Migrate WordPress Website & Email to Cloudways; Domain Name to Namecheap
From Cloudways tech support:
1. WordPress Website Migration
You can easily migrate your WordPress application manually by using our migrator plugin or you can take advantage of our managed migration service. We provide one free migration on account upgrade from the trial state. In your case, you may consider migrating the WordPress website manually using the plugin and availing the free migration service for the HTML subdomain website. Outside of the one free migration, you may check our managed website migration pricing, which is variable based on the platform:
https://www.cloudways.com/en/addon/application-migration.php
2. Add “A” Record, Domain Name, and SSL Certificate
- Point domain name “A” Record from Network Solutions DNS to Cloudways server IP.
- Add domain name to Domain Management in Cloudways.
- Install an SSL certificate (Cloudways Platform > App > SSL certificate). For further details and guidance on how to install a new Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificate on your server kindly read the following guide: https://support.cloudways.com/how-to-install-letsencrypt-free-ssl-certificate/
2.1: Details for point domain name “A” Record:
Update DNS records and point domain to Cloudways server IP. In order to point domain to Cloudways server, create an “A” Record and point domain to the Cloudways server IP. For reference, use this guide: https://support.cloudways.com/en/articles/5156623-creating-an-a-record
Add/create an “A” Record in your DNS manager by following the pattern below:
For without www:
- Type: A
- Host: @
- Value: (Cloudways Server IP)
- TTL: Auto
For with www:
- Type: A
- Host: www
- Value: (Cloudways Server IP)
- TTL: Auto
2.2: Details for add domain name to Domain Management:
After pointing domain via DNS “A” Record is done, then add domain name to Cloudways Platform > App > Domain Management and save changes.
2.3: Install SSL Certificate:
Install an SSL certificate (Cloudways Platform > App > SSL certificate). For further details and guidance on how to install a new Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificate on your server kindly read the following guide: https://support.cloudways.com/how-to-install-letsencrypt-free-ssl-certificate/
3. Email Migration
Cloudways can also assist with email migration. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- There would be a need to purchase our Rackspace email add-on (How to Use Rackspace Email Add-on) and point your domain to the Rackspace email service by modifying the domain’s DNS records manually, according our provided instructions.
- For managed email migration to Rackspace, we charge $10 per mailbox.
- You may find more details here -> [Frequently Asked Questions About Rackspace Add-on]
4. Order of Process
The order we would suggest for a smooth migration process and minimal to no downtime is:
- Migration of WordPress and HTML websites to Cloudways servers.
- Add “A” Record to Network Solutions, then add Domain Name and SSL Certificate to Cloudways.
- Migration of emails from Network Solutions to Rackspace at Cloudways.
- Verifying your website performance on Cloudways servers by using our preview URLs.
- If all the performance is satisfactory, then you could point the domain/subdomain to Cloudways by changing the appropriate A record values in the domain’s DNS zone. Please note that Cloudways does not have nameservers and pointing the domain to our service is done by modifying the A record value.
- Lastly, you could then modify the respective MX/TXT records in the domain’s DNS zone to associate your domain with the Rackspace Emails service at Cloudways. This will ensure your emails are now being sent/received using Rackspace.
5. When to Transfer Domain Name to Namecheap
We would suggest transferring the domain name as the very last step. Generally, while initiating a domain transfer, you might be provided with an option to keep the existing DNS zone. This would ensure your DNS records remain unaffected during/after the domain transfer as the domain’s nameservers won’t change thus you will be able to continue managing the records from the current DNS zone.
Once the domain transfer is complete, you can take note of the existing DNS records inside the current DNS zone and paste them inside Namecheap’s DNS zone editor.
After that is done, you would be ready to change the domain’s nameservers to the values of Namecheap, if you wish. As of that point, the DNS records would be managed from Namecheap’s DNS zone editor.
6. How Do I Take My Website Live from Cloudways?
Cloudways step-by-step guide: Map Your Domain & Manage DNS Records, Secure Your Site Using HTTPS, etc.
Other resources
- How to migrate any WordPress website to Cloudways by InternetFolks.com
- How to Set Up a Professional Email Address With Gmail and Google Workspace (G Suite) by Themeisle
- How to Transfer Email Address to Another Provider (Step by Step) by CodeInWP
- This guide applies if:
- you’re moving your email to a new provider / host
- you want to keep your current domain name, e.g.
yoursite.com - you want to keep the same email address, e.g.
john@yoursite.com - you want to keep using your old email tool (Gmail, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, whatever it might be)
- you don’t want any downtime or lost emails!
- How to Move a Website to a New Host (section 7. Move your email addresses) by CodeInWP
- How to Install WordPress on Cloudways by Antony Agnel
- Why And How To Create Subdomain In Cloudways Hosting? by WPGlossy
- Complete Cloudways WordPress Setup Tutorial – How To Install And Run WordPress on A Dedicated Server [VIDEO below]
