eBooks, Software, Information and Downloads

Things to Consider Before You Change Your Web Hosting Provider

by Ricardo d Argence

It could be that the growth of your business is quite fast that your web hosting company can no longer accomodate or could be that the site you have chosen does not have the right capacity for your particular needs. In any case, the best solution to this conundrum is to switch web hosting companies. There are a few steps to take to ensure the transition from one site provider to another is smooth.

Switching to a new web hosting company will go smoother if you create and follow a detailed plan, just like with other sorts of renovation undertakings. In order to ensure a smooth and efficient transfer from one web hosting company to another make sure you give yourself plenty of time to understand, complete and then test each step of the process.

This type of transition will generally require three to four weeks of planning until your new site is up and running. After determing through careful research, you can activate your business site usually within 24-48 hours.

Before doing anything else get a complete backup of the files being hosted by your provider, even if you have copies of them already stored locally. Backups are like insurance, you never appreciate having them until a catastrophe strikes. So, even though it may be tempting to eliminate this step, you may live to regret it.

You should always back up all important files. These files include HTML files, script, and database and server log files. To increase transition efficiency and simplify file downloads, create a directory structure that mirrors your web server’s.

Once you receive confirmation from your new web hosting company that your account has been activated, you can upload your files to the new server.

It is easiest to upload information to a new site by saving files somewhere familiar.

After following the above steps you may now run some tests on the other website to be able to verify that all modules are working perfectly.

Once everything is working flawlessly, you are ready to change your old Domain Name Server (DNS) to the new one which would have been provided by the new web hosting company. All that’s left now is for you to sit back and wait for the hits to begin.

About the Author:

Leave a Reply