How to migrate hosting from SiteGround to Bluehost

Key highlights 

• SiteGround’s StartUp plan renews at $17.99/mo, nearly 6x its intro rate, while Bluehost’s equivalent plan renews at $9.99/mo. 

• Create a local copy of your SiteGround files and database before you start. SiteGround’s automatic backups are useful, but they are not a substitute for a copy you control. 

• The Bluehost Site Migration Tool connects directly to your WordPress site once you authorize the connection using your WordPress admin credentials. 

• Update your nameservers only after verifying the migrated site, then consider transferring your domain to Bluehost for simpler long-term management. 

• DNS propagation takes up to 48 hours, so do not cancel your SiteGround plan until propagation is complete and your post-migration checklist passes. 

Many users choose SiteGround because it is built for WordPress and performs well for smaller sites. The challenge often appears at renewal, when the standard rate replaces the introductory discount. 

SiteGround’s StartUp plan goes from $2.99/mo to $17.99/mo at renewal. GrowBig jumps from $4.99/mo to $29.99/mo, and GoGeek goes from $7.99/mo to $44.99/mo. The full standard rate applies from your second term onward. 

If the renewal cost no longer fits your budget, this guide walks you through the full migration to Bluehost WordPress Hosting: what to prepare before you start, which migration method suits your setup and how to confirm everything is working before you update your DNS. 

Ready to make the move? Start your Bluehost plan today. 

Why migrate from SiteGround to Bluehost?

SiteGround users are not leaving because of bad hosting. They are leaving because the renewal cost no longer holds up against what comparable alternatives offer at standard rates. Here is how the two hosts compare on the factors that drive that decision. 

Feature	SiteGround	Bluehost
WordPress.org recommended	Yes	Yes — since 2005
Free SSL	Included	Included in all plans
Free domain	Included in all plans (first year)	Included in all plans (first year)
24/7 WordPress support	Included	Included WP support; premium support plan available
Malware scanning	Included	Included on all plans
Site migration	Free via migrator plugin	Free via self-service tool
Money-back guarantee	30 days	30 days
Entry plan renewal price	$17.99/mo	$9.99/mo
Visitor limits	Unlimited traffic on all plans	Plan capacity varies by selected hosting plan

These are the specific reasons SiteGround users switch to Bluehost: 

• Renewal cost: The pricing gap extends well beyond the entry plan. SiteGround’s GrowBig renews at $29.99/mo compared to Bluehost’s Business plan at $14.99/mo, a difference of $180/year on a single mid-tier plan with no reduction in core WordPress hosting capability. 

• Resource usage: SiteGround’s shared plans advertise unlimited traffic, but resource usage still matters. Resource-heavy plugins, dynamic pages or traffic spikes can increase CPU usage, which may require optimization or a plan review. 

• Storage limits by plan tier: SiteGround’s StartUp plan includes 10GB of storage, GrowBig 50GB and GoGeek 100GB. While GrowBig and GoGeek offer more room, StartUp users with a growing WooCommerce catalog can hit the 10 GB ceiling faster than expected. 

• Standard renewal pricing: SiteGround’s pricing model is clear: the introductory price is the first-term discount, and standard rates apply from the second term onward. 

Note: Pricing referenced in this article is as of May 2026. For the latest pricing, visit the official websites. 

How to prepare before you start migrating from SiteGround to Bluehost?

SiteGround runs on Site Tools rather than a standard cPanel interface, so a few of the steps below are specific to that environment. Work through the first four items before you begin the transfer, then set up your Bluehost account when you are ready to start. 

• Create a local backup from Site Tools: SiteGround keeps automatic daily backups, but you should not rely on those alone. Export your website files and database to your local machine before migration begins. If the transfer fails at any point, that local copy gives you a recovery option you control. 

• Confirm where your domain is registered: Many SiteGround users registered their domain through a third party and pointed it at SiteGround hosting. Log in to Client Area > Domains to confirm where your domain actually lives. This determines where you will update nameservers after migration. 

• Decide what happens to your SiteGround email: SiteGround includes webmail through Site Tools. If you use a [@yourdomain] address through SiteGround, migrating your hosting does not move those mailboxes. Before you start, decide whether to move email to Bluehost Professional Email or keep it running at SiteGround with MX records pointing there. 

