It’s bound to happen sometime, and every webmaster dreads it. Something goes wrong with your current web host, and you’ve got to find another. No one likes the idea of changing hosts, but sometimes you’ve got to do it.
Here are the things that you need to do to switch hosts:
Find a New Host
This is the hardest part. You don’t want to find just any website hosting company. You want to find a good host that won’t go out of business or have problems with your sites. In addition, you’ll want a host that is compatible with your current hosting setup. You should also find a host with good customer support.
Backup All of Your Files
You’ll want to make sure that you have a backup of all of your files. You could use a service like Dropbox, or you could set up an FTP backup. You’ll want to keep your files backed up for at least a month so that you have time to recover your site if something goes wrong with the new provider.
Ask Your New Host to Transfer Your Site
Most hosts offer this service, but you should check to see if your new host does. You’ll want to email support and ask them about transferring accounts. They may have a wizard to use, or they may refer you to the control panel. It’s also a good idea to ask your new host if they have any tutorials available for the control panel.
Transferring your files from one host to another is relatively easy. Most hosts offer an option in the control panel for transferring a domain. However, if you feel more comfortable, ask the host if they’ll do it. Most hosts offer free site migration, and this is something you should look into before buying an account.
Manually Transfer Your Files if That’s What You Want
You can manually transfer your site to your new host if you want to. However, you’ll have to take care of some things on your own. You’ll have to transfer your database, and you’ll have to transfer your files. If you’re a technical person, you can do this yourself without the help of the host. Everyone else will probably need help of some sort, or at the very least, the utility offered from within the control panel.
Test Your Site Migration to Make Sure Everything Works Properly
You want to test everything to ensure it works properly before pointing your domain to your new host. Make sure that your databases, your files, and everything else is working the way they should. This will save you the headache of having downtime or a problem with your site.
Change the DNS of Your Domain to Point to Your New Host
Once you’ve tested everything and are sure that everything works, you need to change the DNS records of your domain. You can do this by logging into your domain name registrar and changing the DNS settings. This is what tells the world where your site is located.
Now You Can Be Thankful That All the Hard Work Is Done
There’s nothing else to do now except work on your site and ensure that it gets as much traffic as you can generate. The hardest part is done, finally. Now you can sit back and enjoy having your site hosted with a new provider.