The Small Business Owner's Checklist for Leaving WordPress

Leaving WordPress does not have to be complicated. But a little preparation makes the whole process faster and smoother. This checklist covers everything a small business owner should have ready before starting a migration. Work through it once, and the actual move becomes straightforward.

Do you have your domain credentials?

Your domain name is your most important digital asset. Make sure you can access it.

• Log in to your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, or wherever it is registered).
• Confirm the domain is registered in your name, not your developer’s.
• Make sure your payment method is current so the domain does not lapse.
• Note the expiry date. If it is coming up in the next 60 days, renew it now.

If your domain is registered under someone else’s name, read this first.

Do you have your hosting credentials?

You need access to your hosting account to download your files and export your database.

• Log in to your hosting control panel (cPanel, Kinsta, WP Engine, SiteGround, or similar).
• Confirm you can reach the file manager and see your site files.
• Confirm you can reach phpMyAdmin or a database export tool.
• Note your hosting renewal date and billing details.

Do you have your WordPress admin login?

• Log in to your WordPress dashboard at yourdomain.com/wp-admin.
• Confirm you have an Administrator role, not just Editor.
• Change the password if you are not sure who else has access.

What pages does your site have?

Make a list of every page before the migration begins. This is your checklist for the review stage.

• Open your WordPress dashboard and go to Pages. List every published page.
• Check Posts for any blog content you want to bring over.
• Note any pages that link to important downloads (PDFs, forms, etc.).
• Note any pages with unusual layouts that may need special attention.

Most small business sites have 5 to 15 pages. Listing them takes 10 minutes.

Do you have a backup?

Even with a migration service handling the transfer, a backup is your safety net.

• Export your WordPress content: Dashboard, Tools, Export, All Content.
• Download your uploads folder via your hosting file manager (usually public_html/wp-content/uploads).
• Export your database via phpMyAdmin or your host’s backup tool.
• Store these somewhere you control: your own computer, Google Drive, or another cloud service.

A full backup walkthrough is here.

What forms do you use?

Contact forms are easy to transfer, but you need to know what you have.

• List every form on your site: contact forms, quote request forms, newsletter signups.
• Note which plugin runs each form (Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, etc.).
• If any form sends notifications to an email address, note that address.
• If you have past submission data you want to keep, export it from the plugin.

What about your Google rankings?

This is where many migrations go wrong. Protect what you have earned.

• List your most important pages (services, homepage, location pages).
• Confirm that your migration provider will create redirects from every old URL to the new one.
• Set up Google Search Console if you have not already, so you can monitor for errors after the move.

The full guide to protecting rankings during a move is here.

What to expect if you decide to move

Once you have worked through this checklist, you are ready. Basalt moves small business websites off WordPress to a platform with nothing to hack and nothing to update. The move is free. Bring your domain credentials and your page list. The rest is handled.

The step-by-step process is here.

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