Switching hosts The non-negotiable checklist for a clean migration
If you want the fast, low-drama route, Web V8’s Australian WordPress hosting runs OpenLiteSpeed/LiteSpeed Enterprise with Redis and MariaDB tuned for real stores.
1. Prep and sanity checks
- Confirm PHP version and extensions match or improve
- Note current TTFB, CLS, LCP for before/after
- Lower DNS TTL to 300 seconds a day before
2. Copy the site the right way
- Export database and uploads; rsync or SFTP the rest
- Replace URLs in a copy, not on live
- Keep old site read-only during final sync
3. Stage and validate before flicking DNS
- Preview via staging domain and hosts file
- Enable LSCache and Redis; verify cache headers/hits
- Exclude cart, checkout, account from caching
4. Warm and test like a customer
- Warm homepage, top categories, key posts
- Full cart-to-checkout test (coupons, shipping, emails)
- Check SPF, DKIM, DMARC and contact forms
5. Cutover cleanly
- Point DNS when staging passes; watch health checks
- Monitor logs for 404s, PHP fatals, cache stampedes
- Keep old host 48 hours for easy rollback
6. Post-migration tidy-up
- Re-crawl sitemap; fix broken links
- Reissue SSL if tied to old stack
- Re-enable analytics/WAF rules you paused
Why this works
- Cache correctness first, then speed
- No double-caching at CDN and app layer
- Real user flows tested before switch
Recommended stack for WordPress
OpenLiteSpeed or LiteSpeed Enterprise with LSCache, MariaDB, Redis object cache, NVMe, HTTP/2 + QUIC. Managed via systemd on the OS—no Docker anywhere. If you’d rather have it done for you, Web V8 can handle the migration and tuning.
Bonus: Design matters to conversions
After the move, tighten the above-the-fold and simplify your offer. If you need help with the conversion side, Web V8 Web Design builds pages that load fast and sell hard.
About the author
Web V8 powers fast WordPress and WooCommerce for Australian businesses—hosting at webv8.net and web design at webv8.com.au. Ask for a free speed review and we’ll send a short Loom audit.
