How to Migrate from SiteGround to Cloudways

Most people moving from SiteGround to Cloudways are doing it for one of two reasons: renewal pricing got too steep, or the site hit SiteGround's CPU limits during traffic spikes. The move is straightforward, but a few SiteGround-specific quirks (SG Optimizer, bundled email, daily backup retention) catch teams that follow a generic migration tutorial. This guide covers each of those, with zero-downtime DNS instructions at the end.

Before You Start

This is a child page in our broader Cloudways setup and migration guide, which compares the plugin route, the free managed migration option, and manual SFTP transfers. For SiteGround sources specifically, the WordPress Migrator plugin is the right tool: it handles the database, files, and serialised options in one pass. You will need admin access to your SiteGround site, a Cloudways account, and your domain registrar login.

Step 1: Lower the SiteGround DNS TTL

Twenty-four to forty-eight hours before you migrate, log into your DNS provider and lower the TTL on your A and CNAME records to 300 seconds. When you switch DNS at the end of this guide, that low TTL means visitors see the new server within five minutes instead of hours. If your domain DNS is managed inside SiteGround Site Tools, the setting lives under Domain > DNS Zone Editor.

Step 2: Take a Full SiteGround Backup

SiteGround keeps daily backups for 30 days on most plans, but once you cancel your account, you lose access to them. Before doing anything else, create an on-demand backup from Site Tools > Security > Backups and download a copy locally. Combine that with a WordPress-level export using a plugin like UpdraftPlus or All-in-One WP Migration so you have a portable archive that does not depend on SiteGround infrastructure.

Step 3: Deactivate SiteGround-Specific Plugins

Three plugins on SiteGround sites cause migration problems on Cloudways:

• SG Optimizer - proprietary to SiteGround. It will not work on Cloudways and can leave broken database entries if you migrate with it active. Deactivate (but do not delete yet) before running the migrator.
• SG Security - same story. Deactivate before the move.
• SG-CachePress / SuperCacher rules - leftover .htaccess directives can conflict with Cloudways’ Varnish layer. Deactivate any SiteGround cache plugin and let Cloudways handle caching server-side.

Also disable WordFence file-integrity scanning and any other security plugin that locks file changes; these can block the migrator from writing to wp-content.

Step 4: Launch a Cloudways Server and Application

On Cloudways, create a server with DigitalOcean or Vultr at the entry tier ($14/month covers most SiteGround GrowBig and GoGeek workloads) and install a clean WordPress application on it. Pick the Clean (No Cloudways Optimization) option during WordPress setup so the migrator does not fight pre-installed plugins. The full walkthrough is in how to set up Cloudways.

Once the application exists, grab the destination credentials you will need for the migrator: the Public IP, SFTP username, SFTP password, database name, and application folder name. The folder name is the tricky one because Cloudways auto-generates it as a short alphanumeric string. See how to find your application’s folder name on Cloudways for where it lives in the dashboard.

Step 5: Run the Cloudways WordPress Migrator

Back on your live SiteGround site, install the Cloudways WordPress Migrator plugin from Plugins > Add New. Activate it, open the plugin, and fill in the destination details from the previous step. Tick the terms checkbox, hit Migrate, and wait. Database-heavy WooCommerce stores can take an hour or two; a blog under 500 MB usually completes in 15 to 30 minutes.

The generic plugin walkthrough with screenshots is in how to migrate a WordPress site to Cloudways. The SiteGround-specific tip: if the plugin times out during the database transfer, it is usually because SiteGround's PHP max_execution_time is set low. Raise it temporarily in Site Tools > Devs > PHP Manager or fall back to a manual SQL export.

WooCommerce Migration: Extra Steps

If your site runs WooCommerce, do these additional checks before and after migration.

Before you migrate:

• Deactivate any SiteGround-specific WooCommerce extensions. SG Optimizer includes a WooCommerce caching layer that conflicts with Cloudways Varnish.
• If you use SiteGround's free CDN for product images, download a local copy of your /uploads/ directory before starting. CDN-hosted images may not migrate cleanly via the plugin.
• Note your current payment gateway settings (Stripe, PayPal). You will need to re-enter API keys on the Cloudways application because they are not stored in the WordPress database.

After migration, before DNS switch:

• Run a test purchase on the Cloudways temporary URL using a sandbox payment method. Confirm the order confirmation email arrives from the new server.
• Check that all product images load. If any are broken, run a Better Search Replace pass to update any hard-coded SiteGround CDN URLs.
• Verify the WooCommerce session handler is set to use database sessions (not PHP sessions), which works better with Varnish caching.

Step 6: Test on the Cloudways Temporary URL

Cloudways gives every application a temporary domain (something like wordpress-12345-67890.cloudwaysapps.com). Visit it and walk through the homepage, three or four representative posts or pages, the search box, the contact form, and the WooCommerce checkout if you have one. Look for broken images, missing fonts, and any HTTPS warnings. If you see hard-coded SiteGround URLs anywhere, run a Better Search Replace pass against the database to swap them for the new domain.

Step 7: Move Email Off SiteGround First

SiteGround bundles mailbox hosting with most plans. Cloudways does not host email at all. If you point your domain at Cloudways without moving email first, every message to your domain stops being delivered. Before the DNS switch:

• Set up the new mailbox provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, or Fastmail) with your domain.
• Export existing mail from SiteGround via IMAP into the new provider.
• Note the new MX records and SPF/DKIM/DMARC records.

