What to Do Before Making Major Changes to Your Website

Overview

Major website changes can improve your website, but they can also cause unexpected problems if something is overlooked.

Before making significant changes to your website, take a few minutes to prepare.

This is especially important when:

• Updating WordPress

• Installing or removing plugins

• Changing themes

• Changing PHP versions

• Moving a website

• Changing DNS

• Modifying databases

• Changing .htaccess

• Installing new applications

• Making major website or hosting configuration changes

A little preparation can make it much easier to recover if something doesn't go as planned.

1. Know What You're Changing

Before making a change, understand what the change is supposed to accomplish.

For example:

• Are you fixing a specific problem?

• Are you adding a new feature?

• Are you changing hosting configuration?

• Are you moving the website?

• Are you trying to improve performance?

• Are you updating outdated software?

Avoid making changes simply because a setting exists.

If you don't know what a particular setting does, research it or contact Have Freedom Hosting Support before changing it.

2. Make a Backup

This is one of the most important steps.

Before making a major change, create or verify a recent backup of the website.

For a typical WordPress website, make sure you understand how both are protected:

Website Files
+
WordPress Database

If your hosting plan provides a backup system, verify that a recent backup exists and that you know how it can be restored.

For particularly important websites, consider keeping an additional copy outside of your hosting account.

3. Know How to Undo the Change

Before making a change, ask:

"What will I do if this doesn't work?"

Examples:

If you don't know how to undo a change, make sure you have a backup or recovery plan first.

4. Record Important Settings

Before changing important configuration, record the current settings.

This is particularly useful for:

• DNS records

• PHP version

• WordPress settings

• Database information

• .htaccess

• Email configuration

• Domain configuration

• Third-party integrations

For DNS, you can review records through:

cPanel → Domains → Zone Editor

If your DNS is managed somewhere else, record the existing settings there instead.

5. Be Careful With DNS Changes

DNS changes can affect more than your website.

Your DNS records may control:

• Website traffic

• Email delivery

• Subdomains

• Domain verification

• Third-party services

• Applications

Before changing DNS, identify the records that currently exist.

If you aren't sure what a record does, don't delete it simply because it looks unfamiliar.

A record that appears unrelated to your website may be required by another service.

6. Check Your WordPress Version

If you are about to make WordPress changes, first determine whether your WordPress installation is already up to date.

In WordPress, check:

Dashboard → Updates

Review:

• WordPress core

• Plugins

• Themes

Don't assume that updating everything at once is always the best approach.

If you're troubleshooting a problem, make changes deliberately so you know which change affected the website.

7. Check Your PHP Version

WordPress and other applications depend on PHP.

Before changing PHP, check the version currently being used.

In cPanel, PHP version management is generally available through:

cPanel → Software → MultiPHP Manager

Make sure your website, plugins, themes, and applications support the PHP version you're planning to use.

A PHP version change can cause older software to stop working.

8. Check Available Storage

Large changes can require additional temporary storage.

Before performing a large upload, migration, backup, or software installation, check whether your hosting account has sufficient available storage.

If your account is already near its storage limit, the operation may fail or create other problems.

9. Check Your Website Before Making Changes

Take a few minutes to test the website before making changes.

Check important areas such as:

• Homepage

• Main navigation

• Important pages

• Contact forms

• WordPress login

• User accounts

• Online store

• Checkout

• Important integrations

Knowing what worked before the change makes troubleshooting afterward much easier.

10. Test One Major Change at a Time

Avoid changing everything at once.

For example, don't simultaneously:

• Change PHP versions.

• Install several plugins.

• Change your theme.

• Modify DNS.

• Edit .htaccess.

If the website breaks, you'll have no easy way to determine which change caused it.

Instead, make one significant change, test the website, and then move on.

11. Keep Track of What You Changed

For important websites, keep a simple record of major changes.

For example:

2026-10-06
- Updated WordPress
- Updated PHP
- Installed new plugin
- Tested contact form
- Website working normally

This can be extremely useful if a problem appears later.

You don't need a complicated system. Even a simple text file or maintenance log can help.

12. Plan Changes During a Good Time

If your website is important to your business, avoid making major changes immediately before an important event.

For example, don't make significant changes immediately before:

• A major sale

• A scheduled event

• A marketing campaign

• A product launch

• A busy business period

Give yourself enough time to test the website and correct problems if necessary.

