To move a website to another server under a subdomain such as blog.example.com, copy and test the site on the destination, configure that server to answer for the exact hostname, point the subdomain’s DNS record to the destination, install a certificate covering the subdomain, and then monitor the change. DNS only directs requests; the new server must also be configured to serve the hostname. If the public URLs change, add one-to-one permanent redirects and update canonical tags, internal links, hreflang references, and XML sitemaps.
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What the move actually changes
A subdomain move has two separate layers. The DNS layer decides where requests for a hostname go. The web-server layer decides whether that destination will return the correct site for that hostname. Changing DNS without configuring the destination commonly produces a default hosting page, a certificate mismatch, or an HTTP 404.
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Decide first whether the visible URLs will remain the same. If the site already uses blog.example.com/article and will use that identical URL after the move, this is primarily a hosting and DNS change. If it will move from a different hostname or path, treat the work as a URL migration as well.
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Prepare the destination server before touching DNS
Copy the complete application
Upload or import the site to the new server, including the database, media files, generated assets, configuration, scheduled tasks, and any required runtime version. Recreate production-like environment settings without exposing credentials in a test page or public repository.
Test the destination through a temporary hostname, hosts-file entry, provider preview URL, or another private method that does not yet change public DNS. Check representative pages rather than only the home page:
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- HTML pages and navigation
- Images, video, CSS, JavaScript, and downloadable files
- Search, login, comments, carts, contact forms, and other stateful features
- Database writes, email delivery, webhooks, and scheduled jobs
- Firewall rules, ports, rate limits, and origin access controls
robots.txt, meta robots directives, canonicals, and XML sitemaps- HTTP status codes, redirects, custom error pages, and caching headers
Google’s hosting-move guidance places testing the new hosting infrastructure before the DNS change. Do not use a temporary block that accidentally prevents Googlebot after launch; instead, control indexing deliberately while the copy is private.
Match the production hostname
Add the exact subdomain to the destination hosting account or web server. A configuration for example.com does not automatically prove that blog.example.com is configured, and a provider preview hostname is not a substitute for the final name.
Confirm which protocol and ports the server accepts. For normal web traffic, it should answer on HTTPS and, if HTTP is enabled, redirect HTTP to the chosen HTTPS URL. Verify that the application generates absolute links, cookies, callback URLs, and canonical tags for the final hostname rather than for the preview address.
Choose the correct DNS record
At the DNS provider, edit the record for the subdomain. The record type depends on what the new host supplies.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches| Record | Use it when | Value | Operational implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | The destination gives you an IPv4 address. | The server’s IPv4 address, such as 203.0.113.10. |
If the provider changes that address, you must update DNS yourself unless another management layer handles it. |
| AAAA | The destination gives you an IPv6 address. | The server’s IPv6 address. | Only publish it when the server and network actually serve the site over IPv6; an unreachable IPv6 path can make some visitors fail before trying IPv4. |
| CNAME | The destination supplies a fully qualified hostname, such as a platform endpoint. | The provider’s target hostname, normally entered with the DNS provider’s required trailing-dot behavior. | The target owner controls the underlying address, which simplifies changes but creates a dependency on that provider’s hostname and availability. |
Do not place a CNAME at a name where other DNS records are required unless your DNS provider explicitly supports an alias-style implementation. For a normal subdomain, a CNAME is often suitable when the host gives you a stable service hostname; an A or AAAA record is appropriate when you control the server address directly.
Cloudflare’s DNS guidance makes the prerequisite explicit: the hosting provider must be able to serve content for the hostname before the DNS record is created. A record that resolves correctly cannot make an unconfigured server recognize the request.
Plan TTL and the DNS cutover
Lower the TTL in advance
DNS resolvers cache answers for the record’s time to live (TTL). Lower the TTL to a conservative value, such as a few hours, before the change so that stale answers expire sooner. Google recommends lowering the TTL at least a week before a hosting move, because resolvers may have cached the previous, longer value.