You do not need to switch the MX records yet. You just need them ready so you can update them in the same DNS edit as the A record.

Step 8: Switch DNS to Cloudways

This is the cutover moment. At your domain registrar:

• Update the A record for the root domain to your Cloudways server’s public IP.
• Update the CNAME for www to point at the root.
• Update the MX records to your new email provider.
• Add SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records from the new mail host.

Because you lowered the TTL in Step 1, most visitors see the new server within five minutes. Test from a phone on cellular data, not your home Wi-Fi, to confirm the switch is happening on the public DNS.

Step 9: Install SSL and Tune the Cloudways Stack

Inside the Cloudways dashboard, go to Application Management > SSL Certificate, enter your email and domain, and click Install. Cloudways provisions a free Let’s Encrypt certificate in under a minute. Then enable Varnish, Memcached or Redis, and the Cloudways CDN add-on if you want a CDN baked in. The Cloudways stack uses real server cron rather than wp-cron, so any plugin that relies on tight cron timing (transactional emails, backup schedules) should be checked once the new cache is warm.

Common Migration Problems and Fixes

A few issues come up repeatedly on SiteGround-to-Cloudways moves:

• Images not loading after migration: Usually caused by hard-coded SiteGround CDN URLs or absolute paths to the old server. Run Better Search Replace to update domain references in the database.
• Plugin activation errors after migrating: SG Optimizer and SG Security leave behind database options that can trigger notices. Delete both plugins (not just deactivate) after the migration completes and the site is confirmed working.
• Admin dashboard is very slow on Cloudways: Enable Redis object cache in Application Settings. The Varnish layer bypasses admin, so logged-in requests go directly to PHP. Redis makes a significant difference for admin performance.
• Contact form emails not sending: SiteGround provides transactional email through their own infrastructure. On Cloudways you need an SMTP plugin (WP Mail SMTP, FluentSMTP) connected to a service like Postmark, SendGrid, or Brevo. Configure and test before switching DNS.
• Migration plugin stuck at “Preparing site”: This usually means SiteGround's PHP max_execution_time is too short. Temporarily raise it in Site Tools > Devs > PHP Manager to 300 seconds, then retry the migration.

Step 10: Post-Migration: First Things to Check

Give the Cloudways site a full week of clean operation before you cancel SiteGround. That window catches DNS edge cases and plugin-conflict issues that only show up under real traffic. While waiting, check:

• Google Search Console: Submit the sitemap to GSC from the Cloudways server. Watch for crawl errors or URL inspection results showing the new IP. Rankings rarely drop from a clean same-domain migration.
• Uptime monitoring: Add your domain to a free monitor like UptimeRobot. If the server goes down, you want to know before Google does.
• Page speed: Run GTmetrix from your audience's nearest location. Cloudways with Varnish enabled typically delivers TTFB under 200ms on cached pages. If your score is similar to SiteGround, check whether Varnish is enabled and properly configured.
• Email delivery: Send a test message from each contact form and confirm it arrives. Check spam folders too.

Once you are confident the site is stable:

• Download a final SiteGround backup.
• Check whether SiteGround offers a pro-rated refund. They do for unused annual time on most plans if you cancel via support ticket rather than the dashboard.
• Disable auto-renew before the cancellation processes.
• Cancel the hosting plan, then confirm the domain (if registered through SiteGround) has been moved to a separate registrar or is set to renew under your name.

What to Expect Performance-Wise After the Migration

The speed difference between SiteGround and Cloudways is real, but it does not appear automatically. Here is what changes immediately and what requires configuration.

What improves immediately (no extra steps):

• Your application runs on isolated server resources with no shared-hosting neighbours. On SiteGround GrowBig, you are on a shared server with dozens or hundreds of other sites competing for CPU. On a Cloudways DigitalOcean 2 GB server, the resources are yours.
• PHP 8.2+ is available and easy to switch on per application, versus SiteGround’s PHP version options which depend on the plan tier.
• Database performance is typically faster because MariaDB runs on the same server as your application without a network hop.

What you have to configure to see the improvement:

• Varnish is pre-installed but needs to be enabled in Application Settings. Without it, cached pages still go through PHP and the speed difference narrows considerably.
• Redis object cache is pre-installed but not connected to WordPress by default. Install the Redis Object Cache plugin and point it at the local socket Cloudways provides.
• Breeze caching plugin needs to be installed and its Varnish integration enabled so cache purges happen correctly on publish.

Realistic numbers, once configured: A typical WordPress blog on SiteGround GrowBig with a caching plugin sees TTFB around 300 to 700ms. The same site on Cloudways with Varnish warm typically sees TTFB under 200ms, often under 100ms on repeat requests. That gap is not placebo: it is the difference between PHP processing every request and Varnish serving it from memory. WooCommerce checkout pages (which bypass Varnish) see a smaller improvement, typically 20 to 40 percent, because the bottleneck shifts to PHP worker count and database query speed rather than full-page caching.

If you are still weighing the move, Once migrated, follow our guide on changing your Cloudways application domain name to switch from the staging URL to your production domain and provision a new SSL certificate. the full Cloudways review covers pricing tiers, support quality, and where Cloudways outperforms SiteGround on managed WordPress workloads. To start the free trial and use the free managed migration that comes with each account, sign up for Cloudways directly.