13. Consider Maintenance Mode

Some major changes may temporarily affect visitors.

For larger WordPress changes, maintenance mode can let visitors know that the website is being worked on.

However, maintenance mode isn't necessary for every small update.

Use it when the website genuinely needs to be temporarily unavailable or when visitors could otherwise encounter a partially changed website.

14. Have Your Login Information Available

Before making changes, make sure you can access the systems you'll need.

Depending on the task, this may include:

• Have Freedom Hosting Customer Portal

• cPanel

• WordPress administration

• Domain registrar

• DNS provider

• Email account

• Third-party services

Don't store passwords in plain-text notes or share them with other people unnecessarily.

If someone else needs access to perform work, use appropriate account or user permissions whenever possible.

15. Know Where Your Website Files Are

Before modifying files, know which website you're working on.

Your primary website may use:

public_html/

Additional domains and subdomains may use different document roots.

You can review your domains and document roots through:

cPanel → Domains

You can then access website files through:

cPanel → Files → File Manager

Be especially careful when working with files such as:

wp-config.php
.htaccess

These files can affect the operation of the entire website.

16. Be Careful With Databases

Database changes can be difficult to undo.

Before making significant database changes:

1. Identify the correct database.

2. Create a backup.

3. Make sure you understand what you're changing.

4. Avoid deleting information unless you are certain it is no longer needed.

Database management is available through:

cPanel → Databases → phpMyAdmin

If you're not comfortable working directly with databases, ask for assistance rather than experimenting on a live website.

17. Don't Forget Email

Some website changes can unexpectedly affect email.

This is especially important when changing:

• DNS

• Nameservers

• MX records

• Domain configuration

If your email is hosted through your Have Freedom Hosting account, review your email configuration before making DNS changes.

If DNS is being moved to another provider, make sure the required email records are recreated before switching over.

18. Test After the Change

After making a significant change, don't immediately assume everything is working.

Test the areas affected by the change.

For example:

Website Changes

Check:

• Pages

• Images

• Links

• Forms

WordPress Changes

Check:

• Dashboard

• Plugins

• Themes

• Posts

• Media

• Forms

PHP Changes

Check:

• Website loading

• WordPress administration

• Plugins

• Themes

• Forms

DNS Changes

Check:

• Website

• Email

• Subdomains

• Third-party services

19. Don't Immediately Delete the Backup

If the change appears successful, keep the backup for a reasonable period of time.

Some problems don't become apparent immediately.

For example, a website may appear to work normally but reveal a problem several hours later.

Keep the pre-change backup until you're confident that the change was successful.

Common Mistakes

"I Didn't Make a Backup Because the Change Was Small"

Even small changes can cause unexpected problems.

For important websites, getting into the habit of creating backups before significant changes is worthwhile.

"I Changed Several Things at Once"

This makes troubleshooting much harder.

Make major changes individually whenever practical.

"I Deleted an Old DNS Record Because I Didn't Recognize It"

Don't do this.

DNS records can belong to services you don't immediately recognize.

If you're unsure, investigate the record before removing it.

"I Changed PHP and Now WordPress Is Broken"

A plugin, theme, or other software may not support the new PHP version.

Check compatibility and consider reverting to the previous version while investigating.

"Everything Worked Immediately, So I Deleted My Backup"

Don't rush.

Keep your pre-change backup until you've had enough time to confirm that everything continues working correctly.

A Simple Pre-Change Checklist

Before making a major website change:

• I know what I'm changing.

• I know why I'm changing it.

• I have a recent backup.

• I know how to restore that backup.

• I know how to undo the change.

• I've recorded important current settings.

• I've checked available storage.

• I know where the affected website files are.

• I've considered the effect on email and DNS.

• I have access to the accounts I need.

• I have enough time to test the website afterward.

Need Help?

If you're unsure whether a planned change could affect your hosting account, website, email, DNS, or other services, contact Have Freedom Hosting Support before proceeding.

When contacting support, explain:

• What you're planning to change.

• Why you're making the change.

• Which domain or website is affected.

• Whether you've already created a backup.

• Any error messages or warnings you're seeing.

Never provide passwords or authentication codes in a support ticket.

Taking a few minutes to prepare before a major change can turn a potentially stressful problem into a simple rollback.