Four products that look like one
| GoDaddy product | What it controls | When you move hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Domain registration | Ownership of the name and which nameservers it uses | Can stay at GoDaddy; you change nameservers or records there |
| DNS on GoDaddy nameservers | All records, including MX, SPF, CNAME and verification TXT | If you switch to SiteGround nameservers, every record must be recreated at SiteGround first |
| Web Hosting (cPanel) | Website files, databases and any cPanel mailboxes | Back up, migrate, then cancel last; data is deleted after the subscription ends |
| Microsoft 365 email from GoDaddy | Mailboxes, separate from hosting | Keep it; carry its CNAME, TXT and MX records to wherever DNS is hosted |
Step 1: Back up at GoDaddy
For Web Hosting (cPanel), GoDaddy's Daily Backups can export the whole account: go to your product page, Web Hosting, Manage, Backups, View Backups, choose a date, select Export the account, then Start export and Download when it succeeds. The result is a tar.gz of the account. You can optionally skip the database or home directory, but for a pre-migration safety copy keep both.
If your GoDaddy product is not Web Hosting (cPanel), its backup tools differ; use that product's own help pages.
Step 2: Move the website
For WordPress, install the SiteGround Migrator plugin on the GoDaddy site and paste the transfer token generated in your SiteGround account. The plugin listing says it moves WordPress content (themes, plugins and uploads), SiteGround's migration guide says the database moves too, content outside WordPress is not moved, and you get a temporary URL to verify the site on the new server.
For anything else, SiteGround's manual transfer covers database, files and configuration of the main application, but its knowledge base calls it a paid service, excludes domain transfer and handles additional applications only if you name them in the ticket. Its WordPress hosting page currently advertises a free site transfer for a limited time, so confirm what applies in your Client Area.
Step 3: Decide the email path
| Your email today | Recommended path | Records to carry |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 from GoDaddy | Keep it. Nothing moves except DNS | Get the CNAME, TXT and MX values from GoDaddy's Email & Office Dashboard; GoDaddy says to remove existing SPF or MX records before adding its records |
| Mailboxes inside the GoDaddy cPanel hosting | Move them before hosting is cancelled | Create mailboxes at SiteGround and use Email Migrator (IMAP, up to 7 GB per account, one at a time); MX then points to SiteGround |
| Any provider, and you want no mail DNS changes | Point only the website's A record to SiteGround | None; SiteGround says the rest of the DNS records and email remain intact |
Step 4: Switch DNS
Nameserver route: in GoDaddy's Domain Portfolio open the domain's Domain Settings, then DNS, then Nameservers, choose to use your own nameservers, enter ns1.siteground.net and ns2.siteground.net, and save. Domains with Domain Protection require identity verification. GoDaddy warns that changing nameservers may break existing website or email connections, and that most changes take effect within an hour but can take up to 48 hours. Before saving, recreate every record you need in SiteGround's DNS Zone Editor.
A-record route: leave GoDaddy as the DNS host and change only the A record to the IP shown in SiteGround under Websites, Website Settings, Server Details. Your Microsoft 365 records and anything else stay as they are, which is the lower-risk choice if email is the thing you cannot afford to break.
Acceptance checklist after the move
- Send mail from an outside address to each important mailbox and reply from it.
- Run a member login, a password reset and one lesson completion.
- Complete a low-price live purchase and confirm access is granted; refund it afterwards.
- Confirm the payment provider's webhook deliveries succeed after the switch.
- Check the certificate on the domain and on www.
- If cPanel mailboxes moved, run SiteGround's Email Migrator again 72 hours after the MX change to catch late messages.
- Download a final GoDaddy backup and keep it outside both hosts.
Cancel the hosting, not the domain
GoDaddy's cancellation path is Renewals and Billing, Manage Subscriptions, select the product, Cancel Plan. You can keep using it until the end date, and after that GoDaddy says the product and all associated data are deleted. Select the Web Hosting subscription only. Leave the domain registration and Microsoft 365 alone if you are keeping them, and check that the domain's auto-renew is still on.
Questions before you decide
Do I have to transfer my domain away from GoDaddy?
No. You can keep the registration at GoDaddy and either point its nameservers to SiteGround or change only the A record.
Will Microsoft 365 email from GoDaddy stop when I move hosting?
Not if its DNS records are present at whichever DNS host the domain uses. If you switch nameservers to SiteGround, recreate the CNAME, TXT and MX records there first.
What happens to files left in GoDaddy hosting after cancelling?
GoDaddy says that after the subscription's end date the product and all associated data are deleted, so download everything first.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- GoDaddy: Change my domain nameservers Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- GoDaddy: Set mail destination for my domain at another company Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- GoDaddy: Download a cPanel account using Daily Backups Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- GoDaddy: Cancel a subscription for my GoDaddy product Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: How to point my website to SiteGround Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: Transfer email via Email Migrator Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: Could you transfer my website for me? Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: WordPress hosting plans Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- SiteGround Migrator plugin Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: Migrate from Bluehost to SiteGround Accessed 29 Oct 2026
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