Bluehost Migration: Important Things You Must Know

Migrating to Bluehost offers performance and feature improvements. This guide details the essential steps and requirements for a successful migration, including website, email, and other services. It covers the necessary preparations, from the pre-migration process to post-migration tasks, ensuring a seamless transition.

• Essential Information for a Smooth Pro Migration
• Access Needed for Migration
  • Pro Site Migration
  • Pro Email Migration
  • Pro cPanel Migration
• VPS & Dedicated Server Migration Services
  • Courtesy Migrations
  • Supported Free Migrations
  • Paid Migrations
• Summary

Essential Information for a Smooth Pro Migration

• Do not make any changes to the website or DNS
  • Refrain from making any changes to your website or DNS until the migration is fully completed.
  • This is the last step in the migration process. The migration team works Monday through Friday, from 7 AM to 5 PM MST, and will communicate via email.
     
• Communication & time frame
  • We will contact you via the email you provided at the time of purchase. If your contact information needs updating, please notify support.
  • Migrations typically take 2 - 4 business days from the point of verification (when we've confirmed all necessary information).
  • Migrations cannot be scheduled in advance.
     
• Customer control over DNS updates
  • You will have control over when you update your DNS after the migration.
  • You can update it at any time that best suits your business needs.
     
• Best practices for communication
  • For the best service, we recommend using email for inquiries related to your migration. This helps us track your concerns efficiently.
  • Our team responds within 24 - 48 business hours, though our support team is available 24/7 by phone for urgent matters.
     
• Prepare to provide access
  • Ensure that you provide the necessary access credentials before we can begin. For specific details needed, please refer to the information below.
     
• Two-factor authentication and device verification
  • 2-Factor Authentication: Ensure that 2-factor authentication is disabled.
  • Device Verification: Some hosts (e.g., GoDaddy, SiteGround) require device verification codes for new logins. In such cases, contact our support team to provide us with the verification code. Be sure to call within our business hours: Monday - Friday, 7 AM - 5 PM MST.
     
• We migrate everything "as-is"
  • We will migrate your content exactly as it is without making any changes to your website before or after the migration.
     
• Post-Migration DNS Update
  Once we complete your migration, we’ll send an email with steps to update your DNS to finalize the migration process and go live. Here's what you need to know:
  • Upon receiving our email, your migration is complete, and the case is closed. Note that replies to this email will not be received. However, you have a 14-day review period where you can still work with our team.
  • If any changes are required during this period, submit a Request Change through your Account Manager. Here are the steps:
     
    1. Log in to your Bluehost Account Manager.
    2. Click on Professional Services in the bottom left corner. (You can only see this tab if you submit a migration request.)
    3. Click on Request Change.
    4. Enter the URL of any errors or questions, and click Submit.
        
  • Be sure to update your DNS in a timely manner.
  • We offer one complimentary data resync within the 14-day review period. Any further requests for resyncs will require an additional purchase.
  • If a database resync is required, DNS must be updated, and the website must remain in maintenance mode during the resync to prevent permanent data loss.

Access Needed for Migration

Pro Site Migration

To successfully migrate your site, we require access to your files and databases. WordPress dashboard credentials alone are not enough. Ideally, we need SSH access, though Hosting Control Panel (cPanel) or FTP access is acceptable in some cases.

• Login Link for the current host (where your website is currently hosted)
• Username
• Password

Pro Email Migration

• Email Address
• Password
• IMAP Server Hostname (typically mail.domain.com or imap.domain.com, but confirm with your previous host)

  Note:

  • If migrating to or from Office 365 or Google Workspace, we must have the admin credentials.
  • We only migrate to Google Workspace purchased through us.
  • Ensure professional email and Google Workspace mailboxes are created before purchasing a migration.
  • Credentials for both source (original) mailboxes and the new Pro/GWS mailboxes are required.

Pro cPanel Migration

We are excited to announce our new product, Pro cPanel Migration, available for $199.00. This service facilitates the migration of an entire cPanel as-is. Please note that this product is available on Shared, VPS, or Dedicated servers.

If migrating via cPanel, the requirements differ slightly for internal vs. external accounts:

Internal migration (migration between two Bluehost accounts)

External migration (migration from a different hosting provider to Bluehost)

To submit a migration request, please go to your Account Manager's Marketplace. Instructions are listed in the Migration Products article.

• Source account details
• Destination account details
• List of content to be migrated
• Must be a cPanel account
• cPanel account login link
• Username
• Password
• SSH access should be provided for a successful migration. Root access is ideal but not mandatory. Failure to provide SSH access could lead to migration failure.

