How to Migrate Your Website from GoDaddy to Hostinger

Introduction

Migrating a website can feel like a daunting task, but with the right planning and step-by-step process, you can ensure a smooth transition from one hosting provider to another. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the detailed process of migrating your website from
GoDaddy to
Hostinger. Whether you’re looking to take advantage of Hostinger’s affordable pricing, faster servers, or enhanced customer support, this tutorial will equip you with everything you need to know.

Why Migrate from GoDaddy to Hostinger?

Over the years, GoDaddy has been a popular choice for domain registration and hosting. However, many website owners are now choosing to migrate to
Hostinger for several compelling reasons:

• Cost-Effectiveness: Hostinger offers highly competitive pricing on shared, VPS, and cloud hosting plans compared to GoDaddy’s renewal rates.
• Performance: Hostinger’s servers are optimized for faster page load times, reducing bounce rates and improving user experience.
• Customer Support: 24/7 live chat support with quick response times helps you address any technical issues promptly.
• Free Website Migration: Many Hostinger plans include a free migration service, handled by their experts to minimize downtime.
• Advanced Control Panel: Hostinger’s hPanel is user-friendly, making site management, email setup, and database handling easier than GoDaddy’s cPanel or custom interfaces.
• Enhanced Security: Features like free SSL certificates, daily backups, and advanced firewall protection help keep your site secure.

Pre-Migration Checklist

Before diving into the migration steps, ensure you have completed the following tasks to avoid any data loss or extended downtime:

• Account Credentials: Verify that you have the login details for your GoDaddy hosting account, domain registrar account, and the new Hostinger account.
• Backup Your Site: Create a complete backup of your website files and databases on GoDaddy.
• Note Down Settings: Document any custom PHP versions, email accounts, cron jobs, or DNS records you have configured on GoDaddy.
• Temporary Maintenance Mode: Plan to put your site into maintenance mode during migration to prevent data discrepancies (especially for dynamic sites).
• Check Email Dependencies: If your domain email is hosted with GoDaddy, consider whether you’ll keep it there temporarily or migrate it to Hostinger’s email service.

Choosing the Right Hostinger Plan

Hostinger offers several hosting types to suit different needs. Depending on your website’s traffic and resource requirements, choose one of the following:

• Shared Hosting: Ideal for small business sites, blogs, or portfolios. Hostinger’s shared plans often start at just a few dollars per month and come with a free SSL certificate.
• Cloud Hosting: For higher traffic websites that need dedicated resources without the cost of a full VPS. Cloud plans include isolated CPU, RAM, and storage allocations.
• VPS Hosting: If you need root access, dedicated resources, or want to run custom applications (Docker, Node.js), a VPS plan is the best choice. Hostinger’s VPS plans are reasonably priced and easy to scale.
• WordPress Hosting: Optimized specifically for WordPress performance. If you’re running a WordPress site, this plan includes pre-installed WordPress, automatic updates, and specialized caching.

Tip: If you’re not sure which plan to choose, start with Shared Hosting. You can upgrade later if your site outgrows the allocated resources.

1. Back Up Your Website on GoDaddy

Why Backups Are Important

Before migrating, backing up your entire site ensures that you have a full copy of your files and databases in case anything goes wrong. GoDaddy’s hosting usually supports either cPanel-based backups or a proprietary interface.

Creating a Full cPanel Backup

1. Log in to your GoDaddy account and open your hosting dashboard.
2. Access cPanel by clicking “Manage” under your hosting account.
3. In the Files section, click on Backup or Backup Wizard.
4. Select “Full Backup” (or “Home Directory”) to back up all website files.
5. Enter an email address to receive a notification when the backup is complete, then click Generate Backup.
6. Download the generated backup file (.tar.gz) to your local computer via cPanel’s Download link or via FTP.

Backing Up via FTP (Alternative)

1. Open an FTP client (FileZilla, WinSCP, Cyberduck) and connect to your GoDaddy server using your FTP credentials.
2. Navigate to the public_html (or equivalent) directory where your website files reside.
3. Select all files and folders, then choose “Download” to save them to a local folder on your computer.

