Changing hosts doesn’t hurt your Google rankings on its own. Rankings drop when something else changes by accident during the move: URLs, page content, a “noindex” setting, missing files or a slow, error-prone new server. Keep those the same, switch over cleanly and watch Search Console for a week, and most sites move without a ripple.
Key takeaways
- A host move with the same domain and URLs is the lowest-risk kind of migration.
- Google may crawl your site more slowly for a few days after the switch. That’s normal.
- The biggest ranking killers are a leftover noindex setting, changed URLs without redirects, and server errors.
- If any URL must change, use permanent (301) redirects and keep them for at least a year.
- Don’t cancel the old hosting until traffic to it has stopped.
Will changing web hosts affect my SEO?
Not if the move is done properly. Google has a guide just for this case: moving a site to new hosting without changing its URLs. It says it’s “normal to see a temporary drop in Googlebot’s crawl rate immediately after the launch”, which then recovers over the following days (Google Search Central). A slower crawl for a few days isn’t a ranking loss.
What Google does care about is what it finds at the new address. If pages vanish, return errors or ask not to be indexed, Google acts on that. So the job is simple to describe: make the new server give Google exactly what the old one did, only faster.
If you’re still deciding whether to move at all, our guide on when to switch web host covers the warning signs.
What must stay exactly the same?
- Every URL. Same domain, same www or non-www version, same https, same page paths. In WordPress, that includes the permalink setting.
- Page content. Titles, headings, body text, meta descriptions and image alt text.
- Internal links and images. Every image, PDF and download must come across, not just the pages.
- Search engine access. The same robots.txt, sitemap and indexing settings as the live site.
- Search Console verification. Google says to make sure verification “will continue to work after the hosting move”, including any verification file or tag.
What usually goes wrong?
A “noindex” setting comes across from the test copy
New sites are often built or tested with search engines blocked. In WordPress, the “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” box adds a noindex, nofollow tag to every page (WordPress.org). If that box is still ticked at launch, Google is told to drop the whole site. In our experience, it’s the most damaging migration mistake and the easiest to miss.
URLs quietly change
A different permalink setting, a trailing slash, or a switch from www to non-www can change every address on the site. Old links from Google and other websites then hit a “page not found”. Google removes URLs that return 404 from its index once it sees them (Google Search Central).
The new server throws errors or blocks Google
Server errors make Google slow down, and it removes URLs that “persistently return a server error”, according to the same Google page. A firewall on the new host can also block Googlebot by mistake. Google’s move guide specifically says to check this.
The old hosting is cancelled too early
DNS changes take time to reach everyone. Cancel the old account on launch day and some visitors, and Google, may still be pointed at a server that’s gone. Google’s advice is to shut the old host down only once its traffic reaches zero.
The website migration SEO checklist
Here’s the full list in one place. The diagram gives the order. The detail follows.
Before the move
- Take a “before” snapshot. Note your top pages, rankings for your main search terms and traffic in Search Console. Without it, you can’t tell if anything changed.
- Save a list of every URL. Export your sitemap or run a crawler. This becomes your test list after launch.
- Lower the DNS TTL. Google suggests lowering it ahead of the move so the switch spreads faster. If you’re unsure where your DNS is run, start with our domain and DNS management page.
- Test the new copy first. Check pages, images, forms and logins on the new server before any visitor sees it.
Launch day
- Turn indexing back on. Untick the WordPress visibility box and remove any noindex rules added for testing.
- Switch DNS. Update the A records for the domain and www. Leave email records alone unless email is moving too. Our article on whether you can change hosting and keep email explains the difference.
- Check the basics. Load the site on https, with and without www, and open ten or so old URLs from your list.
- Check robots.txt and the sitemap. Both should load, and robots.txt shouldn’t block the site.
The week after
- Watch Search Console. Look at the Page indexing and Crawl stats reports for new errors. A brief dip in crawling is expected.
- Test what earns money. Submit every form, run a test order, and check that confirmation emails arrive.
- Compare speed. Run the same speed tests as before. A move should make the site faster, not slower.
- Retire the old host carefully. Once its traffic has stopped, take a final backup and cancel.
What if some URLs have to change?
Sometimes a move is also a tidy-up: a new permalink structure, merged pages or a new domain. Then redirects carry your rankings across. Google recommends permanent redirects such as 301, says they “don’t cause a loss in PageRank”, and advises keeping them “generally at least 1 year” (Google Search Central).
- Map every old URL to its closest new page, not to the home page.
- Redirect straight to the final address, with no chains of redirect after redirect.
- Update internal links and the sitemap to the new URLs.
- Expect some ranking movement while Google recrawls. Google says so plainly.
Changing your domain name is a bigger job again. Our guide to changing your domain name without losing SEO covers it step by step.
Should I do it myself or have it done?
A small brochure site with few pages is a reasonable DIY job if you’re comfortable with files, databases and DNS. Our honest look at DIY website migration lists what you’ll need. Online stores, membership sites and anything with years of rankings carry more risk, because one missed setting can cost weeks of traffic.
Every one of our hosting plans includes a free website migration. We copy and test your site on the new server before anything switches, so you keep working while it moves.
Frequently asked questions
How long do rankings take to settle after a migration?
For a host move with no URL changes, usually days. Google may crawl more slowly for a short time, then picks up again. If URLs changed, expect movement for several weeks while Google follows the redirects and recrawls the site.
Does moving to an Australian server improve SEO?
Indirectly. A server close to your customers loads pages faster, and speed is part of the experience Google measures. Your domain, content and Google Business Profile do more to signal that you’re an Australian business than the server’s location.
Should the site go offline during the move?
Ideally not at all. The old site keeps running while the new copy is tested, and DNS switches visitors over. If you must take the site down briefly, a 503 “service unavailable” response tells Google the outage is temporary.
Do I need to tell Google I’ve changed hosts?
No. There’s nothing to submit when only the host changes. Google’s Change of Address tool is only for moving to a different domain or subdomain. Just keep Search Console verified and watch its reports for errors.
Will my email be affected by a hosting move?
Only if your email is hosted with your website or your MX records change. If email is with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, leave those records alone when you update the website’s A records.
Sources
- Moving a site to new hosting without URL changes, Google Search Central
- Site moves with URL changes, Google Search Central
- How HTTP status codes and network errors affect Google Search, Google Search Central
- Settings Reading screen, WordPress.org, updated June 2024