VPS & Dedicated Server Migration Services

Courtesy Migrations

Enjoy a smooth transition to our VPS or Dedicated plans. When you commit to at least a 12-month term, we'll migrate your existing services for free if you're purchasing or upgrading from shared hosting. This complimentary service is available within 30 days of your purchase, ensuring a seamless move. 

Supported Free Migrations

1. Bluehost cPanel to cPanel Migrations
   1. What We Do:
      Our support team transfers complete cPanel accounts from one of our existing cPanel-based hosting servers to another, preserving all websites, email accounts, and settings exactly as they are.
       
   2. Eligibility:
      • This applies if you’re upgrading from Shared Hosting to VPS or from VPS to Dedicated servers.
      • Switching between plans within the same product category (including downgrades) is not eligible. 
      • Both the Source and Destination Servers must be cPanel-based and hosted with Bluehost.
         
   3. Important to Note:
      • Our support team migrates accounts as-is. If you wish to reorganize, such as separating addon domains into individual cPanel accounts, you must do so after the migration.
      • Our support team provides detailed documentation to assist with this process.
         
2. Migrating from an External cPanel Server to Bluehost
   1. What We Do:
      Our support team migrates from a third-party server (another provider) to Bluehost. If root access to the source server is available, we migrate all cPanel accounts. Otherwise, we will consolidate data into a single cPanel account.
       
   2. Eligibility:
      • Both Source and Destination Servers must use cPanel.
      • The Source server must be hosted by another provider; root access is preferred.
          
   3. Limits:
      • Up to 5 cPanel accounts.
      • 10 GB of data per cPanel account.
      • These will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis if your needs exceed these limits.
         
   4. Important to Note:
      • As with internal migrations, our support migrates accounts as-is. 
      • If you wish to reorganize accounts, you must do so post-migration using the provided documentation.
      • Data is moved to a single cPanel account by default.
      • If you prefer to split data into multiple accounts, you must create the accounts and provide a mapping before the migration or perform the split themselves afterward. Documentation can be provided on request.
         
3. Non-cPanel Migrations
   1. What We Do:
      Our support team consolidates data from a server that does not use cPanel or a hosting control panel into a single cPanel account.
       
   2. Eligibility:
      • The Source server is either internal or external and may not use a Panel or uses an alternative like Plesk, DirectAdmin, etc.  
      • Servers without a control panel must involve a popular CMS such as WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal with web files and MySQL databases.
      • WordPress setups with admin credentials (but without hosting access) may also be eligible.
         
   3. Limits:
      • Up to 5 websites.
      • 10 GB of data per site.
      • These will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis if your needs exceed these limits.
         
   4. Important to Note:
      • Each migration is subject to assessment before confirmation.
      • By default, everything is migrated to a single cPanel account. If you wish to split data, you must create multiple accounts and provide a mapping beforehand or handle this after migration using the provided documentation.

Paid Migrations

If you need additional support beyond our courtesy migrations, our paid migration services are available. These services cater to complex migrations that exceed courtesy migration limits or involve specialized requirements.

1. Overlimit Migrations
   1. What We Do:
      Our support team handles migrations that surpass the limits set for our free migration services, including external cPanel (without root access) or non-cPanel migrations.
       
   2. Eligibility:
      • This applies to both Internal/External cPanel and non-cPanel/Panel migrations as outlined above. 
      • The Destination must be one of our cPanel servers.
         
   3. Charges:
      • $199 per cPanel account.
      • If you have multiple cPanel accounts, reach out to the migration team for a custom quote.
         
2. End of Life (EOL) OS Migrations
   1. What We Do:
      Our support team migrates accounts from servers running an End-of-Life (EOL) operating system to new servers with updated OS versions.
       
   2. Eligibility:
      • Source & Destination must be Bluehost’s servers and must be running cPanel.
         
   3. Charges:
      • $199 per cPanel account.
      • If you have multiple cPanel accounts, reach out to the migration team for a custom quote.
         
   4. Important to Note:
      • Only cPanel-to-cPanel migrations are supported. 
      • Normal migration processes and eligibility apply.

Summary

Migrating to Bluehost Pro enhances your hosting experience, but it's essential to follow specific steps to ensure a successful transition. This guide provides comprehensive information on how to manage your migration, including preparation, communication, and post-migration processes. You'll learn about the crucial steps to take before making DNS changes, the importance of providing necessary access credentials, and best practices for migrating your website and email. We also cover what to expect during the migration process, how to handle any post-migration issues, and how to update your DNS to finalize the migration.