• Review any earlier migration attempts: If you previously used another migration plugin or staging workflow, review those changes before using the Bluehost tool. Remove inactive migration plugins or leftover staging data only after confirming you no longer need them. 

• Set up your Bluehost account first: The Bluehost Site Migration Tool runs from inside your Bluehost portal, so you need an active Bluehost WordPress Hosting plan before migration begins. Purchase your plan and return to this guide once your account is ready. 

With these five items confirmed, the migration has a clear path from SiteGround to Bluehost. 

You can also refer to the Bluehost website migration checklist for a broader pre-migration reference. 

How to migrate hosting from SiteGround to Bluehost: step by step 

Both methods below work with SiteGround-hosted WordPress sites. Method 1 does not require you to export files or use SiteGround’s Site Tools directly, since the Bluehost Site Migration tool handles the transfer after WordPress authorization.  

Method 2 gives you full manual control if Bluehost support recommends it or your site needs direct file and database handling. 

Method 1: Migration using the Bluehost Site Migration Tool (recommended) 

This method uses Bluehost’s free self-service migration tool, powered by InstaWP. It transfers your WordPress files, database and content with a guided workflow that requires your WordPress admin credentials to authorize the transfer. 

Step 1: Log in to your Bluehost portal: Go to bluehost.com and log in to your account. 

Step 2: Navigate to Websites: In the left-hand menu, click Websites, then click Add Website. 

Step 3: Select Transfer WordPress Website: On the Add Website screen, click Transfer WordPress Website to begin the migration workflow. 

Step 4: Wait while Bluehost prepares your account: This may take a few seconds. Do not close or refresh the page while the process is in progress. 

Step 5: Click Start Transfer: Once your account is ready, click Start Transfer to continue. Bluehost will run a second preparation step before prompting you to connect your site. 

Step 6: Connect your website: Enter the full URL of your WordPress site currently hosted on SiteGround (for example: https://[yoursite].com) and click Connect. Then click Yes, Continue to Login. You will be redirected to your WordPress site to log in and authorize the connection. 

Step 7: Log in with your WordPress credentials: Enter your WordPress username or email address and your password, then click Log In. These are your WordPress admin credentials, not your SiteGround Client Area login. 

Pro tip: If you do not remember your WordPress password, use the Lost your password? link on the login screen to reset it before proceeding. Without a successful login, the migration cannot continue. 

Step 8: Authorize the connection: Click “Yes, I approve this connection” to allow Bluehost to connect to your WordPress site. Without this approval, the migration cannot continue. 

Step 9: Wait while Bluehost connects and migrates your site: The status changes from Connecting to Connected, and Bluehost automatically begins transferring your files and database. Progress bars for Files and the Database update in real time. Do not close or refresh the page during this step.  

Step 10: Check for your confirmation email: Bluehost sends email notifications when the migration starts, completes successfully or encounters a failure.  

If the migration fails, contact Bluehost support before starting over or moving to manual migration. The team can help review the issue and confirm whether a support ticket, pro-services option or manual path is the right next step. 

Step 11: Verify your migrated site: When migration is complete, you will see a Your Migration is Complete! confirmation with your site URL. Click Go to site to review your WordPress site on Bluehost’s servers before you update your DNS. 

Method 2: Manual migration from SiteGround to Bluehost 

SiteGround uses Site Tools rather than cPanel, so the file and database export steps differ from a standard cPanel host. Use this method if Bluehost support recommends a manual path, or if your site has a custom configuration that needs direct file and database handling. 

For a full technical reference, see our WordPress manual migration guide. 

Step 1: Export your files from Site Tools: Log in to SiteGround > Site Tools > File Manager, navigate to the public_html directory for your site, select all files, compress them into a ZIP archive and download it to your local machine. 

Step 2: Export your database from Site Tools: Go to Site Tools > MySQL > phpMyAdmin, select your WordPress database, click Export, choose Quick export in SQL format and download the .sql file. 

Step 3: Upload your files to Bluehost: Log in to your Bluehost portal > Hosting > File Manager, navigate to public_html, upload the ZIP from Step 1 and extract it. 

