Managed Wordpress Hosting discontinuation FAQ

General

• Why is Managed WordPress Hosting being discontinued?
  
  

  Since the launch of Managed WordPress Hosting in June 2021, we have closely monitored its performance and our customers’ feedback. Unfortunately, the uptake has not met our expectations. Through extensive user testing and feedback, we’ve realised that the product does not fully align with the needs of our entrepreneurs or resellers.

  
  

• When will the Managed WordPress Hosting service be fully discontinued?
  
  

  We won’t be offering new orders from 25 June 2024, and the product will be entirely discontinued by 26 August 2024.

  
  

• What are my options for migrating my website?
  
  

  We will match you with a Web Hosting package that is most aligned with your current storage needs. We will perform the migration for you and you will be able to continue with your WordPress website through our Web Hosting product. After the migration is complete, you will be able to upgrade or downgrade to a different Web Hosting package should you want to.

  
  

• How much time do I have to either migrate or cancel?
  
  

  You can cancel your Managed WordPress Hosting package up until 26 July 2024. We will offer you a prorated refund if you pay annually for this service.

  If you do not cancel your Managed WordPress Hosting package, we will migrate you to a Web Hosting package before 26 August 2024.

  
  

• What will happen after migration?
  
  

  Once you log into your Control Panel, you will no longer see Managed WordPress Hosting as part of your products. You will have a Web Hosting package where your WordPress website is hosted. You sign into your WordPress Admin dashboard (https://example.com/wp-admin) with the login details you used for your website.

  
  

Web Hosting

• What is the difference in features and functionality between Web Hosting and Managed WordPress Hosting?
  
  

  You can see the difference between our Basic and Standard Web Hosting packages in comparison to Managed WordPress here.

  For a more comprehensive overview of our Web Hosting packages, you can take a look at our Web Hosting product page.

  
  

• How does migration to Web Hosting work?
  
  

  We will take care of the migration to our Web Hosting offering for you.

  If you prefer not to migrate to one of our hosting packages, you can cancel your Managed WordPress Hosting package by 26 July 2024. Your site will be deleted after 30 days as a one month notice period applies.

  If you are still on a trial website, please refer to this FAQ. 

  
  

• Will my WordPress website still work on a Web Hosting package?
  
  

  Yes. Your website will work as usual. If you’re using one of our Starter Sites, please refer to this FAQ.

  
  

Migration

• What support will be available to me during the migration process?
  
  

  We will perform the migration of your website, and any email content, on your behalf and you will be able to continue with your WordPress website through our Web Hosting product.

  If you would like to cancel your Managed WordPress Hosting package and transfer your site away, we suggest using a plugin such as  Duplicator to migrate your site.

  
  

• What are the potential risks involved in migrating my website?
  
  

  Both sites (Managed WordPress Hosting and your new Web Hosting package) will be put into maintenance mode prior to migration and only your site on the new host will be removed from maintenance mode. This ensures that no orders or updates take place on your old Managed WordPress Hosting site. 

  It’s possible that you have customised your website or hardcoded file paths. While we will do everything possible to ensure a smooth transition, there is potential for these customisations to affect the functioning of your website.

  Please take note if you make use of a third party provider that needs to whitelist your hosting server IP for integration. Your IP address will be updated following the migration of your website and will be shared with you via email.

  
  

• Will my website and email experience downtime?
  
  

  Yes, there will be some downtime while your site is in maintenance mode and is being migrated to a new Web Hosting package. 

  If you are currently using your servername or IP in your email client, you may experience mail downtime until you have updated your mail client’s SMTP settings.

  
  

• What happens to my Managed WordPress Hosting backups, can I access them after migration?
  
  

  The transfer of Managed WordPress Hosting backups to your Web Hosting package will not be possible due to format differences. Our Web Hosting packages offer free daily backups. Backups are stored for 14 days to allow you to restore your website easily.

  We encourage you to make use of Duplicator and download a backup of your content locally, if required.

  
  

• What should I do with my staging sites before migrating or cancelling?
  
  

  Staging sites will be deleted as our Web Hosting packages do not offer staging.

  
  

• Are there any additional costs associated with the migration?
  
  

  No. We will migrate your website for you free of charge. 

  
  

• Can I migrate my email over with my website?
  
  

  Yes. If you have activated mail on your Managed WordPress Hosting package, we will perform the migration of your email content to your new Web hosting package.

  If you would like to transfer your email content to another provider, please see our Help Centre article.

• Can I upgrade or downgrade my Web Hosting package after migrating?
  
  

  You’re welcome to change your Web Hosting package after we’ve migrated you over. 

• Why can I no longer add or activate email on my Managed WordPress site?
  
  

  The ability to add or activate email on your Managed WordPress site will be removed on 25 June 2024. If you would like to activate your email before the manual migration, you will have to manually migrate your site to a Web Hosting package. 

  To achieve this, you may detach your domain from your Managed WordPress Hosting package and then connect your domain to a Basic or Standard hosting package. Once your hosting package is active, use a plugin such as Duplicator to migrate your site. You can then create your email for your domain.

  
  

Cancellation

• What happens if I choose to cancel instead of migrating my website?
  
  

  You will lose your WordPress website and its contents. We would advise that you opt for migration, either to a Web Hosting package or to another provider.

  
  

• Can I migrate my website to another provider instead?
  
  

  You’re welcome to migrate to another provider. In this instance we recommend using a plugin such as Duplicator to migrate your site.

  Your Managed WordPress Hosting package can be cancelled via your control panel. Your site will be deleted after 30 days as a one month notice period applies. If you would also like to transfer your domain name away, you may follow the steps in this Help Centre article.

  
  

• Will I receive a refund if I paid annually and I choose to cancel?
  
  

  Yes. We will issue a prorated refund if you’ve paid annually. This means that we will refund you for the remainder of the time you had left on your annual billing.

  
  

Starter Sites and Plugins

• Can I continue to use the Starter Sites?
  
  

  Yes, your Starter Site/s will be migrated along with your package. We will however no longer perform updates or offer support for Starter Sites. We advise that you switch to a WordPress-supported theme or reach out to a WordPress specialist to install a new theme.

  
  

• Can I migrate my example.xneelosites.com domain?
  
  

  If you’re using a free temporary domain, you will need to attach a domain before 26 July to be migrated.

  
  

Trial

• Will I be able to migrate my trial website?
  
  

  Yes. If you are currently on a 30-day free trial and would like to retain the WordPress website that you have created while on this trial, you have the following options:

  • Upgrade your trial to paid Managed WordPress Hosting and attach a domain by 26 July 2024. Your Managed WordPress Hosting package will then be migrated to our Basic Web Hosting package at R99 per month. We will communicate the migration date with you ahead of time.
  • Order a Basic Web Hosting package at R99 p/m as well as register a domain. Once you have ordered your Web Hosting package, you’ll need to transfer your trial website to the Basic Web Hosting package – this Help Centre article will help you through this process. Alternatively, you can use a plugin such as Duplicator to migrate your site.