2. Export Your Database

Using phpMyAdmin

Most dynamic websites (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal) rely on databases. Exporting the database from GoDaddy ensures content, user data, and settings transfer correctly.

1. In cPanel, find the Databases section and click phpMyAdmin.
2. In phpMyAdmin’s left sidebar, click on the database name used by your website.
3. Click the Export tab at the top.
4. Select the Quick export method and the SQL format (unless you have custom preferences).
5. Click Go to download the .sql file to your computer.

Using GoDaddy’s Database Backup (If Available)

Some GoDaddy plans provide automated daily backups. If your plan includes this, navigate to your hosting dashboard’s Backups section, locate the database backup, and download it.

3. Download Website Files via FTP

If you haven’t already downloaded a full backup via cPanel, use FTP to grab every file, image, and script from your GoDaddy server.

1. Open your FTP client and connect with your GoDaddy FTP credentials (host, username, password, port).
2. Navigate to your website’s root folder (often public_html).
3. Select all files and folders (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and choose “Download” to copy them to a folder on your local machine.
4. Wait for all transfers to complete—depending on site size, this can take minutes to hours.

Tip: Keep the folder structure intact to avoid confusion when uploading to Hostinger.

4. Set Up Your Hostinger Account

Register and Choose a Plan

If you haven’t already, navigate to Hostinger and register or log in. After logging in:

1. Go to the “Hosting” section and select your preferred plan (Shared, Cloud, VPS, or WordPress hosting).
2. Complete the checkout process and confirm your order.

Access hPanel

Once your account is active, access Hostinger’s custom control panel (hPanel):

1. Log in to Hostinger and click on Hosting in the top menu.
2. Next to your newly purchased plan, click Manage to open hPanel.

Create an Empty Website (Optional)

If you prefer, you can install a fresh copy of WordPress (or another CMS) to confirm that the hosting environment is working. In hPanel:

1. Scroll to the Website section and click Auto Installer.
2. Select your CMS (e.g., WordPress), fill in site details, and install.

This step is optional but helpful for verifying PHP versions, PHP extensions, and basic functionality before migrating your actual site.

5. Upload Files to Hostinger via FTP or File Manager

Using Hostinger’s File Manager

1. In hPanel, navigate to Files > File Manager.
2. Open the public_html folder (this is your website’s root directory).
3. Click the Upload Files button and select the backup .zip or .tar.gz file if you created one. Once uploaded, right-click the archive and choose Extract.
4. If you downloaded individual files via FTP from GoDaddy, you can drag and drop them into public_html or use the “Upload” feature to upload multiple files and folders.

Using FTP Client

1. Open your FTP client and enter Hostinger’s FTP credentials (host, username, password, port). You can find these details in hPanel under FTP Accounts.
2. Connect to the server and navigate to /public_html.
3. Select all website files from your local backup folder and upload them to /public_html. Confirm that the folder structure matches your previous environment.
4. Wait for the transfer to complete and verify there are no transfer errors.

6. Import Database into Hostinger

Create a New Database

1. In hPanel, go to Databases > MySQL Databases.
2. Create a new database by entering a name, username, and a strong password.
3. Make note of the database name, username, and password for use in your configuration file.

Import via phpMyAdmin

1. In hPanel, navigate to Databases > phpMyAdmin.
2. Log in using the database username and password you just created.
3. In phpMyAdmin, select the new database from the left sidebar.
4. Click the Import tab and choose the .sql file you exported from GoDaddy.
5. Click Go to start the import process. Larger databases might take a few minutes.

Tip: If you encounter timeout issues, split your .sql file into smaller chunks or use Hostinger’s “Database Importer” tool if available.

7. Update Configuration Files

Now that your files and database are on Hostinger’s servers, you need to update any configuration files (e.g., wp-config.php for WordPress) to reflect the new database credentials.

WordPress (wp-config.php)

1. In hPanel’s File Manager (or via FTP), locate wp-config.php in /public_html.
2. Edit the file and update:
   • DB_NAME: Set this to your new Hostinger database name.
   • DB_USER: Set this to your new Hostinger database username.
   • DB_PASSWORD: Set this to your new Hostinger database password.
   • DB_HOST: Use localhost (Hostinger servers typically use localhost).
3. Save the changes.