Step 4: Create a new database on Bluehost: In your Bluehost control panel, go to MySQL Databases, create a new database and a new user. Assign that user to the database with full privileges and save the database name, username and password, as you will need all three values in Step 6. 

Step 5: Import your database: In your Bluehost control portal, open phpMyAdmin and select the new database you just created. Click Import, upload the .sql file from Step 2 and run the import. 

Step 6: Update wp-config.php: In Bluehost File Manager, locate wp-config.php inside public_html and update these lines with your new Bluehost database credentials: 

define('DB_NAME', 'your_bluehost_db_name'); 
define('DB_USER', 'your_bluehost_db_user'); 
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_bluehost_db_password'); 
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); // In most cases 

Step 7: Regenerate your permalinks: Log in to your WordPress admin on Bluehost, go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes without editing anything. This rebuilds your .htaccess file and resolves broken URL structures that commonly appear after a manual transfer.  

Step 8: Preview your migrated site: Before updating your DNS, preview the site using a temporary Bluehost URL or by editing your local hosts file. Confirm that pages load, images display and dynamic features function correctly. 

Bluehost Site Migration Tool vs. manual migration: which should you use? 

The tool is the right starting point for most SiteGround users. The manual route exists for specific edge cases, including multisite setups, custom server-level configurations or migrations where Bluehost support recommends direct file and database handling. 

Comparison criteria	Bluehost Site Migration Tool	Manual migration
Technical skill needed	None – guided UI	Intermediate – Site Tools, phpMyAdmin and wp-config.php access required
Time to complete	20–30 minutes	1–2 hours
What it moves	Files, database and content in one pass	Files and database in separate steps
Best for	Standard WordPress sites on SiteGround	Multisite installs, custom configurations or large databases
Risk level	Low, automated with support fallback	Medium, more manual steps and more room for error
Cost	Free	Free

If you are on SiteGround’s StartUp or GrowBig plan with a standard WordPress or WooCommerce install, the tool handles the full migration.  

If you use GoGeek for multiple sites or a heavily customized environment, contact Bluehost support or review Method 2 before you start. 

Final steps after the migration 

Your site is now on Bluehost’s servers. These two steps make it live on your domain and confirm everything transferred correctly before you cut over permanently. 

1. Point your domain to Bluehost 

Once you have confirmed the migrated site looks correct, update your nameservers to point at Bluehost. 

If your domain is registered at SiteGround: 

• Log in to SiteGround > Client Area > Domains. 

• Select your domain and click Manage. 

• Under Nameservers, select Custom Nameservers and enter:  
  • NS1.BLUEHOST.COM 
  • NS2.BLUEHOST.COM 

• Save changes. 

If your domain is registered at another registrar, log in to that registrar’s control panel and update the nameservers there using the same values. 

DNS propagation takes 24–48 hours, and during that window some visitors will reach your SiteGround site while others reach Bluehost. This is expected behavior during any DNS transition and resolves on its own once propagation completes.  

Do not cancel your SiteGround account until propagation is fully complete and your post-migration checklist passes. 

2. Test the migrated site 

After propagation completes, run through this checklist: 

Front-end checks: 

• Homepage loads correctly 

• Internal links and images work 

• SSL certificate shows as active (padlock in browser) 

Functionality checks: 

• Contact forms submit successfully 

• WooCommerce checkout works (if applicable) 

• Email delivery is functioning 

If anything fails, reach out to our 24/7 support team and they can diagnose the issue without additional downtime on your end. 

Final thoughts 

The performance you valued at SiteGround does not disappear when you move. Bluehost runs on WordPress-optimized infrastructure with 99.99% uptime SLA, free SSL, one-click WordPress tooling and included WordPress support, with a premium support plan available. 

What changes is the annual cost of staying. At $9.99/mo renewal on the Bluehost Starter plan versus SiteGround’s $17.99/mo StartUp renewal, the savings compound every year while keeping the core WordPress hosting features most small business sites need. 

Start your migration today, risk-free. Every Bluehost WordPress Hosting plan is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if anything does not meet your expectations, you are covered. 

FAQs