Migration is the process of moving your website, email, and DNS from your current provider to MainStreetDNS. We handle it carefully, step by step, and nothing goes live until you confirm it is ready. No rush. No guesswork. No surprises.
Migration is the process of moving your website files, email accounts, DNS records, and domain settings from one hosting provider to another. When you migrate to MainStreetDNS, we copy everything from your current provider's servers to ours, verify that it works correctly, and then update the settings that tell the internet where to find your website and deliver your email.
Migration matters because your website and email are active business operations. If the move is handled carelessly, your website could go offline, email could be lost or delayed, and customers could be unable to reach you. The difference between a good migration and a bad one is preparation, verification, and clear communication at every step.
MainStreetDNS handles migration as a managed process. We do not hand you a set of instructions and leave you to figure it out. Our team copies your data, configures your new hosting environment, tests everything before the switch, and stays involved until the migration is confirmed complete. We have performed this process for businesses of all sizes since 1996, and we follow the same careful procedure every time.
The goal of every migration is simple: your website and email work on the new server exactly the way they worked on the old one, with no interruption that your customers would notice.
These are the concerns we hear most often from businesses considering a move. Each one is legitimate, and each one has a clear answer.
This is the most common concern, and it is reasonable. Things can break during migration if the process is rushed or unsupervised. That is why we build your new environment as a complete copy first and test it thoroughly before making any changes that affect your live website. Nothing switches over until we verify that the new setup works correctly. If we find a problem, we fix it before going live — not after.
Downtime during migration is avoidable with proper planning. We keep your existing hosting active throughout the entire migration process. Your current website and email continue to operate normally while we prepare the new environment. The DNS changeover is the final step and is timed to minimize any transition window. In most migrations, there is no customer-visible interruption.
Data loss during migration is preventable. We take a full backup of your website files and databases before the migration begins. Email accounts are migrated with their complete message history. During the DNS transition window, we configure both the old and new servers to accept email so that no messages are lost in transit. Your original data remains on the old server until you confirm the migration is complete.
Uncertainty during migration is a communication problem, not a technical one. We provide clear updates at each stage of the process: when we begin copying your data, when the new environment is ready for review, when DNS changes are scheduled, and when the migration is confirmed complete. You will know what is happening, what comes next, and who to contact if you have a question.
Your business website is a working asset, and we treat it that way. We do not experiment with your live site. The migration is built and tested on the new server while your current site remains untouched and fully operational. You review the new environment before any changes take effect. If anything does not look right, we address it before going live. Your current site is never modified or taken down as part of the migration process.
Migration moves your website, email, and DNS from your current provider to MainStreetDNS. It is a process that affects how customers reach your business online, so every step is performed carefully, verified before proceeding, and communicated to you clearly.
The process begins when you provide access to your current hosting account. Our team logs in, takes a complete copy of your website files, databases, and email accounts, and transfers that data to your new MainStreetDNS hosting environment. Nothing changes on your live site at this point — your current provider continues to serve your website and handle your email normally.
Once the copy is on our servers, we configure the hosting environment to match your current setup — server settings, email accounts, forwarding rules, and any specific configurations your site requires. We then test the website on our servers to confirm that pages load correctly, forms work, and email sends and receives as expected.
When the new environment is confirmed working, we contact you to review it. You can see your website running on our servers before any public-facing changes are made. If everything looks correct, we schedule the DNS update — the step that tells the internet to direct traffic to the new server. If anything needs adjustment, we handle it before proceeding.
After the DNS update, we monitor the transition closely. We verify that your website is serving correctly from the new server, that email is being delivered properly, and that no issues have appeared. Once everything is confirmed stable, we notify you that the migration is complete. Your old hosting account remains available until you are ready to cancel it on your own terms.
Migration is a hands-on process. Here is how our team stays involved from start to finish.
Your migration is handled by a specific member of our support team. You will know who is managing the process and how to reach them directly. You will not be routed through a general queue during an active migration.
We send you a clear update when each stage of the migration is completed: data copied, environment configured, testing finished, DNS changes scheduled, and migration confirmed. You will not need to ask for a status update — we provide them proactively.
Our support team is available during business hours, Monday through Friday. If a migration step is scheduled outside business hours at your request, we coordinate coverage in advance. Emergency server issues are monitored around the clock.
We provide a realistic timeline before the migration begins and update it if anything changes. If a step takes longer than expected, we tell you why and when to expect completion. We do not provide estimates we cannot meet.
If you manage hosting on behalf of a client, we work directly with you throughout the migration. You receive the same stage-by-stage updates, access to the new environment for your own review, and documentation of all changes made. We coordinate DNS timing with your schedule and provide technical details you can share with your client or downstream teams.
Before we consider a migration complete, both sides verify that everything is working as expected.
We verify that your website loads correctly from the new server, that all pages and linked resources are accessible, that SSL is active, that email accounts send and receive properly, that DNS records have propagated, and that server logs show no errors. We run these checks before notifying you that the migration is ready for your review.
We ask you — or your technical partner or agency — to visit your website, send and receive a test email, and confirm that everything looks and works the way you expect. If anything does not match your previous setup, let us know and we address it. The migration is not marked complete until you confirm you are satisfied with the result.
Once you confirm that everything is working, the migration is marked complete. Your old hosting account remains active until you cancel it directly with your previous provider — we do not cancel it on your behalf. We recommend keeping it active for at least two weeks after migration as a precaution.
Straightforward answers to the questions businesses ask most often before starting a migration.
In most migrations, there is no customer-visible downtime. Your current website stays live throughout the process. The DNS changeover — the step that redirects traffic to the new server — is timed to minimize any transition window. We do not take your existing site offline at any point during the migration.
No. Email accounts are migrated with their full message history. During the DNS transition, both the old and new mail servers are configured to accept incoming messages so that nothing is lost between systems. We verify that email is sending and receiving correctly on the new server before considering the migration complete.
Most migrations are completed within three to five business days, depending on the size of the website and the number of email accounts. We provide a specific timeline estimate before the migration begins. If the timeline changes for any reason, we notify you immediately and explain what adjusted it.
We need login access to your current hosting control panel so that we can copy your website files, databases, and email accounts. If your domain is registered separately from your hosting, we may also need access to your domain registrar to update DNS records. If an agency or technical partner manages your account, they can provide these credentials on your behalf. We will tell you exactly what is needed before we begin.
If we encounter anything unexpected during the migration — a configuration that does not transfer cleanly, a compatibility issue, or a file that requires special handling — we contact you before proceeding. We do not make assumptions or skip steps. If something needs your input, we ask. If something needs extra time, we explain why.
We notify you by email when the migration is ready for your review, and again when it is confirmed complete after you have verified everything. You will never have to guess whether the migration is still in progress or wonder whether it finished. The process has a clear beginning and a clear end.
Speak with our team or begin the process. No commitment until you are ready to move forward.