You did not pick SiteGround by accident. The intro price was reasonable, the dashboard was friendly, and your site worked. Then the first renewal invoice showed up.
That is the moment most people start looking. SiteGround lists a special introductory price for your first term and a higher regular price after that, right on its own pricing page. So the number you signed up at is not the number you keep paying. When that regular price lands, plenty of WordPress owners decide they would rather move than renew.
If that is you, this guide walks through exactly how to move from SiteGround to managed hosting without breaking your site or losing a day of uptime. It also covers the part most people dread, the actual migration, and why you probably do not have to do it yourself.
First, Know Why You Are Leaving
Before you move, get clear on what you actually want from the next host. That keeps you from jumping to another plan with the same problem.
Most people leaving SiteGround over pricing want three things:
- A price that stays the same. No special first term, no surprise on renewal.
- Genuinely managed hosting. Not another panel full of caching, security, and backup settings you have to configure yourself.
- A migration that does not eat a weekend.
Hold onto those three. They are the checklist for the rest of this guide.
What “Managed Hosting” Should Actually Mean
“Managed” gets stamped on a lot of hosting plans that still leave the work to you. Before you move, it helps to know what a genuinely managed setup looks like, so you can tell the difference.
Real managed WordPress hosting means the host handles the server side for you:
- Caching, SSL, and DNS configured out of the box, not left as toggles in a panel
- Daily automated backups you do not have to schedule
- A staging environment for safe updates and testing
- Security running at the server level, not just a plugin you install
- A real person to answer hosting questions, not a queue that points you back at a help article
If you are paying a managed price, you should get a managed experience. That is the bar.
A Quick Note on Pricing Before You Switch
This is the part that sends most people looking in the first place, so it is worth being precise.
SiteGround uses promotional pricing. Its own site shows a discounted price for your initial term and a higher regular price that applies when you renew. That is a normal practice in shared hosting, but it means your cost goes up after the first term even if nothing about your site changes.
Forge Web Services prices differently. The plan price is flat. What you pay in month one is what you pay in month twelve and beyond. There is no introductory rate and no renewal jump to plan around:
- Starter: $39/month
- Professional: $69/month
- Agency: $119/month
- Enterprise: $209/month
Every plan is your own dedicated VPS WordPress hosting setup, so your site is not sharing a server with strangers, and every plan includes free migration. Keep that last point in mind, because it changes how the steps below work.
How to Move From SiteGround to Managed Hosting, Step by Step
Here is the full process. If you let your new host run the migration for you, you can skip most of the heavy lifting, but it is worth understanding every step so you know exactly what is happening to your site.
Step 1: Take Stock of Your Current Setup
Open your SiteGround account and write down what you actually have running:
- How many WordPress sites and domains are on the account
- Your PHP version and any custom server settings
- Plugins and themes, especially anything premium with its own license
- Email. Note whether you use SiteGround email or a separate provider, since that affects your DNS later
- Any cron jobs, redirects, or custom rules you set up over time
This is your inventory. It makes sure nothing gets left behind in the move.
Step 2: Make a Full Backup You Control
Even with a free migration handled for you, never start a move without your own copy of the site.
Back up two things: your WordPress files and your database. You can pull a full backup through your SiteGround tools, or use a backup plugin to generate a complete archive and download it to your own computer. Store it somewhere safe and do not touch it until the move is confirmed and tested.
This backup is your safety net. If anything looks wrong after the switch, you can always fall back to a known good copy.
Step 3: Pick Your New Plan
Match the plan to what you found in Step 1.
- One site, mostly content or a small business brochure: Starter at $39/month
- A few sites or a small WooCommerce store: Professional at $69/month
- Around ten client or business sites: Agency at $119/month
- A larger portfolio or high traffic stores: Enterprise at $209/month
Because the price is flat, you are choosing based on what your sites need, not trying to guess what the bill becomes next year.
Step 4: Hand the Migration to Your New Host
This is the step that usually scares people off, and it is the step you can mostly skip.
Forge Web Services includes free migration on every plan and runs the full process for you. You provide access to your current SiteGround site, and the migration is handled end to end: files, database, configuration, and setup on a fresh dedicated VPS. There is no per site fee and no cap on the number of migrations.
