How to Migrate a WordPress Site to GoDaddy Managed WordPress (Free Tool)

GoDaddy's Managed Hosting for WordPress includes an automatic migration that copies your site using the ManageWP Worker plugin. It only installs the plugin on your current site and makes no other changes there, so your live site keeps running.

Prepare your current site

GoDaddy lists these requirements:

• The site is publicly reachable and stays online during the migration.
• The site is not in maintenance mode.
• No security tool blocks the migration's connection.
• You have the WordPress admin username and password.
• You are moving to a Managed Hosting for WordPress plan.

It also recommends temporarily disabling plugins (especially security plugins), switching to a default theme on older WordPress versions, turning off CAPTCHA, avoiding custom login URLs, and disabling firewall or CDN settings.

Step 1: Buy a plan and start setup

Buy a GoDaddy Managed Hosting for WordPress plan. If you do not have one yet, see how to sign up for GoDaddy. On the page that shows your confirmation number, click Continue.

Step 2: Choose to import your site

1. When asked how you want to start, choose Import an existing WordPress site.
2. Enter your site's URL and click Continue. Copy it straight from your browser to avoid typos.

Step 3: Connect the ManageWP Worker plugin

Pick one option:

• Automatic installation: Enter your WordPress username and password and click Continue. GoDaddy says it does not store these credentials.
• Manual installation: Install and activate the ManageWP Worker plugin yourself, copy its connection key, paste it when prompted, and click Continue.

Step 4: Pick a data center and start

Select the data center closest to your visitors from the dropdown and click Start Migrating.

The migration takes from a few minutes to a couple of hours, depending on site size. If you leave the progress page, copy its URL first so you can come back. GoDaddy emails you when the migration succeeds.

Step 5: Preview on the temporary domain

GoDaddy assigns your plan a temporary domain. Use it to check pages, forms, and the admin area before switching your real domain.

Step 6: Point your domain to GoDaddy

When the preview looks right, edit your domain's A record to point to the new IP address shown in your GoDaddy account. DNS changes can take a few hours to spread, so keep your old hosting active until the switch is complete.

If the automatic migration fails

GoDaddy documents a manual route (FTP for files, phpMyAdmin for the database) and also sells a paid Website Migration service.

Want to know what the plan costs after the intro term? See the GoDaddy renewal price breakdown.

Source: Move my WordPress site automatically to Managed Hosting for WordPress (GoDaddy Help).