When a migration goes wrong, the cause is usually small. An order comes in on the old host after the database was copied, or a caching plugin stops working without anyone noticing.
Our new Pressable Migration Playbook follows a migration in the order it happens, from the first prerequisite to the final post-launch check, and links each step to the full instructions in the Pressable Knowledge Base. Most of it applies whether you’re moving one client site or fifty, and whether you resell Pressable or refer clients who pay for their own hosting.
1. Confirm the basics before you start
You’ll need an active Pressable account, admin access to the source site, access to the domain’s DNS, and a data center region in mind. Pressable hosts WordPress sites only, so a client on Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify needs a WordPress rebuild first. If the source site uses Cloudflare, switch off the proxy (the orange cloud icon) until the migration finishes, because it can block the migration plugin from connecting to the site.
If you’re buying Pressable for a client, purchase it in the Automattic for Agencies dashboard so it counts toward your partner tier. Buying through Automattic for Agencies also gets you Jetpack Complete (a $299 per site, per year value) and Pressable’s Enhanced Plugin Management ($30 per site, per year) at no extra cost. If your client would rather pay for hosting themselves, refer them through Automattic for Agencies and you’ll still earn recurring revenue share.
Talk to your partner manager before you get started if a client site has any of these:
30GB+
media library
10GB+
database
100K+
qualified human visits a month
2. For WooCommerce stores, settle order timing first
A migration copies the database at a single point in time, so any order placed on the old host after that copy exists only in the old database, with no simple way to recover it.
The playbook recommends putting the store in maintenance mode before the migration starts and keeping it there until DNS has fully propagated.
For clients who can’t afford downtime, there’s a second option: migrate while the store stays live, then sync the orders and customers that came in before cutover. It takes more effort and leaves more room for mistakes, so back up both databases first.
3. Use the automated plugin for most sites
Start in MyPressable by creating the destination site with Migrate Existing Site, then open Migrate Here to find the SFTP credentials. On the source site, install the Pressable Automated Migration plugin, enter those credentials, and let it run.
Disconnect Jetpack on the source site beforehand, since two sites sharing one connection triggers what Jetpack calls an identity crisis. Once the migration succeeds, reset the migration SFTP password from the same panel.
The plugin covers most cases. Manual upload is there for hosts that block plugin installs, and Pressable’s team can handle an assisted migration when the stack is unusual or your team is short on time.
4. Know what the platform handles for you
Every Pressable site runs Batcache, Memcache, OPCache, and Edge Cache with nothing to configure. Because Pressable’s cache files are read-only, plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache can’t write to them, so remove those after the move.
The server configuration is managed as well, which means custom php.ini values from the old host won’t carry over. Check Pressable’s PHP limits if something behaves differently. Clients may also notice a few preinstalled plugins in wp-admin. These support the platform, and a quick heads-up now saves you a support question later.
5. Preview the site, then point the domain
The migrated site is available at a staging URL right away. After flushing the cache, you can edit your hosts file to load the site on its real domain without affecting visitors, then compare it with the original side by side. Check mobile too, since that’s where layout problems usually show up. Before you change DNS, test the actions your client’s visitors rely on, like forms, search, login, and checkout.
Add the live domain in MyPressable ahead of any DNS changes so Pressable can set up SSL. Propagation usually finishes within about 30 minutes, though it can take up to 24 hours.
6. Work through the post-launch checklist
The playbook closes with a ten-item checklist, starting with an on-demand backup that gives you a clean rollback point. These items are the easiest to miss:
- Flush the cache again, since adding the live domain triggers a search-replace on the site URL.
- Look in wp-content/mu-plugins/ for files the old host added.
- Reconnect Jetpack to the live site.
- Confirm DKIM and DMARC records so transactional email still gets delivered.
Give the caches time to fill before running speed tests. On a new site, the first request to each page goes straight to PHP, so an early test measures a cold cache. Browse a few pages or let normal traffic warm things up, then test.
7. Plan for the whole portfolio
Agency migrations usually involve more than one site, and Pressable’s bulk operations let you transfer, clone, back up, and update PHP or plugins across a batch at once. You can select sites by hand, run an action across the account, or upload a CSV of site IDs. For a client already on Pressable under another account, a site transfer moves it to yours and leaves content, users, and settings as they are.
Pressable MCP, included with every plan, lets you connect Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini to your account and run checks with simple prompts, like “Review all sites in my Pressable account and flag any with PHP versions below 8.2 or failed backups in the last 24 hours.” The migration itself still runs through the plugin, a manual upload, or the assisted migration team. MCP helps with the checks before and after.
“All I need now is the WordPress login. I just press buttons and it does it for me.”
– Danielle Holmes, founder of Black Nova, which moved more than 700 sites to Pressable
Get the full playbook
Every Pressable plan includes free WordPress migrations and 24/7 support before, during, and after the move. Once client sites land on Pressable, you can manage them from the Automattic for Agencies dashboard along with your WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and Jetpack sites, and earn up to 20% recurring revenue share on hosting.
