WordPress Website Hosting Migration at Scale: Why (and How) We Left WP Engine for Rocket.net

Migrating our entire roster of client websites in just a few months sounds intense… and it was! But with the right strategy, tools, and support from a responsive server team, we turned what could have been a major disruption into a smooth, smart upgrade for our agency and our clients.

In this article, we’re sharing the why, how, and what’s-next of our decision to switch from WP Engine to Rocket.net—plus lessons we learned from managing a large-scale WordPress hosting migration. If you’re an agency considering a change in hosting providers or curious about the benefits of Rocket.net, this guide is for you.

Read on to discover why we migrated our websites, why we chose Rocket.net, the preparations we made, our process, the challenges we faced, the lessons we learned, and how you can learn more about our migration.

After seven years with WP Engine, we didn’t make this move lightly. But as we reevaluated our hosting needs, we realized it was time to explore faster, more scalable options that better supported our high-volume portfolio.

While WP Engine had been a trusted partner, our growth demanded enhanced performance, more control over resources, and a support team that could move at the pace of our agency. Following extensive internal discussions and research, we determined that moving on was the right strategic decision for us and our clients.

The decision to review our hosting choice began with evaluating the latest technology and market trends. Then, we reviewed a lot (a lot!) of potential hosting platform options. Rocket.net quickly stood out — not just for performance, but for how closely its service philosophy aligned with ours.

After several virtual meetings and an in-person conversation with the company’s founder and managing director, we were confident in the decision. Rocket.net’s approach to business mirrors our own: service-first, transparent, and built on personal relationships.

Its infrastructure is also built for speed, security, and scalability—exactly what we needed. Just as important, they communicate clearly, operate with integrity, and support our team with responsiveness that allows us to deliver great service to our clients.

Rocket.net offers several advantages over WP Engine that directly benefit the WordPress websites we manage:

• Faster server response times: Rocket.net’s cutting-edge infrastructure delivers a significantly quicker Time to First Byte (TTFB)—more than 150% faster than WP Engine’s server response. This means faster website loading speeds, even before other optimizations are applied.
• Enhanced security features: With real-time malware scanning, automatic updates, and a Web Application Firewall (WAF), Rocket.net provides secure WordPress hosting with a high level of protection.
• Unlimited PHP workers: Unlike WP Engine, which limits PHP workers based on plan tiers, Rocket.net offers unlimited PHP workers for better resource management. PHP workers manage how many simultaneous requests a server can handle, so more PHP workers = improved load handling and performance during high-traffic events.
• Proactive, human support: We’ve been especially impressed by Rocket.net’s support team. In addition to 24/7 live chat, we have access to a private Slack channel where urgent issues get real-time attention. The result? Problems are resolved quickly—often before clients even notice them.

If you’re curious about the technical differences between Rocket.net and WP Engine, check out our detailed comparison.

We broke our migration into clear, manageable phases that prioritized minimal downtime, seamless communication, and client transparency.

Phase 1: Preparation and planning

• Audit the website portfolio: We categorized websites based on complexity (e.g., brochure vs. e-commerce, high-traffic vs. low-traffic) and flagged any sites with custom plugins or special integrations that might require extra care.
• Build the timeline: Sites were grouped by business priority, traffic volume, and DNS access availability. We created a phased migration schedule that avoided peak traffic times.
• Craft client communication: We developed email templates for each stage—announcement, scheduling, and post-migration follow-ups. Clients were informed of what to expect and how they could support the process.
• Organize the tools: We gathered DNS access, created tracking spreadsheets, and set up Rocket.net staging environments to speed things up.

Phase 2: DNS updates and go-live

• Content migration: With help from Rocket.net’s support team, we migrated website files and databases in batches.
• DNS coordination: We updated records and coordinated with clients for access or two-factor authentication where needed. Some clients opted to handle updates themselves, which added complexity.
• Testing and quality control: Post-migration, we verified every website for performance, design integrity, plugin conflicts, and broken links.
• Status updates: Progress was tracked internally via tickets and Slack threads. Clients received confirmation and status reports once their site was live.

By approaching the project with precision and being prepared, we kept things smooth—even with the inevitable hiccups from handling a high volume of WordPress websites at once.

Every large-scale WordPress migration comes with its own unique hurdles. Here’s how our team tackled the biggest ones:

• Client DNS access & authentication: Most clients manage their DNS through personal registrar accounts. Gaining access or coordinating updates meant frequent communication and juggling third-party timelines. Even when we had login credentials, many platforms required 2FA (two-factor authentication)—sending time-sensitive codes via email or text to the client. This required real-time coordination to complete updates efficiently.
• Downtime communication & propagation: We minimized risk by setting Time-To-Live (TTL) values to the lowest setting a few days ahead of each migration, which helped speed up DNS propagation once updates were made. We also prepared clients for brief downtime, implemented temporary maintenance pages, and made sure they understood what to expect during the switch.
• Scheduling across a large portfolio: Timing was everything. We created templated emails and tiered site groups to streamline communication and balance workloads. The phased schedule meant we didn’t overwhelm internal teams—or our clients.

These strategies helped make our mass WordPress website migration project a success:

• Prepare before migration: Start with a full audit that includes DNS access, plugin complexity, traffic volume, and key contacts. Create a schedule for how many and how often you’ll be migrating sites. Give yourself as much buffer time as possible, as unexpected speed bumps can and will arise.
• Create communication templates: Keep your clients informed every step of the way. Create email templates for your communications that you can reuse for each step of the process.
• Engage server support early: Work closely with your new hosting provider for smoother transitions. Ask how they can support you with your migrations. Some may even offer to complete the migrations on your behalf.
• Test the process first: Migrate a few non-critical websites (such as dev and staging websites) first, then scale up to more complex or high-visibility websites.
• Automate repetitive tasks: Use instructional checklists to streamline the migration process including backups, DNS updates, and post-migration testing.
• Document everything: Create a playbook for reference in future migrations. Record what went wrong, what went right, and update it as you learn. Your future self (and team) will thank you.

Migrating a high volume of websites is no small feat—but it’s absolutely doable with the right plan, tools, and team. At Stellaractive, we’re proud of how efficiently and successfully we switched to Rocket.net.

From stronger performance and security to world-class support, Rocket.net has proven to be a smart choice for us and our clients. If you’re planning a similar move or looking to optimize your WordPress hosting, we’re happy to share what we’ve learned. Call 503-384-2413 or contact us today.

(No, this isn’t a paid endorsement. We just believe good service is worth talking about.)