Migrate Your Website to Hostinger: Complete Guide 2025

✅ Why Migrate to Hostinger (2025 Update)

Migrating a site to a reliable and affordable host is a crucial step when you want better performance, security, or cost-efficiency. As of 2026, here’s why many site owners are switching to Hostinger:

Affordable pricing — budget‑friendly plans without compromising on essential features.
Fast SSD/NVMe hosting & optimized servers — good page load times, improved performance, and better uptime.
Beginner‑friendly dashboard (hPanel) — easier to manage hosting, domains, SSL, and site settings compared to complex control panels.
Global data centers + optional CDN — beneficial for international traffic and better latency support.
Support & helpful tools — including migration support, SSL, backups, and support staff that can help during migration.

If you decide Hostinger fits your needs, this guide will walk you through migrating your website step-by-step — without downtime or data loss.

👉 Start your migration now with discount & hosting plan:
Get Hostinger Hosting & Begin Migration

📦 Pre-Migration Checklist (What You Need Before Starting)

Before migrating your site, ensure the following:

✅ Full backup of your website: files + database.
✅ Domain and DNS access (domain registrar credentials).
✅ FTP / SFTP or cPanel access (from old host).
✅ Hosting account set up on Hostinger (correct plan for your site size).
✅ SSL certificate readiness (Hostinger provides free SSL).
✅ Email/data export if using email hosting.
✅ Awareness of downtime window (if any).

Backing up data properly ensures you can restore site if anything goes wrong.

🔧 Step-by-Step Migration: Move Your Website to Hostinger

Here’s a detailed migration process. Use whichever method fits your site setup (WordPress, static, custom, etc.).

1. Sign Up & Set Up Hostinger Hosting

Use the affiliate link above to sign up.
Choose a plan that fits your site needs (shared, cloud, etc.).
Once activated, go to hPanel → Hosting → Manage → File Manager / FTP to prep for file upload.

2. Backup Your Old Site (Files + Database)

Files: Download all public‑html / web root files via FTP or File Manager, compress to ZIP.
Database (if using WordPress or DB‑backed CMS): Export via phpMyAdmin or database tool — save as .sql.
Save backups locally and consider storing a copy offsite (Google Drive, DropBox, etc.).

3. Upload Files to Hostinger

Using FTP/SFTP or Hostinger File Manager, upload your site files to the public_html folder.
Extract the ZIP if uploaded compressed. Check that paths are intact.

4. Create & Import Database (If Needed)

If your site uses a database (e.g. WordPress):

In hPanel → MySQL Databases: create a new database, user, and password.
Note database name, user, password.
Import the .sql file via phpMyAdmin (in Hostinger).
Adjust your site’s config file (e.g. wp-config.php) to match new DB credentials if needed.

5. Update DNS / Domain Settings

If your domain is registered elsewhere: update the DNS to point to Hostinger nameservers (provided in your hosting panel).
If domain is with Hostinger or you change name servers — allow up to 24–48 h for propagation.
Meanwhile, enable SSL (HTTPS) via hPanel → SSL (Hostinger offers free Let’s Encrypt SSL).

6. Test Your Site Thoroughly

Once migration and DNS propagation are done:

Test homepage, internal links, images, forms, login pages.
Check site on desktop and mobile.
Run a speed test (e.g. GTmetrix, PageSpeed) to ensure performance.
Confirm SSL works (HTTPS), no mixed-content warnings.
If it’s WordPress: login to admin, permalinks, check plugins/themes compatibility.

7. Email & Other Services Migration (if applicable)

If you had email hosting (mailboxes) with old host, you need to:

Export old emails (via IMAP or export tool).
Recreate mailboxes in Hostinger (if included) or set up external email service.
Update MX records accordingly.

Failure to migrate emails properly can cause data loss — so back them up before changing DNS.

8. Final Tweaks & Launch

Clear caches, enable CDN (if plan includes), enable caching, optimize images & assets.
Submit updated sitemap to Google Search Console, Bing, etc.
Monitor uptime & performance for first 48–72 h.

✅ Post-Migration Checklist: After Your Site Is Live on Hostinger

Check SSL status, site security, backups.
Monitor 404 errors, broken links — update permalinks if needed.
Test site speed, run Core Web Vitals audit.
Update internal & external links if domain changed.
Ensure email deliverability (if email hosting used).
Set up regular backups (weekly/daily as per plan).

🛠️ Special Case: Migrating a WordPress Site

If you’re using WordPress, here are some extra steps:

Optional: Use a backup & migration plugin (like All‑in‑One WP Migration, Duplicator, or UpdraftPlus) to export & import.
Update wp-config.php with new database credentials.
Regenerate permalinks (Settings → Permalinks → Save).
Check plugins/themes compatibility — some caching or security plugins may need re‑setup after migration.
Test media files — images, uploads — ensure none are missing.

⚠️ Common Migration Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

Mistake	Impact	Prevention
Forgetting to backup email or database	Data loss, inability to restore site or user data	Always export database & email before touching DNS/files
Incorrect database credentials	Site error / database connection failure	Double‑check DB name/user/password before import
DNS misconfiguration or delay	Site downtime or domain not loading	Confirm nameservers / DNS records carefully; consider TTL
Missing SSL or mixed-content	Security warnings, SEO penalties, user trust issues	Enable SSL & update links to HTTPS
Large unoptimized media files	Slow performance, high load times	Optimize/compress images, enable caching/CDN
Plugin/theme compatibility issues	Site breakage or layout problems	Deactivate caching/security plugins, test after migration

🎯 Final Thoughts

Migrating your site doesn’t need to be scary — with proper backup, careful planning, and by following this guide, you can move your site to Hostinger smoothly and safely.

Whether you’re switching from another host, upgrading from a basic plan, or building a new site from scratch — Hostinger offers a compelling mix of affordability, speed, and user‑friendliness.

👉 When you’re ready — start your Hostinger migration journey here:
Begin Hostinger Migration & Get Hosting Discount

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.