TTL is not a universal instant-switch control. Some resolvers, operating systems, browsers, and enterprise networks retain data differently, and users can continue reaching the old server while others reach the new one. Keep both installations capable of serving requests during this overlap.
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- Record the current DNS answer, TTL, and destination so you can compare it after the change.
- Confirm that the new server is ready for the exact hostname and that its certificate is installed.
- Replace the subdomain’s A, AAAA, or CNAME value with the new destination. Do not change unrelated records such as mail records unless the migration requires it.
- Query the name through more than one public DNS resolver and from more than one network. You can use commands such as
dig blog.example.comornslookup blog.example.com, but interpret the result alongside the resolver’s reported TTL. - Request both HTTP and HTTPS pages and inspect the returned status,
Locationheader, certificate name, and representative content.
Keep a timestamped record of the old and new answers. It helps distinguish DNS propagation from an application failure and provides an audit trail when different users report different results.
Configure HTTPS for the subdomain
The certificate must cover the exact hostname visitors use, for example blog.example.com. A certificate for the apex domain alone does not necessarily cover a subdomain. A wildcard certificate may cover it when its scope and provider configuration allow that name, but verify the actual certificate presented by the destination.
Install the certificate and its intermediate chain on the new server or let the hosting platform manage them. Test the certificate through the final hostname, not merely by opening the server’s IP address. Check both the normal page and assets loaded from the subdomain for mixed-content failures.
Cloudflare warns that a subdomain not correctly covered by SSL/TLS causes a browser warning that the site or application is not secure. If DNS is DNS-only rather than proxied, the origin server itself must support TLS. If a proxy terminates TLS, configure the connection between the proxy and origin according to the proxy’s mode; encryption at the visitor edge does not remove the need to secure an origin connection where the mode requires it.
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Keep the URL structure stable when possible
The least disruptive move preserves the same scheme, hostname, paths, query handling, and trailing-slash behavior. Test old and new copies with identical URLs before cutover. A hosting move does not require changing page addresses merely because the server changed.
If the hostname or paths do change, create an old-to-new URL map before launch. Map every important old URL directly to its corresponding new URL, including images or downloadable files that receive search traffic. Do not send all pages to the home page unless there is no relevant replacement.
Implement direct permanent redirects
Use server-side permanent redirects, normally HTTP 301 or 308, from each old URL to its final destination. Google recommends server-side permanent redirects based on an old-to-new mapping. Avoid chains such as old URL to an intermediate URL to the final URL, and avoid redirect loops. Preserve meaningful query parameters when the destination application needs them.
After redirects are active, update self-referencing canonical tags, internal links, hreflang annotations where applicable, structured-data URLs, open-graph URLs, and XML sitemaps so they point directly to the final addresses. A redirect is a fallback for old references, not a replacement for correcting links you control.
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Use Search Console for the right kind of move
Verify both the old and new properties in Google Search Console. This lets you compare crawling, indexing, enhancements, and coverage while requests are still reaching both servers.
Use Change of Address only when the move qualifies as a domain or subdomain move and the redirects are already active. It does not automatically move nested subdomains. For example, moving blog.example.com does not by itself move a separate shop.blog.example.com; that hostname needs its own configuration and migration plan.
A pure server move that leaves every public URL unchanged is not the same as changing the site address. Even then, retain the old property, monitor crawl and index signals, and do not remove it immediately after DNS changes.
