Chapter 1 · 1.1
The plan: in what order should you move everything?
When you move to WebOké, it's usually about three things: your website, your email and your domain name. In the right order, your website stays online and you won't miss any email. The most important rule: only transfer your domain name once your website and email are ready at WebOké, and only cancel your old subscription once everything works.
The steps at a glance
| Step | What do you do? | Read |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Order your package from WebOké and choose transfer later for the domain. Your website and email will keep working at your old provider for the time being. | Order your package and transfer your domain later |
| 2 | Find what you need at your old provider: the transfer code, a backup of your website and database, the name of the IMAP server and a list of your DNS records. | Chapters 5 and 6 |
| 3 | Put your website on your new package. | Migrating your website: backup, import and WordPress |
| 4 | Create your mailboxes at WebOké and copy your email with the email migration tool. | Migrating your email with the email migration tool |
| 5 | Test your website at WebOké while your domain is still with your old provider. | Testing your website before you change the DNS |
| 6 | Set up any extra DNS records in My WebOké and lower the TTL at your old provider if you can. | Only switching the nameservers or DNS and TTL: how to make the switch faster |
| 7 | Transfer your domain with the transfer code, or only change the nameservers. | Requesting the transfer code from your old provider, Transferring your domain via My WebOké and Only switching the nameservers or DNS |
| 8 | Copy your email once more a day later and set up your devices. | What happens to your email during the move |
| 9 | Check that everything works. Only then cancel your old subscription. | After the move: check everything and cancel with your old provider |
Please note: don't simply cancel your domain at your old provider before the transfer is complete. Your domain could go into quarantine or be released, and then someone else can register it. With some providers, you actually request the transfer code by submitting a cancellation in which you choose to transfer. In that case, follow that provider's transfer route exactly (see Chapters 5 and 6) and never choose immediate deletion.
How long does it take?
- Moving a website and email usually takes a few hours, depending on the size. A large mailbox can take hours, but you don't need to stay with it.
- A .nl or .be domain usually transfers within a few minutes with a valid transfer code. Other extensions, such as .com, can take 5 to 7 days.
- After the transfer, it can take a few hours before everyone sees your website at WebOké. Allow up to 24 hours.
So don't plan the move at the last minute, for example the day before your old subscription ends.
Rather not do it yourself?
With the free migration service, we move your website for you: the files, the database, redirects and the DNS records that need to stay. Your website stays online at your old provider until everything is ready and tested with us. For privacy reasons, we don't move your email. You do that yourself with the email migration tool (see Migrating your email with the email migration tool). To find out how to request the migration service, read Free migration service: how we move your website to WebOké.
Tip: are you also moving to a different domain name, for example from jouwbedrijf.nl to jouwbedrijf.com? Do that as a separate step, after the move to WebOké. That way, if there's a problem, you'll know which step caused it. Read more in Moving a WordPress site.
The step-by-step plan is also summarised in the knowledge base: Moving your domain, website and email together without downtime: the step-by-step plan.