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SiteGround

my.siteground.com → Websites → Site Tools → Site → File Manager → www/yourbusiness.com/public_html

1. 1. Open Site Tools' File Manager

   Go to my.siteground.com, sign in, click Websites, then Site Tools next to yourbusiness.com. Click Site → File Manager. Open yourbusiness.com → public_html (the full path is /home/customer/www/yourbusiness.com/public_html).

2. 2. Back up first

   Select every file and folder in public_html → Archive → name it old-site-backup → then select the archive → Download. (Site Tools also keeps daily backups.)

3. 3. Show hidden files

   Click the Settings icon of the File Manager, tick Show Hidden Files (dotfiles) and click Save. A WordPress site keeps a hidden .htaccess that sends every visitor to the old index.php; now you can see it and move it with the rest.

4. 4. Move the old site out of the web folder

   Go up to www/yourbusiness.com, create a folder old-site there (outside public_html). Back in public_html select everything → Move → old-site.

5. 5. Upload the zip and extract it

   In public_html click File Upload, choose yourbusiness-remo.zip. Select the zip → Extract → keep public_html. The zip is flat: index.html lands at the root. Delete the zip.

6. 6. Make sure index.html is the front page

   Look in public_html for an old index.php, index.htm, default.html or default.php. If one is still there, move it into old-site: a server shows those before index.html. public_html/index.html must sit directly in public_html, not inside a folder.

7. 7. Open your site

   Open https://yourbusiness.com in a private window and click a few menu links. If the old site still shows, press Ctrl+F5; if it still does, an old index.php or index.htm is left in public_html (previous step).

8. 8. Keep the padlock (HTTPS)

   SiteGround issues Let's Encrypt on its own; if the padlock is missing, look under Security in Site Tools (SSL Manager) and turn on the HTTPS enforcement there. If the site opens as http:// without the padlock, ask me in the chat for the three-line .htaccess redirect, or turn on your host's Force HTTPS switch.

Watch out

• The zip is flat: extract it IN the web folder and index.html lands at the root. If your panel created a folder with the site inside, open it, select all, Move to the web folder.
• An old index.php, index.htm or default.html left next to index.html wins: move it into old-site.
• Show Hidden Files before moving anything: a WordPress .htaccess left behind sends visitors to the old index.php.
• old-site belongs OUTSIDE the web folder (your home folder). Inside it, an old WordPress stays public and runnable.
• Never delete the old files: Compress → Download first, then Move. Moving them back undoes everything.
• Your email does not live in these folders; nothing here touches it. Do not cancel the old hosting if your email runs there (ask me).
• The path is www/yourbusiness.com/public_html, one per site; pick the right domain.
• SiteGround Website Builder sites have no Site Tools file access: those take no files.

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