Other CMS (Joomla, Drupal, Custom PHP)

For other systems, locate the relevant configuration file (e.g., configuration.php for Joomla or settings.php for Drupal) and update the database connection settings similarly.

8. Transfer or Point Your Domain

Option A: Change Nameservers (Recommended for Quick DNS Update)

Updating nameservers is usually faster than a full domain transfer. Once you update nameservers to Hostinger’s, your DNS records (A record, MX, etc.) will be managed via hPanel.

1. Log in to your GoDaddy account and go to Domains > My Domains.
2. Click on the domain you want to point and select Manage DNS.
3. Under Nameservers, click Change and select Custom Nameservers.
4. Enter Hostinger’s nameservers:
   • ns1.dns-parking.com
   • ns2.dns-parking.com
5. Save changes. DNS propagation can take 4–24 hours, so your domain may temporarily resolve to GoDaddy until propagation completes.

Option B: Full Domain Transfer (Optional)

If you prefer to transfer the domain away from GoDaddy and manage it entirely via Hostinger, follow these steps:

1. In GoDaddy’s domain settings, unlock the domain and obtain the EPP/Auth code.
2. In Hostinger’s hPanel, go to Domains > Transfer Domain.
3. Enter your domain name and the EPP code when prompted.
4. Follow the on-screen steps to complete the transfer request and pay the transfer fee (usually extends domain registration by one year).
5. Approve the transfer via the email approval link sent by GoDaddy. Once approved and processed (1–7 days), your domain will be fully managed by Hostinger.

Tip: If your domain has any “Privacy Protection” or is within 60 days of registration, you may need to disable protection or wait until eligible.

9. Install SSL Certificate

Use Hostinger’s Free Let’s Encrypt SSL

Hostinger provides a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for most plans. To enable:

1. In hPanel, go to SSL under the “Advanced” section.
2. Find your domain and click Install for the free Let’s Encrypt SSL.
3. Wait a few minutes for Hostinger to issue and apply the SSL certificate.
4. Ensure your site is accessible via https:// and that the padlock icon appears in the browser address bar.

Third-Party SSL (Optional)

If you purchased a premium SSL from another provider:

1. Obtain the .crt and .key files from your SSL provider.
2. In hPanel, navigate to SSL > Upload SSL.
3. Upload your .crt (certificate) and .key (private key) files.
4. Click Install. Hostinger will configure the certificate automatically.

10. Final Checks and Testing

Verify Website Functionality

• Open your website’s URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com) and browse several pages to confirm everything displays correctly.
• Test different site components—forms, shopping cart, login/logout, search functionality, plugins, and custom scripts—to ensure they work as expected on Hostinger.
• Check both http:// and https:// versions to ensure forced HTTPS redirection if you enabled SSL.

Check Email Functionality

• If you migrated email accounts to Hostinger, send test emails between accounts and an external address (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) to verify SMTP and IMAP/POP3 settings.
• If you retained GoDaddy mail, ensure your MX records still point to GoDaddy’s mail servers. Edit DNS records in hPanel if needed.

Monitor for Downtime

Use a monitoring tool (Pingdom, UptimeRobot) to watch your website over the next 24–48 hours and catch any unexpected downtime or errors introduced during migration.

Post-Migration Steps

Remove Maintenance Mode

If you enabled maintenance mode on your site, disable it so visitors can access the live site again. For WordPress, you can either deactivate your maintenance plugin or delete the .maintenance file from /public_html.

Update Search Engine Indexing

• Submit your updated sitemap URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml) to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
• Check for any crawl errors or broken links in Google Search Console under Coverage reports.

Configure Backups on Hostinger

Hostinger offers daily or weekly automated backups depending on your plan. Enable backups under
Backups in hPanel, and consider downloading an initial full backup to your local machine for extra security.

Review Security Settings

• Enable Hostinger’s Web Application Firewall (WAF) if available on your plan.
• Set up two-factor authentication (2FA) for your Hostinger account to add an extra layer of protection.
• Update any default file permissions to secure directories (e.g., set public_html to 755 and files to 644).