Proxy or DNS-only delivery: decide deliberately
Some DNS providers offer proxy delivery in addition to DNS-only resolution. The choice changes who handles TLS, caching, firewalling, and source-IP visibility.
| Concern | Proxied delivery | DNS-only delivery |
|---|---|---|
| TLS termination | The proxy may terminate visitor TLS; the origin still needs the certificate and encryption required by the selected mode. | The origin server presents the certificate directly to visitors. |
| Caching and firewall | The proxy can provide edge caching, filtering, and firewall controls, subject to its configuration. | Requests go directly to the destination, so caching and filtering must be configured there or elsewhere. |
| Source IP visibility | The origin may see proxy addresses unless forwarded-client-IP headers are correctly trusted and logged. | The origin can normally observe connecting client addresses directly. |
| Operational complexity | There is an additional layer to configure and troubleshoot, including proxy-to-origin TLS and header handling. | Fewer layers exist, but the origin must independently handle public TLS, capacity, and protection. |
Choose based on the requirements of the application, not merely on which status icon is convenient. After selecting a mode, test redirects, client-IP logging, access rules, uploads, WebSockets or other special protocols, and certificate validation through the public hostname.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Cutover checklist
- Take a restorable backup of files, databases, uploads, DNS records, and server configuration.
- Build the destination and test pages, forms, downloads, authentication, integrations, and scheduled work.
- Configure the destination host for the exact subdomain and final protocol.
- Install and test a certificate that covers the subdomain.
- Lower the DNS TTL in advance and document the old answer.
- Prepare redirects and update canonical, internal-link, hreflang, and sitemap references if URLs change.
- Verify the old and new Search Console properties; use Change of Address only for an eligible address move.
- Change the A, AAAA, or CNAME record.
- Check DNS answers through multiple public resolvers and request representative URLs over HTTP and HTTPS.
- Compare application and web-server logs on both hosts, watching for errors, missing assets, failed forms, unexpected bots blocks, and capacity limits.
Monitor propagation and retire the old server safely
During the overlap, compare traffic, status codes, latency, errors, and resource usage on the old and new servers. Watch Search Console crawl activity and indexing, certificate warnings, redirect responses, and DNS answers from different networks. A successful browser test from one connection is not proof that every resolver has expired its cached record.
Keep the old host available while meaningful traffic and Googlebot access are still arriving there. If the move includes an eligible URL change and permanent redirects, Google documents a practical minimum of 180 days for maintaining those redirects after using Change of Address. Longer retention is sensible when external links, bookmarks, or infrequently crawled pages remain active.
Only shut down the old hosting after logs show that traffic has moved, the new host has adequate capacity, redirects and certificates work, and no critical integration still depends on the old address. Preserve backups and the DNS change record even after decommissioning.
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Troubleshooting common failures
The name resolves, but a default page appears
The DNS record is probably correct, but the destination is not mapped to the hostname or the request is reaching the wrong virtual host. Add the exact subdomain to the hosting account, confirm the web-server host rule, and test again with the Host header implied by the public URL.
Visitors receive a certificate warning
Inspect the certificate presented for the hostname. Install one that includes the subdomain, include the intermediate chain, and check whether a proxy is terminating TLS while the origin is configured for an incompatible mode. Test both IPv4 and IPv6 paths if both records are published.
Some users still see the old site
This is usually cached DNS during the TTL window. Compare answers from several public resolvers and allow the previous cache duration to expire. Do not repeatedly change records during propagation; that makes diagnosis harder and can extend inconsistent results.
Pages are indexed under the wrong address
Check canonical tags, internal links, hreflang, sitemaps, redirect targets, and any absolute URLs generated by the application. Ensure each old URL redirects directly to its mapped final URL and that the new host is not accidentally sending noindex or blocking crawlers.
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Compare environment variables, filesystem permissions, database credentials, outbound firewall rules, callback allowlists, storage paths, and scheduled jobs. A DNS move changes where requests arrive; it does not copy application dependencies automatically.
What a safe completion looks like
The migration is complete when the new server answers for the subdomain, HTTPS is valid, representative functionality works, DNS responses have converged, URL signals point to the intended address, redirects behave directly where needed, Search Console shows normal crawling, and logs no longer show meaningful dependence on the old host. At that point, lower-risk cleanup can begin: remove temporary test entries, restore an ordinary TTL, and decommission the old server only after retaining the agreed redirect and backup coverage.
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