SiteGround runs a custom control panel called Site Tools rather than the standard cPanel, which means a few of their processes look different from what most migration guides describe. The good news is that their backup system is straightforward, and their custom panel actually makes downloading a full backup relatively easy.
Log in to your SiteGround account and open Site Tools for the relevant website. Navigate to Security > Backups. SiteGround keeps daily backups for 30 days on most plans. Select the most recent backup from the list, then choose to restore or download it. For a migration, you want to download rather than restore.
Click Download next to the backup you want. SiteGround generates a downloadable archive containing your files and database together. The file is typically a .tar.gz archive. Save it to your local machine, this is your primary source file for the entire migration.
If you prefer to create a fresh on-demand backup rather than use a scheduled one, SiteGround does not offer manual backup creation on entry-level plans. In that case, use the WordPress admin instead: install the UpdraftPlus plugin, run a manual backup, and download all backup components (database, plugins, themes, uploads) to your computer before proceeding.
If your domain is registered through SiteGround, be aware that domains registered or transferred within the past 60 days are locked from outbound transfers by ICANN policy. SiteGround enforces this strictly. If you're within that 60-day window, you have two options: wait until the lock expires, or change the domain's nameservers to point at your new host without transferring the domain registrar.
Changing nameservers is almost always the faster approach. You keep the domain at SiteGround as a registrar but point DNS to your new host. This separates the hosting migration from the domain registrar change, you can complete the hosting move immediately and transfer the domain registrar later at your convenience.
SiteGround manages DNS through Site Tools rather than a standard DNS editor. Go to Domain > DNS Zone Editor in Site Tools. You'll see all current DNS records. When you're ready to cut over to the new host, you need to update the A record for both the root domain (@) and www subdomain to point to the new server's IP address.
SiteGround's DNS TTL defaults to 3600 seconds (one hour). If you want faster propagation, edit the A record TTL to 300 before you start the migration process. Do this at least an hour before making the actual change. After cutover is confirmed stable, you can set the TTL back to 3600.
Extract the .tar.gz archive from SiteGround on your local machine. You'll find a folder structure containing the website files and a separate SQL database dump. Upload the website files to public_html on your new host via cPanel File Manager or FTP. Import the SQL file into a new database on the new host using phpMyAdmin.
Once imported, update wp-config.php with the new host's database credentials: DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST. Then update the siteurl and home values in wp_options via phpMyAdmin if the domain is changing, or run Search Replace DB if you're moving domain as well as host.
SiteGround runs LiteSpeed web server on all its shared hosting plans and recommends the LiteSpeed Cache plugin for WordPress. If you have LiteSpeed Cache active on your site, it is tightly integrated with SiteGround's server-level caching. On a new host that uses Apache or Nginx rather than LiteSpeed, the server-side caching component will stop working, though the plugin itself won't cause errors.
After migrating, check what web server your new host runs. If you are moving to HostBible, which runs LiteSpeed, you should keep the LiteSpeed Cache plugin active — it will work with the server-level caching just as it did on SiteGround. If you are moving to a host running Apache or Nginx, deactivate LiteSpeed Cache and install a plugin suited to that stack, such as W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache. Either way, clear all cached files before testing the migrated site, as leftover cache from SiteGround's environment can cause confusing display issues on the new server.
Before updating DNS to point at the new server, verify the migrated site works correctly using a temporary URL or hosts file modification. Most hosts provide a temporary domain like server123.hostprovider.com/~username/, check your welcome email. Alternatively, edit your local hosts file to preview the site on the new IP without affecting live traffic.
Test the homepage, several inner pages, the WordPress admin login, any WooCommerce checkout flow, and your contact forms. Pay particular attention to image URLs, SiteGround sometimes uses a CDN-based image path (via their Cloudflare integration) that won't resolve correctly at the new host until you disable it. Check Media Settings in WordPress and ensure the upload path is set to the standard wp-content/uploads directory, not a CDN URL.
When the staging tests pass, update the A records in SiteGround's DNS Zone Editor (or at whichever registrar controls the domain's nameservers) to the new host's IP. DNS changes typically propagate within one to four hours, though global propagation can take up to 48 hours in rare cases.
During the propagation window, some visitors will hit the old SiteGround server and others will hit the new one. Keep both servers live and identical for at least 48 hours. Do not make content changes during this window. Once propagation is complete and you've confirmed traffic is landing on the new server (check the new host's access logs or analytics), cancel your SiteGround plan. Keep the account open until you are certain you no longer need their backups.
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