If you would rather do it manually, the order is: move your files, import the database, recreate your configuration, then point the domain. But for most people the entire reason to choose managed hosting is to not do this part. So let the host do it.
Step 5: Test on Staging Before Anyone Sees It
Do not point your domain at the new host until you have looked at the migrated site.
Your site is copied to the new server first, so you can preview and test it before any visitor is affected. Click through the important pages. Test a contact form. If you run a store, walk through a checkout. Check that plugins are active and that nothing is throwing errors.
Because the migration happens before the switch, your live SiteGround site stays online the whole time. Nothing changes for your visitors until you are ready.
Step 6: Update DNS and Go Live
Once the migrated site checks out, you update your domain’s DNS to point at the new server. This is the actual moment of “moving.”
DNS changes take a little time to spread across the internet, usually within a few hours. During that window your old and new sites both stay up, so visitors land somewhere working no matter what. Plan the switch for a quieter traffic period if you want to be extra careful, then watch the site for a few hours after.
If you handed the migration to your new host, this step is coordinated for you, including the timing.
Step 7: Cancel SiteGround, But Only After You Are Sure
Do not cancel SiteGround the moment the new site is live. Wait until you have confirmed everything:
- The site loads correctly on the new server
- Forms, logins, and checkout all work
- Email is flowing if it runs through your domain
- You have given DNS a full day or two to settle everywhere
Once all of that is solid, cancel your SiteGround plan before the next renewal date so you are not charged for another term. Keep your own backup from Step 2 for a few weeks, just in case.
That is the whole move. With a managed migration, most of these steps happen on your behalf, and your job is mostly to check the work and say go.
What You Get After the Move, With Forge
Once you are on Forge Web Services, the managed part is the point. Every plan runs on your own dedicated VPS and includes:
- OpenLiteSpeed and Redis caching, configured for WordPress out of the box
- Daily automated backups
- A staging environment for safe updates
- Server-level security that blocks attacks in real time, plus a WordPress firewall, CDN, and malware scanning on every plan
- ForgeMail for transactional email, so order confirmations, password resets, and contact form messages actually get delivered
- Proactive uptime monitoring, so problems get spotted and handled instead of waiting for you to notice
- Email support from people who manage the servers, not a script
And the price stays flat. No first term discount that quietly expires, no renewal letter to brace for.
Move From SiteGround to Managed Hosting the Easy Way
If you are leaving SiteGround because the renewal price stopped making sense, the move itself does not have to be the hard part.
Forge Web Services will migrate your site for free, set it up on a dedicated VPS, and keep your price flat for as long as you stay. You pick the plan, hand over access, and check the result. That is it.
Plans start at $39/month and include free migration, dedicated VPS hosting, server-level and WordPress-level security, a built-in CDN, and ForgeMail transactional email.
See plans and start your free migration at forgewebservices.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I lose any data moving from SiteGround to managed hosting?
No, if the move is done properly. Your files and database are copied to the new server, tested, and only then made live. Keeping your own full backup before you start gives you an extra safety net.
Will my site go down during the migration?
It should not. Your site is copied to the new host and tested before any switch happens, so your live SiteGround site stays online the whole time. The only change point is the DNS update, and old and new sites both stay reachable while that settles.
Do I have to do the migration myself?
Not with a managed host. Forge Web Services includes free migration on every plan and runs the full process for you, with no per site fee and no limit on the number of sites.
Why is SiteGround more expensive after the first term?
SiteGround advertises a special introductory price for your initial term and a higher regular price on renewal, which it shows on its own pricing page. That is why your cost can rise at renewal even though your site has not changed.
How is Forge Web Services pricing different?
Forge pricing is flat. There is no introductory rate and no renewal increase. Starter is $39/month, Professional is $69/month, Agency is $119/month, and Enterprise is $209/month, and that price stays the same for as long as you stay.
When should I cancel my SiteGround plan?
After your new site is fully live, tested, and stable, and after DNS has settled everywhere. Cancel before your next SiteGround renewal date so you are not billed for another term.