Enable Caching and Performance Optimizations

In hPanel, navigate to
Advanced > Cache Manager to enable LiteSpeed Cache or equivalent.
If you’re using WordPress, install and configure a caching plugin (e.g., LiteSpeed Cache, W3 Total Cache).

Troubleshooting Common Issues

1. 500 Internal Server Error

Often caused by incorrect file permissions or faulty .htaccess rules. To fix:

1. Ensure directories are set to 755 and files to 644.
2. Temporarily rename .htaccess to .htaccess_old and test the site. If it loads, regenerate the .htaccess by visiting WordPress’s permalink settings or re-creating custom rules.

2. Error Establishing a Database Connection

Indicates incorrect database credentials or database server issues. To fix:

1. Double-check DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST in your configuration file.
2. Ensure the MySQL server is running—check Hostinger’s server status or contact support.

3. DNS Propagation Delays

If you changed nameservers or edited DNS records, propagation can take up to 24 hours. During this time:

• Use online tools like WhatsMyDNS.net to track propagation status worldwide.
• Check your site from multiple networks (mobile data, VPN) to see if changes have taken effect.

4. Missing Images or Broken Links

Could be caused by incorrect file paths or incomplete file uploads. To fix:

1. Verify that all images exist in the correct directory on Hostinger (/public_html/wp-content/uploads for WordPress).
2. Use a search-and-replace plugin (Velvet Blues Update URLs or Better Search Replace) to update any old domain references (http://old-domain.com) to the new domain (https://new-domain.com).

5. Email Not Working

If you migrated emails to Hostinger’s servers but forgot to update MX records, mail delivery will fail. To fix:

1. In hPanel, go to DNS Zone Editor and ensure MX records point to Hostinger’s mail servers (mx1.hostinger.com, mx2.hostinger.com).
2. If you kept email on GoDaddy, ensure MX points to GoDaddy (smtp.secureserver.net, mailstore1.secureserver.net).

20 FAQs About Migrating from GoDaddy to Hostinger

1. How long does it take to migrate a website from GoDaddy to Hostinger?

Typically, the migration process—including backup, file transfer, database import, and DNS propagation—takes between 4 to 24 hours. This timeline depends on your website’s size, DNS propagation speed, and whether you choose nameserver changes or a full domain transfer.

2. Will my website experience downtime during the migration?

If you plan carefully—backing up data, uploading files promptly, and updating DNS at off-peak hours—downtime can be minimized to just a few minutes. Using Hostinger’s staging environment or temporary domain can help you verify functionality before pointing DNS.

3. Does Hostinger offer a free migration service?

Yes, Hostinger provides a free website migration service for most plans. You can open a support ticket with Hostinger’s Migration Team, share your GoDaddy credentials, and they will handle the migration. This option can save you time, but following this guide gives you more control.

4. Can I keep my email on GoDaddy while hosting my website on Hostinger?

Absolutely. If you prefer GoDaddy’s email service, simply leave your MX records pointing to GoDaddy’s mail servers. In Hostinger’s hPanel, update only the A record for your domain, leaving MX, TXT (SPF), and CNAME records unchanged.

5. How do I update nameservers on GoDaddy?

Log in to your GoDaddy account, navigate to Domains > My Domains, select the domain, click Manage DNS, then under Nameservers click Change and enter Hostinger’s nameservers: ns1.dns-parking.com and ns2.dns-parking.com. Save changes and wait for propagation.

6. Do I need to purchase a new SSL certificate?

No. Hostinger offers a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for most plans. You can install it directly from hPanel’s SSL section. If you already have a premium SSL from another provider, you can upload the certificate and private key manually.

7. How do I import a large database (>100 MB) into Hostinger?

For large databases, split the SQL file into smaller chunks using tools like BigDump or use Hostinger’s “Database Importer” feature if available. Alternatively, compress the .sql file into a .zip archive and upload it via phpMyAdmin’s “Import” tab—phpMyAdmin can uncompress and import automatically.

