DIY vs. White-Glove vs. Agency-Led: Choosing the Right WordPress Migration Path to Pagely

Migrating a WordPress site to a new host isn’t something you can approach with a cookie-cutter plan. The needs of a personal blog are worlds apart from those of a bustling eCommerce store, and each deserves its own strategy.

At Pagely, we see customers take one of three main routes when it’s time to move. Some prefer to roll up their sleeves and handle the migration themselves, others opt for our engineering team’s white-glove service, and a few bring in agency partners for a more hands-on replatform. Each approach has its own strengths and tradeoffs, and the right choice depends on your site and your goals.

Below, we’ll walk through each option for migrating a WordPress site to Pagely so you can find the path that best fits your site, your team, and your timeline.

The three paths at a glance

• DIY – This route is free, but it will cost you anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days. You’re in charge of every detail, which means more risk, but it’s a solid fit if you’re comfortable with the technical side and your site isn’t too complex.
• Pagely white-glove – With any VPS plan, you get three free migrations, with the option to request additional migrations at a cost of $100 per site. This takes almost no time on your end and keeps risk low, since our engineers handle everything manually and securely. For most Pagely customers, this is the go-to choice.
• Agency-led – Pricing is based on your project, and you’ll spend very little of your own time. This is the safest bet for complex sites, especially if you’re running an enterprise, managing eCommerce, or planning a full replatform.

Let’s break down what each migration path really looks like, and help you figure out which one matches your project best.

Path 1: DIY migration

DIY makes sense if you’re comfortable with the technical side, your site isn’t too complicated, and you’d rather put in your own time than pay for help. It’s also handy when you’re setting up a development or staging site, where a minor hiccup won’t cause much trouble.

Most self-managed migrations use SFTP to move your files. Here’s the general flow:

1. Export your database: Pull the SQL file from your current host using PhpMyAdmin, your host’s dashboard (cPanel, in many cases), or by asking your current host’s support team. If you’re not sure which option is available, contacting their support is the fastest way to find out.
2. Download your wp-content folder: Connect to your current host with an SFTP client and pull wp-content down to your local machine. This folder plus your SQL file is, effectively, your WordPress application.
3. Import into Pagely: Once your Pagely server is provisioned, you’ll have SSH/SFTP access to upload wp-content and import the database, then update wp-config.php and run through DNS.

But let’s be real. When you handle every step yourself, you’re also responsible for any mistakes. Things like DNS timing, plugin compatibility with a new PHP version, or missing file permissions can quickly turn what seemed like a quick migration into an all-day project.

If you’re leaning toward DIY, make sure to run through our pre-migration checklist before you dive in:

• PHP version: Confirm you’re running a currently-supported version of PHP.
• Plugins: Check yours against our banned plugin list, since banned plugins will be removed during any migration.
• WordPress core: Make sure you’re on the latest version.
• Plugin updates: Bring everything current before you move.

Path 2: Pagely white-glove migration

For most Pagely customers, white-glove migration is the default choice, and there’s a reason for that. This is a hands-on process. Our support engineers move your WordPress site manually using secure SSH transfers, without relying on migration plugins. That personal touch helps avoid the surprises that automated tools can cause.

Here’s what’s included with any dedicated VPS plan:

• Three free site migrations. Additional sites are $100 each, with volume pricing available if you have many sites to move.
• A dedicated onboarding specialist who will guide you through each step from sign-up to launch.
• Manual SSH-based transfer by Pagely engineers, with care taken to confirm the site is fully functional afterward.
• Post-migration recommendations. Our engineers flag any immediate issues they spot, like performance gains, security improvements, and configuration cleanup, that you can choose to act on.

From your end, the process is designed to be simple. Once you’ve signed up and added your team in the Atomic dashboard, just submit a migration request through the Support tab. An engineer will review your details, you’ll share credentials, add any special notes, and then our team handles the rest. You’ll get updates as things move along.

This path is ideal if you want a smooth, low-risk move without having to spend your own engineering hours. That’s why it’s the most popular choice for sites coming to Pagely.

Path 3: Agency-led migration

Some projects call for more than DIY or a standard white-glove migration. If you’re moving away from an old CMS, managing a complex multisite network, scaling up a WooCommerce store, or combining your migration with a redesign or custom development, you’ll want a partner who can handle the bigger picture.

Pagely partners with a small group of hand-picked WordPress agencies for exactly this work. Between them, they cover the services that come up most often around enterprise migrations:

• Project management and implementation
• Custom development
• eCommerce and WooCommerce specialization
• Performance optimization
• Ongoing maintenance and support
• Broader digital transformation strategy

When migrating a WordPress site through an agency, choosing the right partner usually comes down to what you need from the relationship after the migration is complete. You can see the current roster of Pagely’s agency partners on our migration providers page and reach out to the one that fits your project’s broader scope.

A decision framework

If you’re migrating a WordPress site and still on the fence, asking yourself these five questions can usually point you in the right direction:

1. How technical is your team? If no one on the team is comfortable with SSH, SFTP, and database imports, rule out DIY.
2. How much downtime can the business absorb? Revenue-generating sites should not be DIY experiments.
3. Are you migrating, or migrating and redesigning? Bundled redesigns are agency territory.
4. How many sites are you moving? If it’s just one or two, white-glove is the easy answer. For a larger batch, reach out to sales about volume pricing, or consider a mix: handle the simple ones yourself and let us take care of the rest.
5. What does each site do? Brochure sites can handle a bit more risk, but checkout pages or revenue-generating sites need extra care.

Whichever path you pick, prep matters

The pre-migration checklist isn’t just for DIY moves. It’s just as important for white-glove or agency-led migrations, since it determines what your site looks like once it lands on the new host:

• A supported PHP version: Older releases are likely to hit compatibility issues.
• Banned plugin check: Banned plugins get removed during migration, which can cause breakage if you weren’t expecting it.
• Latest WordPress and plugin versions: WordPress core and plugins not on their latest version will be updated automatically during migration.

Going through this list before migrating means fewer surprises when your site arrives at Pagely, and it helps you sign off faster on any post-migration recommendations from our engineers.

Ready to move?

If you’re already a Pagely customer, you can kick off a white-glove migration request right now from the Support tab in your Atomic dashboard.

If you’re sizing up your options for a complex replatform, a high volume of sites, or a migration bundled with a redesign, talk to our sales team about the right path for your project, or browse our agency partners for an extension of your team that does this every day.

No matter which path you choose, the goal is a smooth transition, minimal downtime, and a site that runs even better than before.

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