If you are an established web site owner there may come a time when you want to change your host provider. Your reasons may vary. You may have found that there is too much down time with your current provider. In other words your web site is not being available 24/7 because of technical issues with the web host. Then there may not be enough technical support being provided to you. Or you may have even discovered another web host that is more economical. It doesn’t’ matter what the reason is, you have the right to change if you desire to do so.
It can be like moving your home real messy and sometimes even lots of other problems. In spite of all the reasons, now that you have found a new web hosting service and have decided to transfer your website from your current web host to the new web host. You need to fallow certain step-by-step guide to achieve a painless and hassle free movement to your new web hosting provider.
Step One: Once you have decided you are going to be changing hosts then you must take your time with the transfer. If you rush it, there is a good chance you may make some mistakes. These could be costly mistakes and as result, keep your site down until you get them straightened out. You are going to want to download every single file you have in your website, including your html and graphic files. You will know that all of your files have been stored in a precise directory structure. Be sure and follow this exact structure as you download.
Step Two: Once you sign up with a new host, it takes around 24 hours for them to get you up and running. Once of the requirements is going to be to have to switch your domain name over to your new provider. It would be wise if you did this yourself, as you do not want the transfer before all the files are transferred otherwise your site will be down for too long. Remember when choosing your new web hosting provider what your requirements are for your site. If the new provider cannot meet your needs then this is not where you want to be.
Step Three: Everyone pretty well knows that backup of everything is necessary on the computer. The same applies for your web files. It is a good idea to make two copies of them. One you can use as your working copy. If something goes wrong then you always have another copy to work with. Your backup should be consistent with the files from the old web server as well as that directory structure.
Step Four: Your new host probably gave you a temporary log in section. It will not be activated yet for publishing. You can transfer all your files over while you are waiting for this. Then once the transfer takes place all of your work will be done. Make sure to create a catchall email address so you do not miss any incoming site mail.
Step Five: When you do your domain name change, you are not actually changing the name itself. It is like putting in a change of address when you move from your residence. So the only thing really changing is the server information.
Step Six: Depending on your domain registrar, you need to get one or more emails confirming the domain name change. Once the change has been initiated it usually takes around 24 to 48 hours for you and your users to see the change. This period is generally called propagation. All the DNS servers around the globe take the same amount of time to “catch up” and take note of your domains new location. Once the propagation course is completed you are free to safely cancel service with your previous host.
Learn more about Green Hosting. Stop by John Vopel’s site where you can find out all about Web Hosting and what it can do for you.