8. What FTP client should I use to transfer files?

Popular FTP clients include FileZilla (free, cross-platform), WinSCP (Windows), and Cyberduck (Windows/macOS). Ensure you configure them with Hostinger’s FTP credentials found under hPanel > FTP Accounts.

9. How do I update my WordPress site’s URLs after migration?

If your domain changed, use a search-and-replace plugin (Better Search Replace or Velvet Blues Update URLs) to update all old URLs (http://old-domain.com) to the new domain (https://new-domain.com). You can also update siteurl and home values in the wp_options table via phpMyAdmin.

10. My site is showing a blank white screen after migration. What should I do?

This “White Screen of Death” often indicates a PHP error. Enable debugging in WordPress by editing wp-config.php:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Check the /wp-content/debug.log file for errors, then fix missing plugins, themes, or incorrect PHP versions.

11. How do I set up email accounts on Hostinger?

In hPanel, go to Email > Email Accounts, click Create New Email Account, and fill in the local part (e.g., info@yourdomain.com) and password. To access webmail, click the “Webmail” icon next to the account. Configure your email client using IMAP/POP3 and SMTP settings provided by Hostinger.

12. Can I migrate a WordPress multisite from GoDaddy to Hostinger?

Yes, but it requires a few extra steps:

1. Export the entire database from GoDaddy’s phpMyAdmin.
2. Download the wp-content folder to your local machine.
3. Create a new database on Hostinger and import it via phpMyAdmin.
4. Upload wp-content to Hostinger’s /public_html/wp-content.
5. Update wp-config.php with new DB credentials and ensure WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE and network-specific constants match your original setup.
6. Check domain mapping settings if using subdomain-based multisite.

13. Do I need to update DNS records besides the A record?

Yes. Besides the A record, you may need to update:

• MX Records: If moving email to Hostinger’s servers.
• TXT Records: If you have SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records for email authentication.
• CNAME Records: For subdomains (e.g., www or mail).

In hPanel, navigate to DNS Zone Editor to add or modify these records.

14. What do I do if DNS propagation is incomplete?

If after 24 hours your site still points to GoDaddy, clear your local DNS cache (e.g., ipconfig /flushdns on Windows or sudo dscacheutil -flushcache on macOS). Additionally, test via different devices or networks. If issues persist, ensure you entered the correct nameservers or A record.

15. How do I enable gzip compression and caching on Hostinger?

In hPanel, go to Advanced > Cache Manager and enable LiteSpeed Cache (if your plan supports it). Alternatively, add the following to your .htaccess file to enable gzip compression:

<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/plain
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/xml
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xml
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xhtml+xml
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/rss+xml
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-javascript
</IfModule>

16. Will SEO rankings be affected after migration?

As long as you maintain the same URL structure and set up proper 301 redirects (if URLs change), SEO impact should be minimal. Submit your updated sitemap to Google Search Console, monitor crawl errors, and ensure page load times improve. Keep a close eye on organic traffic metrics using Google Analytics for a few weeks post-migration.

17. How do I handle a custom SSL on Hostinger?

If you purchased SSL from a third party (e.g., Comodo, DigiCert), obtain the .crt, intermediate certificate bundle, and .key files. In hPanel, go to SSL > Upload SSL and upload each file. Hostinger will automatically configure it for your domain.

18. Can I migrate multiple websites under one Hostinger account?

Yes. Hostinger’s higher-tier plans (e.g., Premium Shared Hosting, Business Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting) allow you to host multiple domains/websites under one account. In hPanel, use the Add Website feature to assign each domain to its own folder and database.

19. How do I ensure my site’s email isn’t marked as spam after migration?

To maintain email deliverability:

• Update SPF records to include Hostinger’s mail servers: v=spf1 include:spf.hostinger.com ~all.
• Set up DKIM and DMARC records in hPanel under DNS Zone Editor.
• Use a consistent sender email address and avoid sudden spikes in email volume.

20. Who do I contact if I run into issues during migration?

For GoDaddy-specific issues (backup, existing site), reach out to GoDaddy support. For Hostinger-related problems (upload errors, database import, DNS configuration), open a ticket or live chat with Hostinger’s support team. Describe your issue in detail and provide screenshots or error messages for faster resolution.