up the following information:

1. Enter any email address you own
2. Enter your destination URL of your Cloudways application
3. Enter the database name of your Cloudways application
4. Enter your Server IP address
5. SFTP Username: This is your Master username that you can find in the Server tab
6. SFTP Password: This is your Master password that you can find in the Server tab

Here is the application-specific information:

SFTP details can be found on Servers » Master Credentials

Once, you have filled all the information correctly; it is time to migrate your site.

STEP 4: Migrate Your Site To Cloudways

Click on Migrate, and your migration process will begin. Time to migrate your site depends on its size. For a small website with a database size of 500MB to 1GB, migration can take between 1-4 hours.

Once the migration process is completed, it will show this page:

To ensure that your site is successfully migrated, click on Visit Migrated Site.

Once you are satisfied with the migration, you can proceed with the further steps.

STEP 5: Migrate Domain Name

The work is not done yet! You have just migrated your site’s data. Domain name migration is still pending. It is a straightforward process due to STEP 0.

Since Cloudflare is hosting your site’s DNS now, all you have to do is to delete all the existing A Records in the Cloudflare DNS of your domain and add the new ones to point Cloudways.

A Record is used to point a logical domain name, such as “google.com”, to the IP address of Google’s hosting server, “74.125.224.147”.

Once you have deleted all the existing A Records, add two new A records:

As soon as you add the new A Records, your domain will immediately start resolving from your Cloudways server.

Now it’s time to associate the domain to your site in Cloudways. Go to Application » Domain Management and add the domain name to Primary Domain section.

Don’t forget to click Save Changes.

Further Steps

After your site is completely migrated to Cloudways, you can tweak it further by installing the Breeze plugin to speed up your site.

You might also want to uninstall any previously installed caching plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache or WP Rocket as having multiple caching plugins can cause performance issues.

If you are also looking to revamp your site with a new improved look, better performance, and industry trusted coding standards then make sure you have a look at our exclusive Elegant Themes Discount Coupon.

Feel free to share your views in the comments section below. Also, if you have any doubts then don’t hesitate to ask. Happy migration!