Migrating WordPress from another host

We migrate WordPress sites to Rivervo for free, for any plan. You don't have to do it yourself — we'd rather our team handle it than have you break something.

The short version

1. Open a migration request or use the "Request migration" button in your dashboard.
2. Give us your current host's credentials (cPanel, FTP, or equivalent).
3. We copy everything to Rivervo within 24 hours.
4. We send you a preview link to verify the site works.
5. You approve the DNS cutover. We handle the DNS change.
6. Done — with near-zero downtime.

Your existing site stays live the whole time. Nothing happens on your current host. We only cut over DNS once you've confirmed everything looks right on our side.

What we migrate

• Files. Every file in your WordPress install, uploads included.
• Database. Full MySQL dump, imported on our side.
• Email accounts. All inboxes, including historical messages.
• DNS records. If you're using Rivervo nameservers, we set up all existing records.
• SSL certificates. We provision fresh Let's Encrypt certs for your domain.

What we can't migrate

• Proprietary "site builder" databases (e.g. Squarespace, Wix). WordPress only.
• Heavily customised cron jobs we'll replicate what we can see, but let us know if you have any externally-triggered ones.
• Paid plugin licences. You keep your existing licences — plugins move across, licences are tied to your Envato/ThemeForest/etc. account.

If you want to do it yourself

Some people prefer to run the migration themselves. Here's the workflow we recommend:

Option A: Use a plugin (simplest)

1. Install Duplicator or All-in-One WP Migration on your current site.
2. Create a backup archive.
3. Create a fresh WordPress install on Rivervo (via Softaculous — see install guide).
4. Install the same plugin on the new site.
5. Import the archive.
6. Test on a subdomain or using a hosts file (see below).
7. Cut over DNS.

Option B: Manual copy (more control)

1. Download the full wp-content/ folder from your current host via SFTP.
2. Export the database from your current host's phpMyAdmin as a .sql file.
3. Fresh WordPress install on Rivervo.
4. Upload wp-content/ via File Manager or SFTP, overwriting the default.
5. Import the SQL dump in Rivervo's phpMyAdmin.
6. Update wp-config.php with the new database name/user/password.
7. Search-and-replace the site URL in the database (use WP-CLI or the Better Search Replace plugin).

Testing before DNS cutover

Before you flip DNS, test the migrated site works:

Using a hosts file

Edit your local hosts file to temporarily point your domain to the new server IP:

Mac/Linux: /etc/hosts Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Add a line:

<your-rivervo-IP>  yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com

Save. Now your browser resolves your domain to the new server only for you — the rest of the world still sees the old site. When you're done testing, remove the line.

Using a preview URL

We give you a preview URL like yourdomain.rivervo-preview.com that serves the migrated site directly. Useful for sharing with a client or teammate before cutover.

Cutting over DNS

When you're ready:

1. Change your domain's nameservers to ours (or update the A record — see the domain pointing guide).
2. DNS propagates within minutes to hours.
3. Once propagated, all visitors hit the Rivervo-hosted version.

We recommend lowering your domain's TTL to 5 minutes 24 hours before the cutover. That makes the switchover near-instant for most visitors.

What about email during the switchover?

Email follows DNS. The moment you switch nameservers, new email lands on our side. If you pre-migrated the mailboxes (we do), every message is already there. Users need to update their mail client settings — see email setup guide.

Common issues

• "After migration, WordPress shows the database error" — wp-config.php wasn't updated with the new DB credentials. Open a ticket, we'll fix it.
• Images broken after cutover — search-and-replace in the database missed some URLs. Run Better Search Replace again targeting wp_posts.guid.
• WP-admin redirects to the old host — siteurl and home options weren't updated. Fix in phpMyAdmin under wp_options.

Any of these we'll handle for you — just reply to your migration ticket.